The
Background:Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of
Location:Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between
Geographic coordinates:20 00 N, 77 00 E
Map references:
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
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,
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point:
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)
Irrigated land:558,080 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:1,907.8 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):total: 645.84 cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%)
per capita: 585 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards: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; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with
Population: | 1,166,079,217 (July 2009 est.). |
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 31.1% (male 190,075,426/female 172,799,553) 15-64 years: 63.6% (male 381,446,079/female 359,802,209) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 29,364,920/female 32,591,030) (2009 est.) |
Median age: | total: 25.3 years male: 24.9 years female: 25.8 years (2008 est.) |
Population growth rate: | 1.548% (2009 est.) |
Birth rate: | 22.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
Death rate: | 6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
Net migration rate: | -0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) |
Urbanization: | urban population: 29% of total population (2008) rate of urbanization: 2.4% annual rate of change (2005-2010) |
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2009 est.) |
Infant mortality rate: | total: 30.15 deaths/1,000 live births male: 34.61 deaths/1,000 live births female: 25.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.) |
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 69.89 years male: 67.46 years female: 72.61 years (2009 est.) |
Total fertility rate: | 2.72 children born/woman (2009 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.3% (2007 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 2.4 million (2007 est.) |
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 310,000 (2001 est.) |
Major infectious diseases: | degree of risk: high food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria animal contact disease: rabies water contact disease: leptospirosis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009) |
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: | Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9% note: English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the most widely spoken language and primary tongue of 41% 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 (2001 census) |
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61% male: 73.4% female: 47.8% (2001 census) |
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education): | total: 10 years male: 11 years female: 9 years (2005) |
Education expenditures: | 3.2% of GDP (2005) |
Country name: | conventional long form: conventional short form: local long form: local short form: India/Bharat |
Government type: | federal republic |
Capital: | name: geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of |
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, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal |
15 August 1947 (from the | |
National holiday: | Republic Day, 26 January (1950) |
Constitution: | 26 January 1950; amended many times |
Legal system: | based on English common law; 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 Pratibha PATIL (since 25 July 2007); Vice President Hamid ANSARI (since 11 August 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004) cabinet: Cabinet 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 (no term limits); election last held in July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held in August 2007 (next to be held August 2012); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to be held no later than May 2009) election results: Pratibha PATIL elected president; percent of vote - 65.8%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT - 34.2% |
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 must be held by May 2009) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party (as of July 2008 confidence vote) - INC 153, BJP 122, CPI (M) 42, SP 33, RJD 24, BSP 17, DMK 16, NCP 11, SS 11, BJD 10, CPI 10, SAD 7, JD (U) 6, PMK 6, JMM 5, LJSP 4, TDP 3, MDMK 2, TRS 2, independent 6, other 27, vacant 2; note - 20 members expelled from their party for failing to vote against the government; 6 members expelled from their party for failing to vote to support the government |
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior") |
Political parties and leaders: | Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Rajnath SINGH]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI-M [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or JMM [Shibu SOREN]; Left Front (an alliance of Indian leftist parties); Lok Jan Shakti Party or LJSP [Ram Vilas PASWAN]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali Makkal Katchi or PMK [S. RAMADOSS]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS [Bal THACKERAY]; note - India has dozens of national and regional political parties; only parties or coalitions with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed |
Political pressure groups and leaders: | All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist group); Bajrang Dal (religious organization); National Socialist Council of Nagaland in the northeast (separatist group); Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (religious organization); Vishwa Hindu Parishad (religious organization other: numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy |
International organization participation: | ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CERN (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
Diplomatic representation in the | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Arun K. SINGH chancery: telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000 FAX: [1] (202) 265-4351 consulate(s) general: |
Diplomatic representation from the | chief of mission: Ambassador David C. MULFORD embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [91] (011) 2419-8000 FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017 consulate(s) general: Chennai ( |
Flag description: | 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 |
Economy - overview: | |
GDP (purchasing power parity): | $3.267 trillion (2008 est.) $3.065 trillion (2007) $2.812 trillion (2006) |
