South Asia

Introduction

With its 1.6 billion people, South Asia is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It represents the paradoxes of rapid economic growth and extreme poverty, of peaceful transition to democracy and endless conflict, of growing literacy and millions of children out of school, of children dying before they reach the age of five even as health care and vaccination coverage improves. Due to the size, expanse, and diversity of the region, the eight countries in South Asia - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka- exhibit a wide range in their human ...