The
Republic of India is a country in
South Asia which comprises most of the
Indian subcontinent. India has a coastline which stretches for over seven thousand
kilometres, and shares its borders with
Pakistan and
Afghanistan on the northwest, the
People's Republic of China,
Nepal, and
Bhutan on the north, and
Bangladesh and
Myanmar on the east. On the
Indian Ocean, it is also adjacent to the
island nations of the
Maldives on the southwest,
Sri Lanka on the south, and
Indonesia on the southeast. India is the
second most populous country in the world, with a
population of over one billion, and is the
seventh largest country by geographical
area.
India is home to some of the most
ancient civilisations (and a centre of important historic trade routes), including four major world religions:
Hinduism,
Buddhism,
Jainism and
Sikhism. Formerly a part of the
British Empire before gaining independence in 1947, during the past two decades the country has grown significantly, in its economic and military roles, regionally as well as globally.
The country's official name,
India , is derived from the Old Persian version of
Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the river
Indus; see
Origin of India's name. The
Constitution of India and general usage also recognises
Bharat (, ), which is derived from the
Sanskrit name of an ancient Hindu king, whose story is to be found in the
Mahabharata, as an official name of equal status. A third name,
Hindustan (, ), or
land of the Hindus in
Persian, was used from Mughal times onwards, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied due to domestic disputes over how representative it is as a national signifier.
History
Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at
Bhimbetka in
Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in India. The first known permanent settlements appeared 9,000 years ago and developed into the
Indus Valley Civilization, which peaked between
2600 BC and
1900 BC.
From around
500 BC onwards, many independent kingdoms came into being. In the north, the
Maurya dynasty, which included the Buddhist king
Ashoka, contributed greatly to India's cultural landscape. From
180 BC, a series of invasions from
Central Asia followed, with the successive establishment in the northern Indian subcontinent of the Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian kingdoms, and finally the
Kushan Empire. From the
3rd century onwards the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as India's "Golden Age".
In the south, several dynasties including the Chalukyas, Cheras,
Cholas, Pallavas, and Pandyas prevailed during different periods. Science,
Art,
literature,
mathematics,
astronomy, engineering,
religion, and
philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings.
Following the
Islamic invasions in the beginning of the second millennium, much of India was ruled by the
Delhi Sultanate, and later, much of the entire subcontinent by the
Mughal dynasty. Nevertheless, several indigenous kingdoms remained in or rose to power, especially in the relatively sheltered south.
Sanchi stupa in Sanchi,
Madhya Pradesh built by emperor
Ashoka in the 3rd century BC .]]
A figurine of [[Vishnu, a Hindu god, in the
Narasimha Avatar.]]
During the middle of the second millennium, several European countries, including the
Portuguese,
French, and
English, who were initially interested in trade with India, took advantage of the fractured kingdoms to colonise the country. After a failed insurrection in 1857 against the
British East India Company, popularly known as the First War of Indian Independence, most of India came under the direct administrative control of the crown of the
British Empire. A prolonged and mostly non-violent struggle for independence, the
Indian independence movement, followed, eventually led by
Mahatma Gandhi, regarded officially as the father of modern India. On 1947-08-15 India gained independence from British rule, later becoming a
republic on 1950-01-26.
As a multi-ethnic and multi-religious country, India has had its share of sectarian violence and
insurgencies in different parts of the country. Nonetheless, it has held itself together as a secular democracy barring a brief period from 1975 to 1977 during which the then
Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a "
state of emergency" with the suspension of
civil rights. India has unresolved border disputes with
China, which escalated into a brief war in
1962, and
Pakistan which resulted in wars in
1947,
1965, and
1971. India was a founding member of the
Non-Aligned Movement. In 1974, India conducted an underground
nuclear test, making it an unofficial member of the "nuclear club", which was followed up with a series of five more tests in 1998. Significant economic reforms beginning in 1991, have transformed India into one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
See also:
Timeline of Indian history,
Military History of India
Government
The
Constitution of India states India to be a
sovereign, secular, democratic republic. India is a
federal republic, with a bicameral
parliament operating under a
Westminster-style parliamentary system. It has a three branch system of governance consisting of the legislature, executive and judiciary.
