Anyone with the soul of a traveler has looked at a map of the world and more than once has fixed his gaze on the Indian subcontinent. It's a great destination for adventurous and economical tourism.
This part of the world is historically known as the Hindustan peninsula what if, it is a land of many beauties, cultures and history. Many say that one season here and your life will change forever, so let's see what wonders await us.
Hindustan
As we said above, the peninsula is nothing other than the Indian subcontinent, a land geopolitically composed of seven nations: India, Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, the Maldives, and Pakistan.
Today the word Hindustan is not used so much but any student of History knows that the call was developed here indostanic civilization, very different from the cultures of the rest of Asia. In fact, the name is very, very old and the Persians already used it.
The total territory comprises almost four and a half million square kilometers. Until the deolization of the peninsula in the 40s, much of the area was simply known in Europe as British India.
Once the colonial powers began to withdraw, a significant part of the territory began to decompose into smaller states. Today the word subcontinent sounds familiar, although we should know that this is the only corner of the world that word is used for.
Geography issues
How is this peninsular land? What landscapes does it have, what is its climate like? Let us bear in mind that the one and the other always shape civilizations.
To the north are the H and Arabian Sea, to the south the Bay of bengal where Emilio Salgari's Sandokan sailed the seas. Another mountain range is the hindukush, with Afghanistan on one side and Pakistan on the other. And there are also the lowest Montes Suleiman.
When you know that India is one of the most populated nations on the planet, you imagine that the population density here must be enormous and it is. It's known that about 350 people live per square kilometer of surface, seven times more than eo average in the world.
The economy of the Hindustan Peninsula
Countries like India, Bangladesh and Pakistan take the bulk of the economic activity, but basically it is the primary sector that provides many jobs. I speak of the farming (mostly subsistence), the cattle raising and logging.
Tea, cotton, rice, wheat, millet, sorghum, soybeans, coffee, and sugar cane are the main crops in the region. And the industry? Well, it develops with greater intensity in India and Pakistan, although it is also there are many factories in Bangladesh dedicated to the textile and footwear industry, For example.
In India the technology industry has developed a lot For some time now, basically software, while in Pakistan, at least until the war, what was coming in handy was the pharmaceutical and oil industries.
India attracts the bulk of tourism since the political situation of some of its neighbors does not attract visitors. A shame since its traditions, exotic to the western world, the archaeological remains of old civilizations plus the beauty and diversity of its landscapes should be used by everyone.
The countries of the Hindustan Peninsula
India is the largest country and with more number of inhabitants here. It is located to the south and has an area of 3287.590 square kilometers. Its coasts measure seven thousand kilometers long and it has more than four thousand borders.
India borders Myanmar, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Sea. Its capital is New Delhi and you need a visa to enter. In addition, there are the vaccines: Hepatitis A and B, typhoid fever, tetanus-diphtheria and maybe some other.
It is better to be cautious because vaccines are not mandatory, it is more a matter of personal health.
Sri Lanka is an insular socialist republic which has a maritime border with India and the Maldives. Its human history is at least 125 thousand years old. During the British government it was known as Ceylan, great tea producer.
Religions and languages abound here although there is a strong and ancient Buddhist tradition. Its capital is Colombo and a trip to the island should include the twelve meter high statue of Avukana, the Sigiriya Fortress, perched on a towering and impregnable rock, with colorful frescoes that have been declared World Heritage (there are seven estates in the country) or the ancient city of Polonnaruwa.
Bangladesh a republic with more than 166 million inhabitants. Its official language is Bengali and it has the largest delta in the world as three of the longest rivers in Asia converge in it: the Ganges, the Meghna and the Brahmaputra.
Also has the largest mangrove in the world, terraces of tea crops in the middle of rain forests, 600 kilometers of coastline with the longest beach in the world, islands and a nice coral reef.
History has not been kind to this country, but to which of its neighbors has it been kind?
Pakistan it is another example of a beautiful and long-suffering country. It is a islamic republic with more than 190 million inhabitants. Its location has made it a linchpin on the world's board and it's paying for it.
In the mid-twentieth century he achieved his own freedom and became an important muslim state. In 1971 the civil war began through which Bangladesh would be born. Successive military governments, their atomic weapons, the war for Kashmir and friction with India have turned it into a powder keg that is difficult to put out and not to mention, impossible to visit.
Bhutan It is not a republic but a kingdom, a constitutional monarchy. It has no exit to the sea and it's in the himalaya mountains. Its capital is the city of Timbu and it is one of the the world's smallest and most populous countries: Less than a million!
Tourists began to arrive in Bhutan in the 70s and today they represent an important income in the national economy, although mass tourism is not encouraged, but rather sustainable tourism.
It has what to attract visitors: wonderful landscapes, religious celebrations and monasteries. Yes indeed, the visa must be processed before traveling.
Nepal is a federal republic which also has no outlet to the sea. While it does not have a shared border with Bhutan, there is a 24-kilometer border area known as the chicken neck.
Until 2008 it was a constitutional monarchy, but after a fierce civil war a new era began. Unfortunately in 2015 it suffered a terrible earthquake, more than eight thousand dead, so he's still recovering.
Its geography is that of a rectangle, it has many mountains and owns high peaks ... among them the Mount Everest. In Nepal there are frozen mountains, humid forests, five seasons, because the monsoon is counted, and people who speak different languages and profess different religions.
Finally, the Maldives is an island and Islamic country in the Indian Ocean. Its capital is Malé and its geography is made up of about 1200 islands, only 200 are inhabited, but if the sea level ever rises they will disappear forever.
The British, the Portuguese and the Dutch have passed through here, although it has been independent since the late 60s. It is not the great democracy in the world and it is the least populated country in Asia. Of course, it has spectacular landscapes and beaches so it is a great tourist destination especially among Europeans. Many people live from tourism and there are more than a hundred resorts.
This is the complex but beautiful and culturally rich peninsula of Hindustan. Which country do you stay with?