The Indus Valley
civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at
least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded 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
Location:
Southern Asia, bordering
the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and
Pakistan
Geographic coordinates:
20 00 N, 77 00 E
Map
references:
Asia
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:
territorial sea: 12
nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the
continental margin
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
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
Environment - international agreements:
party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living
Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of
the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
dominates South Asian
subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes
total: 24.66 years
male: 24.64 years female: 24.67 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.4% (2005 est.)
Birth
rate:
22.32 births/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Death
rate:
8.28 deaths/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Net
migration rate:
-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2005 est.)
Sex
ratio:
at birth: 1.05
male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant
mortality rate:
total: 56.29
deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life
expectancy at birth:
total population:
64.35 years male: 63.57 years female: 65.16 years (2005 est.)
Total
fertility rate:
2.78 children born/woman
(2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.9% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
5.1 million (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
310,000 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian
Ethnic
groups:
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian
25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Religions:
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%,
Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001
census)
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 population: 59.5% male: 70.2% female: 48.3% (2003 est.)
Government
Country
name:
conventional long form:
Republic of India conventional short form: 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; amended
many times
Legal
system:
based on English common
law; limited judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; separate
personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President A.P.J. Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice
President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since
NA May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers 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; election
last held July 2002 (next to be held 18 July 2007); vice
president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year
term; election last held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August
2007); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the
majority party following legislative elections; election last
held April - May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: Abdul KALAM elected president; percent
of electoral college vote - 89.6%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT
elected vice president; percent of Parliament vote - 59.8%
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) elections: People's Assembly - last held 20 April through
10 May 2004 (next to be held 2009) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by
party - NA%; seats by party - INC 145, BJP 138, CPI(M) 43, SP
36, RJD 24, BSP 19, DMK 16, SS 12, BJD 11, CPI 10, NCP 9, JDU 8,
SAD 8, PMK 6, TDP 5, TRS 5, JMM 5, LJSP 4, MDMK 4, independents
5, other 30
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are
appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach
the age of 65)
Political parties and leaders:
All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha JAYARAM]; All India
Forward Bloc or AIFB, [Debabrata BISWAS]; Asom Gana Parishad [Brindaban
GOSWAMI]; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya
Janata Party or BJP [Lal Krishna ADVANI]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD
[Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu
Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI (M)
Hakishan Singh SURJEET]; Congress (I) Party [Sonia GANDHI];
Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a regional party in Tamil Nadu)
[M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia
GANDHI]; Indian National League [Suliaman SAITH]; Janata Dal
(Secular) [H. D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United) or JDU [Sharad
YADAV]; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM [leader NA]; Kerala
Congress (Mani faction) [K. M. MANI]; Lok Jan Shakti Party or
LJSP [leader NA]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK
[VAIKO]; Muslim League [G. M. BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress
Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali Makkal Katchi or PMK
[leader NA]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV];
Revolutionary Socialist Party or RSP [Abani ROY]; Samajwadi
Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD
[G. S. TOHRA]; Shiv Sena or SS [Bal THACKERAY]; Tamil Maanila
Congress [G. K. VASAN]; Telangana Rashtra Samithi or TRS [leader
NA]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU]; Trinamool
Congress [Mamata BANERJEE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
numerous religious or
militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu
Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various
separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional
autonomy, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the
Kashmir Valley and the National Socialist Council of Nagaland in
the Northeast
three equal horizontal
bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green with a
blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band;
similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk
centered in the white band
Economy
Economy
- overview:
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,
though two-thirds of the workforce is in agriculture. The UPA
government has committed to furthering economic reforms and
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% in 2004) and limits on foreign
direct investment are still in place. The government has
indicated it will do more to liberalize investment in civil
aviation, telecom, and insurance sectors in the near term.
Privatization of government-owned industries has proceeded
slowly, and continues to generate political debate; continued
social, political, and economic rigidities hold back needed
initiatives. The economy has posted an excellent average growth
rate of 6.8% since 1994, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage
points. 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. The huge and growing population is the
fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem. In late
December 2004, a major tsunami took at least 60,000 lives in
India, caused massive destruction of property, and severely
affected the fishing fleet.
GDP:
purchasing power parity -
$3.319 trillion (2004 est.)
textile goods, gems and
jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures
Exports
- partners:
US 18.4%, China 7.8%, UAE
6.7%, UK 4.8%, Hong Kong 4.3%, Germany 4% (2004)
Imports:
$89.33 billion f.o.b.
(2004 est.)
Imports
- commodities:
crude oil, machinery,
gems, fertilizer, chemicals
Imports
- partners:
US 7%, Belgium 6.1%, China
5.9%, Singapore 4.8%, Australia 4.6%, UK 4.6%, Germany 4.5%
(2004)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$126 billion (2004 est.)
