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Republic of India भारत गणराज्य Bhārata Ganarājya
Flag Coat of arms of India Coat of arms
Motto: Satyamēva Jayatē Sanskrit: सत्यमेव जयते (Truth Alone Triumphs)
Anthem: Jana Gana Mana
Location of India
Capital	New Delhi
Largest city	Mumbai (Bombay)
Official languages	Hindi, English, and 21 other languages
Government	Federal republic
Independence
• Water (%)	9.56
Population
• 2005 estimate	1,089,000,000 (2nd)
• 2001 census	1,027,000,000
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$3.602 trillion (4th)
• Per capita	$3262 (125th)
HDI (2003)	0.602 medium (127th)
Currency	Rupee (Rs.) (INR)
Time zone	UTC+5:30 (IST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+5:30 (not observed)
Calling code	91
ISO 3166 code	IN
Internet TLD	.in
Re. is singular

The Republic of India is a country in South Asia comprising a major portion of the Indian subcontinent. It has a coastline which stretches over seven thousand kilometres,Template:Inote and shares a border with Pakistan to the west, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. On the Indian Ocean, it is adjacent to three island nations -- the Maldives to the southwest, Sri Lanka to the south, and Indonesia to the southeast. India also claims a border with Afghanistan to the northwest.Template:Mn

The name India IPA: ['ɪndiə] 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 common usage also recognises Bharat (Template:Lang-hi IPA: [baːrət̪] listen) as an official name of equal status. This name is derived from the Sanskrit name of an ancient Hindu king whose story can be found in the Mahabharata. A third name, Hindustan (Template:Lang-hi IPA: [ɦɪn̪d̪ʊst̪aːn]) listen (Persian: Land of the Hindus) has been used since the twelfth century AD, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied due to domestic disputes over its representativeness as a national signifier.

India is the fourth largest economy in the world in PPP terms, and the tenth largest in absolute (GNP) terms. It 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. It is home to one of the most ancient civilizations in recorded history, and a centre of important historic trade routes. Four major world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have Indian origins. India was a part of the British Empire before gaining independence in 1947. In the last twenty years, the country has grown significantly, especially in the economic and military spheres.

History

Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in present day India. The first known permanent settlements appeared over 9,000 years ago, and gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilization, which began from around 3300 BC and peaked between 2600 BC and 1900 BC. It was followed by the Vedic Civilisation. From around 550 BC onwards, many independent kingdoms came into being.

In the north, the Maurya dynasty, which included Aşoka The Great, contributed greatly to India's cultural landscape. From 180 BC, a series of invasions from Central Asia followed. This led to the establishment of the Kushan Empire, as well as several Indo-Greek, Indo-Scythian and Indo-Parthian kingdoms in quick succession in the northern Indian subcontinent. From the 3rd century AD onwards, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient India's "Golden Age".

In the south, several dynasties, including the Chalukyas, Cheras, Cholas, Kadambas, 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 from Central Asia and Persia in the beginning of the second millennium AD, much of north and central India came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate, and later the Mughal dynasty, who gradually expanded their reign to include much of the Indian subcontinent. Nevertheless, several indigenous kingdoms flourished, especially in the relatively sheltered south. The Vijayanagara Empire was notable among such kingdoms.

During the middle of the second millennium AD, several European countries, including the Portuguese, Dutch, French and the British, who were initially interested in trade with India, took advantage of the fractured kingdoms fighting amongst each other, to establish colonies in the country. After a failed insurrection in 1857 against the British East India Company, known locally as the First War of Indian Independence (known variously as the Sepoy Mutiny or Sepoy Rebellion in British and some Western literature), much of India came under the direct administrative control of the crown of the British Empire.

In the early part of the 20th century, a prolonged non-violent struggle for independence, the Indian independence movement was led by Mahatma Gandhi, who was widely regarded as the Father Of The Nation. The path-breaking struggle reached its culmination on 1947-08-15, when India gained full independence from British rule, later becoming a republic on 1950-01-26.

As a multi-ethnic and multi-religious nation, India has had its share of sectarian violence and insurgencies in different parts of the country. Nonetheless, it has held itself together as a vibrant democracy. India has unresolved border disputes with China (which escalated into a brief war in 1962), and Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and in Kargil in the northern fringes of Jammu and Kashmir state in 1999. India is a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations. In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test, making it an unofficial member of the "nuclear club". This 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, and added to its global clout.

Government

According to the Constitution of India, India shall be a Sovereign, Socialist, Secular, Democratic Republic. India is a republic, with a quasi-federal form of Government and 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 India's armed forces. The President and the Vice President are elected indirectly by an electoral college for five-year terms. The Prime Minister is the head of government, and most executive powers are vested in this office. He (or she) is elected by legislators of the political party or coalition commanding a parliamentary majority, and serves a five-year term, incumbent upon enjoying this majority. The constitution does not explicitly 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 (Council of States), and the lower house known as the Lok Sabha (House of the People). The 245 member Rajya Sabha is chosen indirectly through an electoral college, and has a staggered six year term. The 545 member Lok Sabha is directly elected by a popular vote for a five year term, and is the determinative constituent of political power and government formation. All Indian citizens above the age of eighteen are eligible 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 smaller states. Each of these states has a tiered system of lower courts. A conflict between the legislature and the judiciary is referred to the President.

