Geopolitics of Himalayan Region: Cultural Political and Strategic Dimensions

The world’s youngest mountain range, the Himalayas, is home to two of the world's oldest civilizations that are contemporary Great Power aspirers – India and China. These two Asian giants are the world's fastest growing economies and hold over one third of global population, giving them the necessary clout to impact global politics. In the last few years, Himalayan Region, which influences and dominates a large part of Eurasian land mass has seen jostling for space between these two emerging powers as well as various extra-regional powers. For India, the Himalayas symbolise physical strength, spiritual elevation, cultural diversity and strategic advantage and forms the basis of India’s national consciousness. They act as a natural divide between the Indian subcontinent on the one hand and Central Asia and China on the other. In fact, the boundaries of South and Central Asia converge along the Himalayas, lending unique geo-political and geo-strategic significance to this region that represents diverse identities, ecology and, yet finds a common civilizational and cultural tradition that binds it seamlessly.