The
President, who is the
head of state, has a largely ceremonial role. His roles include interpreting the constitution, signing laws into action and issuing pardons. He is also the
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces. The President and
Vice-President are elected indirectly by an
electoral college for five-year terms. The
Prime Minister is the
head of government and has most of the executive powers. He (or she) is designated by legislators of the political party or
coalition commanding a parliamentary majority. The constitution does not provide for a post of Deputy Prime Minister, but this option has been exercised from time to time.
The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament which consists of the upper house known as the
Rajya Sabha, or Council of States, the lower house known as the
Lok Sabha, or House of the People, and the President. The 245-member
Rajya Sabha is chosen indirectly through an electoral college and has a staggered six year term. The 552-member
Lok Sabha is elected directly for a five year term, and is the determinative constituent of political power and government formation. Any Indian citizen above the age of eighteen is allowed to vote.
The executive arm consists of the President, Vice-President and the
Council of Ministers (the
Cabinet) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In India's parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature.
India's independent judiciary, consists of the
Supreme Court, headed by the
Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court has both, original jurisdiction over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts of India. There are eighteen appellate High Courts, having jurisdiction over a large state or a group of states. Each of these states has a tiered system of lower courts. A conflict between the legislature and the judiciary is referred to by the President. The Constitution also provides for independent organisations such as the
Election Commission of India,
Comptroller and Auditor General of India and the Attorney General of India.
Politics
Map of India.
For most of its independent history, India's national government has been controlled by the Indian National Congress Party. Following its position as the largest political organization in pre-independence India, Congress, usually led by a member of the Nehru-
Gandhi family, enjoyed nearly unchallenged dominance over national politics for over forty years. In 1977, a united opposition, under the banner of the
Janata Party, won the election and formed a non-Congress government for a short period. Later, in 1996, the BJP, with its right wing ideology based on
Hinduism became the largest single party, and established for the first time a serious opposition to the
left wing ideology of Congress. In 1999, the BJP formed the
National Democratic Alliance along with smaller parties and became the first non-Congress government to sustain the full five year term. The decade prior to 1999 was marked by short-lasting governments, with seven separate governments forming within that period.
In the
2004 Indian elections the Congress party returned to power after winning the largest number of seats, by a narrow margin. Congress formed a government in alliance with the
Communist Party of India and with several mostly-regional parties. The NDA, led by the BJP, currently forms the main opposition. All governments formed since 1996 have required party coalitions, with no single majority party, due to the steady rise of regional parties at the national level.
States and Union Territories
India is divided into twenty-eight states (which are further subdivided into
districts), six Union Territories and the
National Capital Territory of
Delhi. States have their own elected government, whereas Union Territories are governed by an administrator appointed by the union government.
India had two scientific bases in
Antarctica –
Dakshin Gangotri and
Maitri, but has made no territorial claims.
Geography and climate
The [[Himalaya stretch from
Jammu and Kashmir in the north to
Arunachal Pradesh in the far east making up most of India's eastern borders.]]
India's entire north and northeast states are made up of the
Himalayan Range. The rest of northern, central and eastern India consists of the fertile
Indo-Gangetic plain. Towards western India, bordering southeast
Pakistan, lies the
Thar Desert. The southern Indian peninsula is almost entirely composed of the
Deccan plateau. The plateau is flanked by two hilly coastal ranges, the
Western Ghats and
Eastern Ghats.
India is home to several major rivers such as the Ganga (Ganges), the Brahmaputra, the
Yamuna, the Godavari, and the
Krishna. The rivers are responsible for the fertile plains in northern India which are conducive to farming.
The Indian
climate varies from a tropical climate in the south to a more temperate climate in the north. Parts of India which lie in the Himalayan mountains have a
tundra climate. India gets its rains through the
monsoons.
Economy
[[Information Technology is one of India's fastest growing industries, pegged at $13 billion in revenues. Pictured here is
Infosys, one of India's leading IT companies.]]
India has an economy ranked as the tenth largest in the world in terms of currency conversion and fourth largest in terms of
purchasing power parity. It recorded one of the fastest annual growth rate of around eight percent in 2003. Owing to its large population, however, India's per-capita income by purchasing power parity works out to be just US$ 3,262,
ranked 120th by the
World Bank. India's
foreign exchange reserves amount to over US$ 143 billion.
