Wikipedia:India - South Asia nomenclature

India may refer to, or be used interchangeably with, Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya) (main usage), Indian subcontinent, South Asia, and Greater India.

Contemporary referents
India may refer to, or used interchangeably with:
 * Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya) (main usage; "Republic of India" redirects to India)
 * Indian subcontinent
 * South Asia
 * Greater India

Historical referents
In a historical context, India may also refer to:
 * Epic India, prehistoric India as described in mythological epics
 * Mahajanapada, the ancient kingdoms and republics of India
 * Hindustan, a name used for the northern and northwestern Indian subcontinent. Consists today of mostly of Northern India and Eastern Pakistan
 * British Raj, officially known as the British Indian Empire
 * Former Dominion of India or Union of India (1947 to 1950), the Republic of India before the adoption of its constitution

Alternate names for India

 * Bharat: Ganges Valley (Bharata clan), or Indian subcontinent
 * Hindustan, the northern and northwestern Indian subcontinent. Consists today of mostly of Northern India and Eastern Pakistan

Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent or the subcontinent, also called the Indian continent, is a southern region of Asia, mostly situated on the Indian Plate and projecting southwards into the Indian Ocean from the Himalayas. Geologically, the Indian subcontinent is related to the land mass that rifted from Gondwana and merged with the Eurasian plate nearly 55 million years ago. Geographically, it is the peninsular region in south-central Asia delineated by the Himalayas in the north, the Hindu Kush in the west, and the Arakanese in the east. Politically, the Indian subcontinent usually includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Sometimes, the term South Asia is used interchangeably with Indian subcontinent. There is no consensus about which countries should be included in each.

South Asia

 * For discussions, see 

South Asia or Southern Asia is a term used to represent the southern region of the Asian continent, which comprises the sub-Himalayan SAARC countries and, for some authorities, adjoining countries to the west and east. Topographically, it is dominated by the Indian Plate, which rises above sea level as Nepal and northern parts of India situated south of the Himalayas and the Hindu Kush. South Asia is bounded on the south by the Indian Ocean and on land (clockwise, from west) by West Asia, Central Asia, East Asia, and Southeast Asia.

The current territories of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka form South Asia. The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is an economic cooperation organisation in the region which was established in 1985 and includes all eight nations comprising South Asia.

Greater India
The term Greater India is most commonly used to encompass the historical and geographic extent of all political entities of the Indian subcontinent, and the regions which are culturally linked to India or received significant Indian cultural influence.

Iron Age in India/Vedic period

 * For discussions, see

Several terms are being used for the period of ca. 1500-500 BCE:
 * Vedic period (ca. 1500-500 BCE)
 * Iron Age in India (ca. 1300-230 BCE)
 * Iron Age India -> redirects to Iron Age in India
 * Iron Age in South Asia -> redirects to Iron Age in India

Geographical topics

 * "India" for geographical and historical topics which regard the present-day Republic of India;
 * "Indian subcontinent" for geographical topics which include both Pakistan and Republic of India, and/or other states in the Indian subcontinent;
 * "South Asia" for geographical topics which include Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.

Historical topics

 * "India," or the historical political names of states and areas, for historical topics which regard solely the area of present-day Republic of India.
 * "Indian subcontinent," or the historical political names of states and areas, for historical topics which include both Pakistan and Republic of India, and other countries on the Indian subcontinent. For example:
 * India states "India, officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia [...] The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE."
 * Gautama Buddha states that the Buddha was born in the Shakya republic, present-day Nepal;


 * "South Asia," or the historical political names of states and areas, for geographical topics which include Afganisatn, Pakistan and India