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Background
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
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
Geographic 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
slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Border countries
Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, Nepal, Pakistan
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
Land use
arable land: 48.83%
permanent crops: 2.8%
other: 48.37% (2005)
Note
dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes
People
Population: 1,095,351,995 (July 2006 est.)
Population growth rate
1.38% (2006 est.)
Birth rate
22.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate
8.18 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.))
Infant mortality rate
54.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 64.71 years
male: 63.9 years
female: 65.57 years (2006 est.))
Total fertility rate
2.73 children born/woman (2006 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 .1% (2001)
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
note: 24 languages each spoken by a million or more persons; numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible
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
Independence
15 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday
Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
Economy
Overview
India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services. More than a third of the population is too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet. India's international payments position remained strong in 2000 with adequate foreign exchange reserves, moderately depreciating nominal exchange rates, and booming exports of software services. Growth in manufacturing output slowed, and electricity shortages continue in many regions.
GDP by sector
agriculture: 25%
industry: 24%
services: 51% (2000)
Population below poverty line
35% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate
5.4% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
agriculture: 67%
services: 18%
industry: 15% (1995 Est.)
Unemployment rate
Not Applicable
Communications
Telephones: 49.75 million (2005)
Mobile Phones: 69,193,321 (2006)
Radios: 116 million (1997)
Televisions: 63 million (1997)
Internet users: 60 million (2005)
Transportation
Railways: total: 62,915 km (12,307 km electrified; 12,617 km double track)
Highways: total: 3,319,644 km
Waterways: 14,500 km (2005)
Airports: 341 (2006)
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