The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back
at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto Indian
lands about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants
created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th
century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by those of European traders,
beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century,
Britain
had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed
forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent
resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU
brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state
of
India
and the smaller Muslim
state of
Pakistan.
A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan
becoming the separate nation of
Bangladesh.
Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output,
India
faces pressing problems such as the ongoing dispute with
Pakistan
over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental
degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife.
Geography of
India
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of
Bengal, between
Burma
and
Pakistan
Coordinates:
20 00 N, 77 00 E
Area:
total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km
Area comparative:
slightly more than one-third the size of the
US
Land boundaries:
total: 14,103 km border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463
km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline:
7,000 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate:
varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in
north
Terrain:
upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling
plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas
in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
Natural resources:
coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore,
manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds,
petroleum, limestone, arable land
Natural hazards:
droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and
destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms;
earthquakes
Environment current issues:
deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing;
desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle
emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural
pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and
growing population is overstraining natural resources
Geography - note:
dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian
Ocean trade routes
Population of
India
Population:
1,095,351,995 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.8% (male 173,478,760/female
163,852,827) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 363,876,219/female 340,181,764) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 27,258,020/female 26,704,405)
Median age:
24.9 years
Growth rate:
1.38%
Infant mortality:
54.63 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.71 years male: 63.9 years female: 65.57 years
Fertility rate:
2.73 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian
Ethnic groups:
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%
Religions:
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%,
other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1%
Languages:
English enjoys associate status but is the most
important language for national, political, and commercial communication;
Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people;
there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil,
Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri,
Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken
widely throughout northern India but is not an official language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total : 59.5% male: 70.2% female: 48.3%
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic
of India
Government type:
federal republic
Capital:
New Delhi
Administrative divisions:
28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar
Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*,
Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand,
Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Independence:
15 August 1947 (from
UK)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
Constitution:
26 January 1950
Legal system:
based on English common law; limited judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President A.P.J. Abdul KALAM;
Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the
states for a five-year term (no term limits); vice president elected by
both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; prime minister chosen by
parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative
elections.
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council
of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members,
up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen
by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members
serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats;
543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve
five-year terms).
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate
justices are appointed by the president and remain in office until they
reach the age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior")
Economy
India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern
agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude
of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for
half of India's output with less than one quarter of its labor force. About
three-fifths of the work-force is in agriculture, leading the UPA government
to articulate an economic reform program that includes developing basic
infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance.
Government controls on foreign trade and investment have been reduced in some
areas, but high tariffs (averaging 20% on non-agricultural items in 2004) and
limits on foreign direct investment are still in place. The government in
2005 liberalized investment in the civil aviation, telecom, and construction
sectors. Privatization of government-owned industries essentially came to a
halt in 2005, and continues to generate political debate; continued social,
political, and economic rigidities hold back needed initiatives. The economy
has posted an average growth rate of more than 7% in the decade since 1994,
reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points.
India
achieved 7.6% GDP growth in 2005, significantly expanding manufacturing.
India
is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the
English language to become a major exporter of software services and software
workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank and others worry about the
combined state and federal budget deficit, running at approximately 9% of
GDP; government borrowing has kept interest rates high. Economic deregulation
would help attract additional foreign capital and lower interest rates. The
huge and growing population is the fundamental social, economic, and
environmental problem.