Mumbai serves as the nation's financial capital and is also home to both the headquarters of the
Reserve Bank of India and the
Bombay Stock Exchange. While a quarter of Indians still live below the
poverty line, a large
middle class has now emerged along with the growth of a promising
IT industry.
A hundred rupee note
The Indian economy has shed much of its historical dependence on
agriculture, which now contributes to less than 25% of the GDP. Other important industries are
mining,
petroleum,
diamond polishing, films,
textiles,
information technology services, and handicrafts. Most of India's industrial regions are centred around major cities. In recent years, India has emerged as one of the largest players in software and business process outsourcing services, with revenues of US$ 17.2 billion in 2004-2005. There are also a lot of small-scale industries that provide steady employment to many of its citizens in small towns and villages. While India receives only around three million foreign visitors a year, tourism is still an important source of its national income. Tourism contributes 5.3% of India's GDP. The actual employment generation, both direct and indirect, is estimated to be 42 million, or about 10% of India's work force. In monetary terms, it contributes about 4 billion US$ in foreign exchange. India's major trading partners are the
United States,
Japan,
China, the
United Arab Emirates.
India's main exports items include agricultural products, textile goods, gems and jewellery, software services and technology, engineering goods, chemicals and leather products while its main import commodities are crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals. For the year 2004, India's total exports stood at US $69.18 billion while the imports were worth at US $89.33 billion.
Demographics
India is the second most populous country in the world, with only China having a larger population. Language, religion, and
caste are major determinants of social and political organisation within the highly diverse Indian population today. Its biggest
metropolitan agglomerations are
Mumbai (formerly
Bombay),
Delhi,
Kolkata (formerly
Calcutta), and
Chennai (formerly
Madras).
Hinduism is the largest professed religion in India. Pictured here is a temple in Goa.
India's
literacy rate is 64.8%, with 53.7% of females and 75.3% of males being literate. The sex ratio is 933 females for every 1000 males. Work Participation Rate (WPR) (the percentage of workers to total population) stands at 39.1%, with male WPR at 51.7% and female WPR at 25.6%. India's median age is 24.66 and has a growth rate of 22.32 births/1,000 population.
Although 80.5% of the people are
Hindus, India is also home to the second largest population of
Muslims in the world (13.4%;
see Islam in India) after
Indonesia. Other smaller religious minorities include
Christians (2.33%;
see Christianity in India),
Sikhs (1.84%),
Buddhists (0.76%),
Jains (0.40%),
Ayyavazhi (0.12%),
Jews (''see''
Jews in India),
Parsis,
Ahmadi, and
Bahá'ís.
India is home to two major
linguistic families, those of the Indo-Aryan and
Dravidian-derived languages. The Indian constitution recognises twenty-three official languages.
Hindi along with
English are the languages used by the
Central Government for official purposes. Two classical languages native to the land are Sanskrit and
Tamil. The number of mother tongues in India is as high as 1652.
Culture
The [[Taj Mahal in
Agra is India's most popular tourist destination.]]
Tibetan Buddhist community in
Sikkim during the Buddhist New Year —
Losar.]]
India has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has actively preserved its established traditions throughout history. It has also absorbed customs from both invaders and immigrants. Many cultural practices and monuments, such as the
Taj Mahal and other Islamic architecture, have been inherited from the rule of Mughal emperors.
Indian society is largely pluralist, multilingual and multicultural. Religious practices of various faiths are an integral part of everyday life in society. Education is highly regarded by members of every socio-economic stratum. The traditional Indian family values are highly respected and considered sacred, although urban families have grown into a
nuclear family system, owing to the socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional
joint family system.
Diwali, the festival of lights is celebrated by lighting small oil lamps everywhere in the house.
Religion in India is very public, with many practices imbued with pomp and vitality accompanying their underlying spiritual qualities. A melting pot of many religions, India has rich
festivals celebrated by one and all. The most widely known and popular celebrations include the Hindu festivals of
Diwali,
Holi, and Dussera.
Pongal is a harvest festival celebrated by people belonging to all religions in
Tamil Nadu.