Politics

For most of its independent history, India has been ruled by the Indian National Congress Party (INC). Following its position as the largest political organisation in pre-independence India, the INC, usually led by a member of the Nehru-Gandhi family, dominated national politics for over four decades. In 1975, the government led by Indira Gandhi imposed Emergency Rule across the nation. After emergency was lifted in 1977, and fresh elections were called, a united opposition, under the banner of the Janata Party won the elections and formed a non-Congress government for a short period of time. In 1996, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a political party with a right wing nationalist ideology, became the largest single party, and established, for the first time, a serious opposition to the largely centre-left Congress. But power was de facto held by two successive coalition governments, with the active support of the Congress. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) along with smaller regional parties, and became the first non-Congress government to sustain a full five year tenure (1999–2004). The decade prior to 1999 was marked by a state of political flux, with seven separate governments formed within that period.

In the 2004 Indian elections the INC returned to power after winning the largest number of seats. The Congress Party formed a government in alliance with several regional parties, known as the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), with the outside support of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)). The NDA, led by the BJP, currently forms the main opposition. All governments formed since 1996 have required party coalitions, with no single party claiming a majority, 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, though some have elected governments.

Template:India states India has had two scientific bases in Antarctica – the Dakshin Gangotri and Maitri, but has made no territorial claims so far.

Geography

India's northern and northeastern states are partially situated in 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, including the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna, Godavari, Kaveri, and Krishna. India has three archipelagos – Lakshadweep, off the south west coast of India, a volcanic island chain called the Andaman and Nicobar Islands to the south east, and the Sunderbans in the Gangetic Delta in the state of West Bengal.

The Indian climate varies from tropical in the south to more temperate in the north. Parts of India which lie in the Himalayas have a tundra climate. India gets most of its rains through the monsoons.

Economy

India has an economy ranked tenth in the world in terms of currency conversion (GNP), and fourth largest in terms of PPP. It recorded one of the fastest growth rate (8.1%) for the fourth quarter of 2005. India's per-capita income (by purchasing power parity) is US$ 3,200, ranked 125th according to the World Bank. India's foreign exchange reserves amount to over US$ 145 billion.Template:Inote Mumbai is the nation's financial capital, and is also home to the headquarters of both the Reserve Bank of India and the pre-eminent Bombay Stock Exchange. While a quarter of Indians still live below the poverty line, a large middle class has now emerged along with the rapid growth of the IT and service industries.

The Indian economy has shed much of its historical dependence on agriculture, which now contributes about 21% to the GDP.Template:Inote Other important industries are mining, petroleum, diamond polishing, films, textiles, IT and business process outsourcing (BPO) services, pharmaceuticals and chemicals 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 the software and BPO service industries, with revenues of US$ 17.2 billion in 2004 to 2005.Template:Inote Many small-scale industries provide steady employment to workers in small towns and villages.

While India receives only around three million foreign visitors a year, tourism is still an important but under-developed source of 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 US$4 billion in foreign exchange.Template:Inote India's major trading partners are the United States, Japan, China and the United Arab Emirates.Template:Inote

India's main exports include agricultural products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, software services, engineering goods, chemicals and leather products, while its main imports are crude oil, machinery, gems, fertiliser, and 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.Template:Inote

Demographics

India is the second most populous country in the world, with only China having a larger population. By 2030, India is expected to surpass China as the world's most populous nation, estimated at 1.6 billion. 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).

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.Template:Inote 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% Template:Inote India's median age is 24.66, and has a growth rate of 22.32 births per 1,000.Template:Inote

Although 80.5% of the people are Hindus, India is also home to the third largest population of Muslims in the world (13.4% see Islam in India), after Indonesia and Pakistan. Other smaller religious minorities include Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.84%), Buddhists (0.76%), Jains (0.40%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Ahmadis, and Bahá'ís.Template:Inote

India is home to two major linguistic families, the Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the Indian population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24% of the Indian population). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. The Indian constitution recognises 23 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 1,652.Template:Inote

Culture

India has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has managed to preserve its established traditions throughout history. It has always absorbed customs, traditions and ideas from both invaders and immigrants. Many cultural practices, languages, customs and even monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries. Famous monuments, such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Islamic-inspired architecture have been inherited from the Mughal dynasty. These are the result of a syncretic tradition that combined elements from all parts of the country.

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. Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, and considered sacred, although urban families have grown to prefer a nuclear family system, owing to the socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional joint family system.

