India

Republic of India भारत गणराज्य* Bhārat Gaṇarājya
Flag National Emblem
Motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit) सत्यमेव जयते  (Devanāgarī) "Truth Alone Triumphs"[1]
Anthem: Jana Gana Mana Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[2]
National Song[4] Vande Mataram I bow to thee, Mother[3]
Capital		New Delhi
Largest city		Mumbai
Official languages		Hindi, English Hindi in the Devanagari script is the official language of the Union[5] and English the "subsidiary official language".[6]
Other official languages:		8th Schedule: Assamese Bengali Bodo Dogri Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Maithili Malayalam Manipuri Marathi Nepali Oriya Punjabi Sanskrit Santali Sindhi Tamil Telugu Urdu[7]
Demonym		Indian
Government		Federal republic Parliamentary democracy[8]
-	President	Pratibha Patil
-	Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
-	Chief Justice	K. G. Balakrishnan
Independence		from British colonial rule
-	Declared	15 August 1947
-	Republic	26 January 1950
Area
-	Total	3,287,240‡ km2 (7th) 1,269,210 sq mi
-	Water (%)	9.56
Population
-	2008 estimate	1,147,995,904[9] (2nd)
-	2001 census	1,027,015,248
-	Density	349/km2 (33rd) 904/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$2.965 trillion[10] (4th)
-	Per capita	$2,563[10] (165th)
GDP (nominal)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$1.100 trillion[10] (12th)
-	Per capita	$941[10] (132nd)
Gini (2004)		36.8[11]
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.619 (medium) (128th)
Currency		Indian rupee (₨) (INR)
Time zone		IST (UTC+5:30)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+5:30)
Drives on the		left
Internet TLD		.in
Calling code		91
Non-numbered Footnotes: * Bharat Ganarajya, that is, the Republic of India in Hindi,[8] written in the Devanāgarī script. See also other official names ‡ This is the figure as per the United Nations though the Indian government lists the total area as 3,287,260 square kilometers.[12]

India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi).^[13] It is bordered by Pakistan to the west;^[14] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.

Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.^[15] Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated there, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.

India is a republic consisting of 28 states and seven union territories with a parliamentary system of democracy. It has the world's twelfth largest economy at market exchange rates and the fourth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms have transformed it into the second fastest growing large economy;^[16] however, it still suffers from high levels of poverty,^[17] illiteracy, and malnutrition. A pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Etymology

Main article: Names of India

The name India (pronounced /ˈɪndiə/) is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.^[18] The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (Ινδοί), the people of the Indus.^[19] The Constitution of India and common usage in various Indian languages also recognise Bharat (pronunciation, /bʰɑːrət̪/) as an official name of equal status.^[20] Hindustan (/hin̪d̪ust̪ɑːn/ (info)), which is the Persian word for “Land of the Hindus” and historically referred to northern India, is also occasionally used as a synonym for all of India.^[21]

History

Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, sixth century

Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India

Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh are the earliest known traces of human life in India. The first known permanent settlements appeared over 9,000 years ago and gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,^[22] dating back to 3300 BCE in western India. It was followed by the Vedic period, which laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society, and ended in the 500s BCE. From around 550 BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the Mahajanapadas were established across the country.^[23]

In the third century BCE, most of South Asia was united into the Maurya Empire by Chandragupta Maurya and flourished under Ashoka the Great.^[24] From the third century CE, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient "India's Golden Age."^[25][26] Empires in Southern India included those of the Chalukyas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire. Science, engineering, art, literature, astronomy, and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings.

Following invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 12th centuries, much of North India came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire. Under the rule of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony.^[27][28] Mughal emperors gradually expanded their empires to cover large parts of the subcontinent. However, in North-Eastern India, the dominant power was the Ahom kingdom of Assam, among the few kingdoms to have resisted Mughal subjugation. The gradual decline of the Mughal imperial power gave the rise to the Hindu Maratha Empire, that dominated much of India until the mid-18th century.^[29]

From the 16th century, European powers such as Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom established trading posts and later took advantage of internal conflicts to establish colonies in the country. By 1856, most of India was under the control of the British East India Company.^[30] A year later, a nationwide insurrection of rebelling military units and kingdoms, known as India's First War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged the Company's control but eventually failed. As a result of the instability, India was brought under the direct rule of the British Crown.

Mahatma Gandhi (right) with Jawaharlal Nehru, 1937. Nehru would go on to become India's first prime minister in 1947.

In the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and other political organisations. Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi led millions of people in national campaigns of non-violent civil disobedience.^[31] On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but at the same time Muslim-majority areas were partitioned to form a separate state of Pakistan.^[32] On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effect.^[9]

Since independence, India has faced challenges from religious violence, casteism, naxalism, terrorism and regional separatist insurgencies, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India. Since the 1990s terrorist attacks have affected many Indian cities. India has unresolved territorial disputes with China, which in 1962 escalated into the Sino-Indian War; and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. India is a founding member of the United Nations (as British India) and the Non-Aligned Movement. In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test^[33] and five more tests in 1998, making India a nuclear state.^[33] Beginning in 1991, significant economic reforms^[34] have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, increasing its global clout.^[16]

Government

Main article: Government of India

The Constitution of India, the longest and the most exhaustive constitution of any independent nation in the world, came into force on January 26, 1950.^[35] The preamble of the constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.^[36] India has a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. Its form of government was traditionally described as being 'quasi-federal' with a strong centre and weaker states,^[37] but it has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic and social changes.^[38]

