South India is a region consisting of the southern part of India, which encompasses the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana, as well as the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry, comprising 19.31% of India's area (635,780 km2 or 245,480 sq mi) and 20% of India's population. Covering the southern part of the peninsular Deccan Plateau, South India is bounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south. The geography of the region is diverse with two mountain ranges – the Western and Eastern Ghats – bordering the plateau heartland. The Godavari, Krishna, Kaveri, Tungabhadra, Periyar River, Bharathappuzha River, and Vaigai rivers are important non-perennial sources of water.

The majority of the people in South India speak at least one of the four major Dravidian languages: Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam. Some states and union territories also recognize a minority language: such as Urdu in Telangana, and French in Puducherry. Tulu is the next most spoken Dravidian language. Tulu speakers are mostly concentrated in Dakshina Kannada (48%) and in some parts of Udupi District (31%) of Karnataka, along with a portion of the Kasaragod District of Kerala. Besides these languages, English is used by both the central and state governments for official communications and is used on all public signboards.
During its history, a number of dynastic kingdoms ruled over parts of South India; and the Muslim conquests in the Indian subcontinent across southern and southeastern Asia impacted the history and culture in those regions. Major dynasties established in South India include the Cheras, Cholas, Pandyas, Pallavas, Satavahanas, Chalukyas, Rashtrakutas, Bahmani, Deccan Sultanates, Kakatiyas, Kadambas, Hoysalas, Zamorin, Vijayanagara, Maratha Empire, Travancore, Arakkal, and Mysore. Europeans entered India through Kerala. South India was colonized under Portuguese India and the British Raj. The Hyderabad State ruled by the Nizams was the last princely state of India.
South India witnessed sustained growth in per-capita income and population, structural changes in the economy, an increased pace of technological innovation. After experiencing fluctuations in the decades immediately after Indian independence, the economies of South Indian states have registered a higher-than-national-average growth over the past three decades. While South Indian states have improved in some socio-economic metrics, poverty continues to affect the region, much like the rest of the country, although it has considerably decreased over the years. The HDI in the southern states is high and the economy has undergone growth at a faster rate than in most northern states. Literacy rates in the southern states is higher than the national average, with approximately 81% of the population capable of reading and writing. The fertility rate in South India is 1.9, the lowest of all regions in India.


South India also known as Peninsular India has been known by several other names. "Deccan" is an anglicised word derived from "dakshina", which means 'south'. The name is originally derived from the Sanskrit word "" (""), meaning 'the south', due to its location relative to the center of ancient Indian subcontinent. The Deccan Plateau covers almost 60% of the country and hence this region is also called "Greater India".

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