why sub continent is called subcontinenet?

Question

i wanna know why saarc countries are colectivly known as sub continent?

Answer 1

In geographical terms, a subcontinent is a land mass that is attached to a larger continent but is on a different tectonic plate and having a geographic border. The Indian subcontinent is not on the Eurasian plate, but is own plate that is moving northward into Eurasia. This is how the Himalaya Mountains are being formed. The mountain range tends to act as a buffer between the SAARC countries and the rest of Asia, giving it a cultural difference.

There's no consensus definition of a subcontinent. Technically, Arabia is on it own plate but is not really considered a subcontinent as there's no defined border. Europe can be considered a subcontinent of Eurasia defined by the Ural Mountains, but it's on the same tectonic plate. Probably the Indian subcontinent is the only agreed upon one.

Answer 2

A subcontinent is a cohesive collection of adjacent countries that share some attribute or attributes but that do not comprise the whole continent.

SAARC fits because it doesn't consist of the whole continent of Asia, but the countries all share a number of features and goals. And they do work in concert, having formed a consortium or cooperating group.

SAARC is not the only subcontinent referred to in the world however. The Middle East, Northern Africa, and Eastern Europe are other commonly referred to subcontinents.