British Raj is an obscure way to refer to India – specifically India as it existed between 1858 and 1947.

Great Britain ruled basically the entire Indian subcontinent under the banner of the Indian Empire. In 1947 they split the county in half, creating India and Pakistan. Later, Bangladesh became independent from Pakistan, and Burma (aka Myanmar) became independent from India.

Most of the segregation happened along religious lines. Pakistan was the muslim division of India to the west. Bangladesh was the muslim division to the east.

Today, Pakistan is the 6th most populous country in the world. Bangladesh is the 7th. India is the second. Together, the old Indian Empire accounts for 22.5% of the world’s population.

That’s a lot of people.

Source: wiki