Debt -
external:
$117.2 billion (2004 est.)
Currency (code):
Indian rupee (INR)
Currency code:
INR
Exchange rates:
Indian rupees per US
dollar - 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186
(2001), 44.942 (2000)
Fiscal
year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use:
48.917 million (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
26,154,400 (2003)
Telephone system:
general assessment:
recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications
laws and policies have prompted rapid change; local and long
distance service provided throughout all regions of the country,
with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; steady
improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private
and private-public investors, but telephone density remains low
at about seven for each 100 persons nationwide but only one per
100 persons in rural areas and a national waiting list of over
1.7 million; fastest growth is in cellular service with modest
growth in fixed lines domestic: expansion of domestic service, although still
weak in rural areas, resulted from increased competition and
dramatic reductions in price led in large part by wireless
service; mobile cellular service (both CDMA and GSM) introduced
in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan cities
and 19 telecom circles each with about three private service
providers and one state-owned service provider; in recent years
significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic
cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems,
the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with five
satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT)
international: country code - 91; satellite earth
stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian
Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai
(Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras),
Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 5
submarine cables, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at
Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe
(FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far
East (SAFE) with landing site at Cochin, i2icn linking to
Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai
(Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai
(Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth
available for both voice and data traffic (2004)
Radio
broadcast stations:
AM 153, FM 91, shortwave
68 (1998)
Radios:
116 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
562 (of which 82 stations
have 1 kW or greater power and 480 stations have less than 1 kW
of power) (1997)
Televisions:
63 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.in
Internet hosts:
86,871 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
43 (2000)
Internet users:
18.481 million (2003)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 63,230 km
(16,693 km electrified) broad gauge: 45,718 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 14,406 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,106 km 0.762-m
gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2004)
Highways:
total: 2,525,989 km
paved: 1,448,655 km unpaved: 1,077,334 km (1999)
Waterways:
14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals
suitable for mechanized vessels (2004)
Pipelines:
gas 6,171 km; liquid
petroleum gas 1,195 km; oil 5,613 km; refined products 5,567 km
(2004)
total: 299 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) 6,555,507 GRT/11,069,791 DWT by type: bulk carrier 85, cargo 75, chemical tanker 13,
combination ore/oil 1, container 7, liquefied gas 14, passenger
3, passenger/cargo 9, petroleum tanker 91, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 10 (Australia 1, China 1, Greece 1, UAE 6,
United Kingdom 1) registered in other countries: 30 (2005)
Airports:
333 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 234 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 47 1,524 to 2,437 m: 78 914 to 1,523 m: 74 under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 99 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 42 under 914 m: 45 (2004 est.)
Heliports:
20 (2004 est.)
Military
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes naval
air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard, various security or
paramilitary forces (includes Border Security Force, Assam
Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police,
Special Frontier Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central
Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, and Defense
Security Corps)
Military manpower - military age and obligation:
16 years of age for
voluntary military service (2001)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 16-49:
287,551,111 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 16-49:
219,471,999 (2005 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 11,446,452
(2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$16.97 billion (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.5% (2004)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international:
China and India launched a
security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidating
discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged,
militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian
claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other
matters; recent talks and confidence-building measures have
begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, site of the world's
largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions
under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India
(Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern
Areas); in 2004, India and Pakistan instituted a cease fire in
the Kashmir and in 2005, restored bus service across the highly
militarized Line of Control; Pakistan has taken its dispute on
the impact and benefits of India's building the Baglihar dam on
the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir to the World Bank for
arbitration; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India
does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to
China in 1964; disputes persist with Pakistan over Indus River
water sharing; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on
a maritime boundary, in 2004, India and Pakistan resurveyed a
portion of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the
mouth of the Rann of Kutch; Pakistani maps continue to show
Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with
Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section of river
boundary, to exchange 162 miniscule enclaves in both countries,
to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal cross-border
trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through
the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence
off high-traffic sections; dispute with Bangladesh over New
Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters
maritime boundary delimitation; India seeks cooperation from
Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists
from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint Border
Committee with Nepal continues to demarcate minor disputed
boundary sections; India has instituted a stricter border regime
to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border
activities from Nepal
Refugees and internally displaced persons::
refugees (country of
origin): 92,394 (Tibet/China) 60,922 (Sri Lanka) IDPs: 650,000 (Jammu and Kashmir conflicts; most IDPs are
Kashmiri Hindus); 113,000 (resulting from 26 December 2004
tsunami) (2004)
Illicit
drugs:
world's largest producer
of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined
quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug
markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in
neighboring countries; illicit producer of methaqualone;
vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala
system
100+ Important Documents in United States History
