Southern Asia questions

The four largest cities in India are Mumbai (12.4 million), Delhi (11.0 million), Bangalore (8.4 million) and Hyderabad (6.7 million).

Between 1947-1971, the current country of Bangladesh was a part of Pakistan, known as the East Pakistan. It was the largest, the most populated and the richest region of Pakistan, completely separated from the rest of the country. In 1971, after 9-month-long war for independence, the province became the independent country of Bangladesh.

The name “Ceylon” was given to the island by the Portuguese explorers in 1505. Later it was used by the British as a name of the colony. In 1948, the country gained independence, and changed its name to Sri Lanka (coming from local Sinhalese language) in 1972.

Historically, Iran has been referred to as Persia by the West, due mainly to the writings of Greek historians who called Iran Persis. In 1935, Reza Shah requested the international community to refer to the country by its native name, Iran.

Assam is a state in northeastern India, east of Bangladesh. It is the world's largest tea-growing region. Assam teas, or blends containing Assam, are often sold as "breakfast" teas.

Malabar is a region in Southern India, on the coast of the Arabian Sea. Because of their orientation to the sea and to maritime commerce, the coastal cities of Malabar are very cosmopolitan and have hosted some of the first groups of Christians (now known as Saint Thomas Christians), Jews (today called as Cochin Jews), and Muslims (at present known as Mappilas) in India

Gujarat is the westernmost state of India.

Goa is the smallest state of India, but also the richest. It was a Portuguese colony for over 450 years, until it was annexed by India in 1961. Today, the Portuguese language is not used any more, but some Portuguese traditions still exist - for example, the most popular sport in Goa is the association football. 26% of Goa's inhabitants are Catholics.

Pakistan borders India to the east, Afghanistan to the west, Iran to the southwest and China. K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is located on the border between Pakistan and China.

Islamabad was built during the 1960s to replace Karachi as Pakistan's capital. The city's master-plan divides the city into eight basic zones, including administrative, diplomatic enclave, residential areas, educational sectors, industrial sectors, commercial areas, and rural and green areas.