What is South Asia?

Few things capture South Asia's character better than an India-Pakistan cricket match — fierce competitive tension on the field, alongside the genuine warmth that home crowds extend to visiting fans. Rivalry and hospitality, suspicion and trust: the region holds both at once, constantly.

Which countries make up South Asia? By convention, 'South Asia' refers to seven countries — Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, the Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Geography has given the region a natural boundary of its own: the Himalayan range to the north and the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean, and Bay of Bengal wrapping around the west, south, and east. That isolation is a big part of why the subcontinent developed its own distinct languages, social patterns, and cultures.

Elsewhere, the edges blur. Afghanistan and Myanmar frequently come up in conversations about the region even though they sit outside its conventional boundary, and while China plays a major role in regional affairs, it isn't usually counted as part of South Asia itself. This chapter sticks to the seven-country definition throughout.

Diversity within a single geopolitical space. These seven countries differ enormously — in size, language, religion, and the kind of political system each has chosen — yet together they still form one recognisable geopolitical region.

The democratic record of each country:

• India and Sri Lanka are the region's most consistent democracies, having run democratic systems continuously since gaining independence from British rule — India's record has its share of shortcomings, but it has never stopped being a democracy.
• Pakistan and Bangladesh have swung between civilian and military rule. Bangladesh has stayed democratic throughout the post-Cold War years. Pakistan opened that period under elected governments led first by Benazir Bhutto and then Nawaz Sharif, before a 1999 military takeover interrupted things; civilian rule has been back in place since 2008.
• Nepal remained a constitutional monarchy up to 2006, always carrying the risk that the king might seize direct executive control. That monarchy was dissolved in 2008, turning Nepal into a democratic republic.
• Bhutan shifted to constitutional monarchy in 2008, evolving under its king into a functioning multi-party democracy.
• The Maldives stayed a Sultanate until 1968, when it converted to a presidential republic. Its parliament unanimously approved a multi-party system in June 2005, and the Maldivian Democratic Party has since led the country's politics, winning the 2018 election. …