The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c15.15

v1.c15.15

THE great continent of Asia falls naturally into four parts or sub-continents. The east drains to the Pacific, and is mainly Buddhist. The north and west centre lie open in an arctic direction, and during the past century were united under Russian rule. The south-west, or Lower Asia, is the land of passage from Asia into Africa, and from the Indian ocean to the Atlantic. It is the homeland of Islām. In the middle south is the Indian subcontinent.