GDP (official exchange rate): | $1.237 trillion (2008 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate: | 6.6% (2008 est.) 9% (2007 est.) 9.6% (2006 est.) |
GDP - per capita (PPP): | $2,800 (2008 est.) $2,700 (2007 est.) $2,500 (2006 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 17.2% industry: 29.1% services: 53.7% (2008 est.) |
Labor force: | 523.5 million (2008 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 60% industry: 12% services: 28% (2003) |
Unemployment rate: | 6.8% (2008 est.) |
Population below poverty line: | 25% (2007 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 31.1% (2004) |
Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 36.8 (2004) |
Investment (gross fixed): | 39% of GDP (2008 est.) |
Budget: | revenues: $153.5 billion expenditures: $205.3 billion (2008 est.) |
Fiscal year: | 1 April - 31 March |
Public debt: | 78% of GDP (federal and state debt combined) (2008 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 7.8% (2008 est.) |
Central bank discount rate: | 5.5% (31 January 2009) |
Commercial bank prime lending rate: | 8.5% (31 January 2009) |
Stock of money: | $250.9 billion (31 December 2007) |
Stock of quasi money: | $647.3 billion (31 December 2007) |
Stock of domestic credit: | $769.3 billion (31 December 2007) |
Market value of publicly traded shares: | $650 billion (31 December 2008) |
Agriculture - products: | rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; onions, dairy products, sheep, goats, poultry; fish |
Industries: | textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software |
Industrial production growth rate: | 4.8% (2008 est.) |
Electricity - production: | 665.3 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
Electricity - consumption: | 517.2 billion kWh (2006 est.) |
Electricity - exports: | 378 million kWh (2006 est.) |
Electricity - imports: | 3.189 billion kWh (2006 est.) |
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 81.7% hydro: 14.5% nuclear: 3.4% other: 0.3% (2001) |
Oil - production: | 880,500 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
Oil - consumption: | 2.722 million bbl/day (2007 est.) |
Oil - exports: | 450,700 bbl/day (2005 est.) |
Oil - imports: | 2.159 million bbl/day (2005 est.) |
Oil - proved reserves: | 5.625 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.) |
Natural gas - production: | 31.7 billion cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - consumption: | 41.7 billion cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - imports: | 10 billion cu m (2007 est.) |
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 1.075 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.) |
Current account balance: | -$38.39 billion (2008 est.) |
Exports: | $175.7 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.) |
Exports - commodities: | petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures |
Exports - partners: | US 15%, |
Imports: | $287.5 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.) |
Imports - commodities: | crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals |
Imports - partners: | |
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $250 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
Debt - external: | $163.8 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $142.9 billion (2008 est.) |
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $54.21 billion (2008 est.) |
Currency (code): | Indian rupee (INR) |
Currency code: | INR |
Exchange rates: | Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar - 43.319 (2008 est.), 41.487 (2007), 45.3 (2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004) |
Telephones - main lines in use: | 37.75 million (2009) |
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 362.3 million (2009) |
Telephone system: | general assessment: recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies have prompted rapid growth; 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 combined fixed and mobile telephone density remains low at about 35 for each 100 persons nationwide and much lower for persons in rural areas; extremely rapid growth in cellular service with modest declines in fixed lines. domestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles each with multiple private service providers and one or more state-owned service providers; 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 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT). international: country code - 91; a number of major international submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site at Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network 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; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam (2008). |
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998) |
Radios: | 116 million (1997) |
Television broadcast stations: | 562 (1997) |
Televisions: | 63 million (1997) |
Internet country code: | .in |
Internet hosts: | 2.707 million (2008) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 43 (2000) |
Internet users: | 80 million (2007). |
Airports: | 345 (2008). |
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 251 over 3,047 m: 19 2,438 to 3,047 m: 55 1,524 to 2,437 m: 77 914 to 1,523 m: 84 under 914 m: 16 (2008). |
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total 94 2,438 to 3,047 m 1 1,524 to 2,437 m 7 914 to 1,523 m 39 under 914 m 47 (2008). |
Heliports: | 30 (2007). |
Pipelines: | condensate/gas 2 km; gas 6,061 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,156 km; oil 7,678 km; refined products 6,876 km (2008). |
Railways: | total: 63,221 km broad gauge: 46,807 km 1.676-m gauge (17,343 km electrified) narrow gauge: 13,290 km 1.000-m gauge (165 km electrified); 3,124 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2006). |
Roadways: | total: 3,316,452 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2006). |
Waterways: | 14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2008). |
Merchant marine: | total: 501 by type: bulk carrier 102, cargo 241, carrier 1, chemical tanker 19, container 13, liquefied gas 18, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker 92, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 12 (China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 6, UK 2) registered in other countries: 61 (Barbados 1, Comoros 2, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Liberia 2, Malta 2, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 27, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 7, Singapore 13, unknown 1) (2008). |
Ports and terminals: | Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata ( |
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