Welcome to South Asia!

Photo Credit: World Atlas

Asia, itself is a huge continent with many different cultures and custom. It’s not only the homes of Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. There are other Asians too, specifically South Asians. I specifically picked nine of these South Asian countries. Some people would not think that some of these countries are from South Asia. They often get mistaken for Middle Eastern because of the culture and language that is presented in that specific country. Also, India is not the only South Asian country. There are other countries close to it, such as...

1. Afghanistan

Afghanistan is one of the countries that gets mistaken for being a Middle Eastern country, but is actually part of South Asia. The common languages spoken there are Dari and Pashto. Islam is their main religion. The people of Afghanistan are called Afghans. Interesting Fact: They love poetry and celebrate poetry night on Thursdays in the western city of Herat.

Photo Credit: Kabul, Heinrich-Boll-Stiftung/Flickr

2. Bangladesh

Bangladesh is one of the world's most densely populated countries. The indigenous people mainly speak Bangali and Islam is the major religion in Bangladesh. Interesting Fact: The most important information that people still get wrong till this day is the spelling of Bangali. People would spell it like this or it would auto correct to this: Bengali. But, the correct way of spelling it bAngali.

Photo Credit: Sonargaon, Nasir Khan Saikat/WikiCommons

3. Bhutan

Bhutan is a small kingdom in the Himalayas. The kingdom is between India and China. The major language there is Dzongkha and the two major religions are Buddhism (official) and Hinduism. Interesting fact: The name for Bhutan is Bhutanese, which means “Land of the Thunder Dragon”.

Photo Credit: INTREPID

4. India

India is one of the most largest democratic countries, according to the United Nations. India has more than one official language, the most spoken language is Hindi. Also, they have other major religions in their country too, other than Hinduism. Interesting Fact: One of the things India is known for is that it has the second largest well known film industry in the world, which is Bollywood.

Photo Credit: Virtuoso

5. Maldives

Maldives is an Islamic Republic, mostly made up of nearly 1,200 islands. Maldives known for its beaches, blue lagoons, and extensive reefs. The major language spoken there is Divehi and major religion practice there is Islam. It’s a topical nation and it’s known for a lot of tourism because there are a lot of beautiful attractions there. Interesting Fact: Maldives is the smallest country in Asia.

Photo Credit: The Telegraph

6. Myanmar (Burma)

Myanmar, also known as Burma is located between Bangladesh, China, and Thailand. They speak Burmese. The common religion practiced there is Buddhism. The country is popular for its tourism, tourists can visit several beautiful temples there. Interesting Fact: Burmese celebrate their New Years for four days and it is called Thingyan, which also means “water throwing festival”. They splash water at each other to wash away previous year’s bad luck or sins.

Photo Credit: World Travel Guide

7. Nepal

Nepal is located between India and China. The language spoken there is Nepali. Their main religions are Hinduism and Buddhism. Nepal is the home of eight of the world’s highest mountains, one of them is Mount Everest, which is known as Sagarmatha. Interesting Fact: Nepal is the only country with a non-rectangular flag.

Photo Credit: Nepal travel

8. Pakistan

Pakistan is located between Iran and India. The major languages that are spoken here are Urdu, Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashto, Balochi, and English. The country's major religion is Islam. Pakistan has an abundant supply resources, such as coal, petroleum, iron ores, limestone, etc. They have great spicy cuisine like the others South Asian countries. Interesting Fact: The name Pakistan means “land of the pure” in Persian and Urdu.

Photo Credit: Pakistan Defence

9. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a tropical island nation, located in the southern tip of India. They mostly speak Sinhala, Tamil, and English. They practice religions such as Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity. They have diverse landscapes from rainforests to beaches. Interesting Fact: Sri Lanka is also known as “The Nation of Smiling People”.

Photo Credit: G Adventures