Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The Indus Valley Civilization (IVC), also called the Harappan Civilization after its first excavated city, flourished circa 2600–1900 BCE across what is now Pakistan and northwestern India. Its heartland lay in the alluvial plains of the Indus River and its tributaries (Ghaggar-Hakra system), with major urban centers at:
At its peak, the IVC covered ~1.25 million km²—larger than contemporary Egypt or Mesopotamia—with an estimated population of 1–5 million. Sites extend from the Himalayan foothills to the Arabian Sea coast, and from the Iranian border to the Ganges-Yamuna doab.
The civilization's territory spans:
Thus, there is no single modern "country" that was home to the IVC—it was a transnational civilization whose legacy is shared primarily by Pakistan and India.
Around 1900 BCE, urban centers were abandoned gradually. Contributing factors likely include: climate change (monsoon weakening, Ghaggar-Hakra drying), tectonic shifts altering river courses, and possible Indo-Aryan migrations. The culture didn't vanish but transformed into regional Late Harappan phases, contributing to subsequent South Asian traditions.