ABSTRACT
South Asia comprises the countries of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka. Although this chapter throws some light on the region of South Asia as a whole, the discussion concentrates specifically on India because it is the largest democracy in the region and, perhaps more importantly, because India plays a major role in the current global economic environment. The South Asian region, home to 1.4 billion people, is rich in history and cultural heritage. The countries in the region are unique in various aspects, but they also share several common elements other than geographic proximity. Several unique characteristics and controversial aspects set South Asian states apart from other developing countries. For the past decade, South Asia has been the second-fastest-growing region in the world, after East Asia, yet 45 percent of the population lives below the international poverty line of $1 a day, comprising about 40 percent of the world’s poor. Rapid population growth and high population density pose serious threats to some of these countries.