Indian music is represented by a wide variety of forms. The two main forms in terms of
classical music are the
Carnatic from
South India and
Hindustani from the north. Popular forms of music also prevail, the most notable being Filmi music. In addition to this are the diverse traditions of folk music. Many
dance forms exist in India –
Bharatanatyam,
Odissi,
Kuchipudi,
Kathak,
Kathakali and others. They often have a narrative form (based on the
Indian epics) and are usually infused with devotional and spiritual elements.
The earliest
literary traditions were mostly oral and were later transcribed. Most of these spring from Hindu tradition and are represented by sacred works like the
Vedas and the epics of the Mahabharatha and
Ramayana.
Sangam literature from
Tamil Nadu represents some of India's oldest secular traditions. There have been many notable Indian writers in modern times, both in Indian languages
and English. India's only Nobel laureate in literature was the
Bengali writer
Rabindranath Tagore.
India produces the world's highest number of
films annually. The most recognisable face is that of
Bollywood, based in
Mumbai, which produces mainly commercial
Hindi films. Cinema in other language bases is particularly strong, with movies regularly produced in well-established Bengali, Malayalam,
Tamil, and Telugu industries. India's gift to world cinema was the internationally renowned
Bengali language director
Satyajit Ray.
Rice and
wheat (in bread forms) are the staple foods in the country. The gastronomy of India is extremely diverse, as ingredients, spices and cooking methods all vary from region to region. The country is notable for its wide variety of vegetarian cuisine. Spicy food and sweets are popular in India.
Traditional dress in India greatly varies across the regions in its colours and styles. The
sari and
salwar kameez are popular styles of dress for women. Traditional raiments for men are the
kurta and
dhoti.
Sports and games
Unlike other comparable countries, India is not a major sporting power. India's
national sport is
field hockey, although
cricket is now the
de facto national game due to its success and popularity in recent times. Though cricket's popularity is widespread, it is not the most popular sport in many states of India, particularly India's northeast states. India has had relatively little success in international events like the Olympics, where it garnered just a single
medal in each of the previous three Olympics.
Some traditional indigenous sports are
kabaddi,
Kho Kho and
gilli-danda, which are played in most parts of the country.
Chess,
carrom,
polo, and
badminton are some other games and sports that are said to have originated in India.
Football (soccer) also finds a large viewer ship in almost the entire country, and is the most popular sport in many states of India. Formula 1 and
Tennis are also becoming popular these days, though their reach is largely in urban areas.
Holidays
India has only three National Holidays. Other holidays pertaining to festivals, religious holidays and births of leaders are legislated by the individual states.
Trivia
See also
External links
;
Official
;
Other
References
#
India facts and figures,
Embassy of India
#
Forex reserves up by $1bn,
The Economic Times, 2005-04-30
#
India Economy,
Travel Document Systems
#
Services,
India in Business
#
Destination India: An Unpolished Diamond,
Times of India Foundation, Vivek Nair
#
US, UAE, UK, China, Japan among India's top trade partners,
The Indian Express, 2005-01-02
#
CIA Factbook : India
#
Provisional Population Totals 2001 Census,
Census of India (Official site)
#
Debating India – India's literacy rate,
Debating India
#
India,
Index mundi – country profiles
#
Census of India 2001, Data on Religion,
Census of India (Official site)
#
Languages of India,
India image
#
Manorama Year Book 2003 – pg 524 – Order:
ISBN 81-900461-8-7
- The Government of India considers the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir to be a part of India. This state borders a part of Afghanistan. A ceasefire sponsored by the United Nations in 1948 freezes the positions of Indian and Pakistani held territory. As a consequence, the region bordering Afghanistan is in Pakistani-administered territory.
- The black line is the boundary as recognised by the government of India. The northern region of Kashmir is currently administered by India, Pakistan, and China (and coloured in as such). The delimiting of the three administered regions is not the international boundary but a ceasefire line demarcated in red. The boundary separating India and Pakistan is known as the Line of Control, that separating India and China as the Line of Actual Control. Most of the state of Arunachal Pradesh is also claimed by China.
----
India is also the letter
I in the
NATO phonetic alphabet.
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Category:Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
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