Religion in India is a very public affair, with many practices imbued with pomp and vitality accompanying their underlying spiritual qualities. A melting pot of many religions, India has a rich diversity of festivals, many of which are celebrated by all, irrespective of caste and creed. The most widely known and popular celebrations include the Hindu festivals of Diwali, Holi, and Dussehra. Pongal in Tamil Nadu and Onam in Kerala are harvest festivals celebrated by people belonging to all religions in their respective states. Durga Puja in West Bengal, and Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharastra (both during autumn) are two magnificent festivals, from a religious, social and cultural point of view.

Indian music is represented by a wide variety of forms. The two main forms of classical music are Carnatic from South India, and Hindustani from North India. Popular forms of music also prevail, the most notable being Filmi music. In addition to this are the diverse traditions of folk music from different parts of the country. Many classical dance forms exist in India, including the Bharatanatyam, Odissi, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Manipuri, Mohiniyattam, Yakshagana. They often have a narrative form (based on the Indian epics), and are usually infused with devotional and spiritual elements.

The earliest literary traditions in India were mostly oral, and were later transcribed. Most of these spring from Indian (later called Hindu) traditions, 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 traditions. There have been many notable Indian writers in modern times, both in Indian languages and in English. India's only Nobel laureate in literature was the Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore.

India produces the world's largest number of movies every year. The most recognisable face is that of cinema production based in Mumbai, which produces mainly commercial Hindi films, often referred to as "Bollywood". Cinema in other vernacular languages is also particularly strong, with movies regularly produced in well-established Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu industries. India's contribution to world cinema was the internationally renowned Bengali director Satyajit Ray, who in 1992 won an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement.

Rice and wheat (in bread form) are the staple foods in the country. The cuisine of India is extremely diverse, as ingredients, spices and cooking methods vary from region to region. The country is notable for its wide variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian cuisine. Spicy food and sweets are popular in India. Traditional dress in India greatly varies across the regions in its colours and styles, and depend on various factors, including climate. The traditional sari and the salwar kameez are popular styles of dress for women. Traditional raiments for men are the kurta and dhoti.

Sports and games

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 quite a few Indian states, particularly in India's northeast. Another international sport in which India has a fair degree of parity with other nations is chess, in which Indian Viswanathan Anand has been FIDE World Champion, and several players have made significant inroads in recent years, well past the Grandmaster level. India also has a tradition of cue sports (snooker, billiards, etc) and shooting.

India has had relatively little success in other international events like the Olympics, where it garnered a total of just one silver medal and two bronze medals in the previous three outings. However, it has won eight field hockey golds up until 1980. India has done rather well in Davis Cup tennis tournaments, having reached the finals on three occasions. Its players have secured several individual titles and Grand Slam doubles wins, but an Indian is yet to win a Grand Slam singles title.

Some traditional indigenous sports are polo, kabaddi, Kho Kho and gilli-danda, which are played in most parts of the country. Chess, badminton and carrom are some other games and sports that are said to have originated in India. Snooker and badminton have seen Indians achieve some international success. Football (soccer) also finds a large viewership in almost the entire country, and is the most popular sport in many states of India. Formula 1 is also increasing in popularity, due to racing driver Narain Karthikeyan, though its reach is largely limited to urban areas.

Holidays

India has three National Holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine to twelve, pertains to festivals, religious holidays and births of leaders which are legislated by the individual states. Template:Official Holidays of India

See also

Template:Topics related to India

External links

Official

• Offical Indian Government Portal
• GOI Directory — Directory of governmental websites
• Indiaimage National Informatics Centre — Basic Portal to Govt. of India Websites
• Tourism of India — Ministry of Tourism
• Indian Railways- Largest government organization

Other

• Template:Wikitravel
• India, an external wiki
• High Quality Pictures of India
• CIA — The World Factbook — India — CIA's Factbook on India
• Country Profile: India — BBC's Country Profile on India

References

Template:Explain-inote

• "India facts and figures". Embassy of India. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Forex reserves up by $1bn". Economic Times. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "India Economy". Travel Document Systems. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Services". India in Business. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Destination India: An Unpolished Diamond". Times of India. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "US, UAE, UK, China, Japan among India's top trade partners". Indian Express. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "CIA Factbook : India". CIA Factbook. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Provisional Population Totals 2001 Census". Census of India. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Debating India & India's literacy rate". Debating India. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• India "India – Country profiles". indexmundi.com. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check |URL= value (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Census of India 2001, Data on Religion". Census of India. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• "Languages of India". India image. August 14. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)
• . ISBN 8190046187. {{cite book}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Author= ignored (|author= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Title= ignored (|title= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help) (pg 524)

Notes

• Template:Mnb 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.
• Template:Mnb 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 has been formerly claimed by China.

• India is also the letter I in the NATO phonetic alphabet.

Template:India ties

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• India
• Republics
• Members of the Commonwealth of Nations
• SAARC members