Misplaced Pages

India

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Olivier (talk | contribs) at 11:37, 26 October 2002. The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Revision as of 11:37, 26 October 2002 by Olivier (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)


File:India flag medium.png

The Republic of India, located in the south of Asia, is the second most populated country in the world and is the world's largest democracy with about a billion people and dozens of languages.

History

Main article: History of India

India used to be a great colonial master herself, in the days of the Mauryas. But this diminished with the fall of the empire and India herself became a colony of the British Empire. India's wealth attracted many invaders, the Muslims, the Dutch, the Portuguese and the British all wanted a piece of the treasures of India.

Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas Gandhi and Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel led to 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. Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.

Politics

Main article: Politics of India

Geography

Main article Geography of India

File:Indiamap.jpg
Map: The World Factbook CIA

Economy

Main article Economy of India

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, and market surveys indicate that fewer than 5% of all households had an annual income equivalent to $2,300 or more in 1995-96. India's international payments position remained strong in 1999 with adequate foreign exchange reserves, reasonably stable exchange rates, and booming exports of software services. Lower production of some non-foodgrain crops offset recovery in industrial production.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of India

Miscellaneous topics

External links