National Symbols of India[39]
Flag	Tricolour
Emblem	Sarnath Lion Capital
Anthem	Jana Gana Mana
Song	Vande Mataram
Animal	Royal Bengal Tiger
Bird	Indian Peafowl
Flower	Lotus
Tree	Banyan
Fruit	Mango
Sport	Field hockey
Calendar	Saka

The President of India is the head of state^[40] elected indirectly by an electoral college^[41] for a five-year term.^[42][43] The Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises most executive powers.^[40] Appointed by the President,^[44] the Prime Minister is by convention supported by the party or political alliance holding the majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament.^[40] The executive branch consists of the President, Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet being its executive committee) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature, with the Prime Minister and his Council being directly responsible to the lower house of the parliament.^[45]

The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, which consists of the upper house called the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People).^[46] The Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, has 245 members serving staggered six year terms.^[47] Most are elected indirectly by the state and territorial legislatures in proportion to the state's population.^[47] 543 of the Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent individual constituencies for five year terms.^[47] The other two members are nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community if the President is of the opinion that community is not adequately represented.^[47]

India has a unitary three-tier judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, twenty-one High Courts, and a large number of trial courts.^[48] The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving fundamental rights and over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts.^[49] It is judicially independent,^[48] and has the power to declare the law and to strike down union or state laws which contravene the Constitution.^[50] The role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution is one of the most important functions of the Supreme Court.^[51]

Politics

Main article: Politics of India

The North Block, in New Delhi, houses key government offices.

At the federal level, India is the most populous democracy in the world.^[52][53] For most of the years since independence, the federal government has been led by the Indian National Congress (INC).^[54] Politics in the states have been dominated by several national parties including the INC, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and various regional parties. From 1950 to 1990, barring two brief periods, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the state of emergency declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. In 1989, a Janata Dal-led National Front coalition in alliance with the Left Front coalition won the elections but managed to stay in power for only two years.^[55] As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term.^[56]

The years 1996–1998 were a period of turmoil in the federal government with several short-lived alliances holding sway. The BJP formed a government briefly in 1996, followed by the United Front coalition that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.^[57] In the 2004 Indian elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various left-leaning parties and members opposed to the BJP.^[58]

Foreign relations and military

Main articles: Foreign relations of India and Indian Armed Forces

The Sukhoi-30 MKI is part of the Indian Air Force.

Since its independence in 1947, India has maintained cordial relationships with most nations. It took a leading role in the 1950s by advocating the independence of European colonies in Africa and Asia.^[59] India was involved in two brief military interventions in neighboring countries - Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and Operation Cactus in Maldives. India is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.^[60] After the Sino-Indian War and the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, India's relationship with the Soviet Union warmed at the expense of ties with the United States and continued to remain so until the end of the Cold War. India has fought three wars with Pakistan, primarily over Kashmir but it also facilitated the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.^[61] Additional skirmishes have taken place between the two nations particularly in 1984 over Siachen Glacier and in 1999 over Kargil.

In recent years, relations between the United States and India have improved. Shown here are PM Manmohan Singh and President George W. Bush exchanging handshakes in March, 2006.

In recent years, India has played an influential role in the ASEAN,^[62] SAARC, and the WTO.^[63] India has provided as many as 55,000 Indian military and police personnel to serve in thirty-five UN peace keeping operations across four continents.^[64] Despite criticism and military sanctions, India has consistently refused to sign the CTBT and the NPT, preferring instead to maintain sovereignty over its nuclear program. Recent overtures by the Indian government have strengthened relations with the United States, China and Pakistan. In the economic sphere, India has close relationships with other developing nations in South America, Asia and Africa.

India maintains the third-largest military force in the world, which consists of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.^[9] Auxiliary forces such as the Paramilitary Forces, the Coast Guard, and the Strategic Forces Command also come under the military's purview. The President of India is the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces. India maintains close defence cooperation with Russia, France and Israel, who are the chief suppliers of arms. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has overseen the indigenous development of sophisticated arms and military equipment, including ballistic missiles, fighter aircrafts and main battle tanks, to reduce India's dependence on foreign imports. India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting an initial nuclear test, Operation Smiling Buddha and further underground testing in 1998. India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy.^[65] On 10 October, 2008 Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement was signed, prior to which India received the IAEA and NSG waivers, ending restrictions on nuclear technology commerce with which India became de facto sixth nuclear power in world.^[66]

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of India

India is a federal republic of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.^[54] All states, and the two union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have elected governments. The other five union territories have centrally appointed administrators and hence are under direct rule of the President. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, states were formed on a linguistic basis.^[67] Since then, this structure has remained largely unchanged. Each state or union territory is further divided into 610 districts for basic governance and administration.^[68] The districts in turn are further divided into tehsils and eventually into villages.

Administrative divisions of India, including 28 states and 7 union territories.

States:

Union Territories:

Geography

Main article: Geography of India

See also: Geological history of India and Climate of India

Topographic map of India.

India, the major portion of the Indian subcontinent, sits atop the Indian tectonic plate, a minor plate within the Indo-Australian Plate.^[69]

India's defining geological processes commenced seventy-five million years ago, when the Indian subcontinent, then part of the southern supercontinent Gondwana, began a northeastwards drift—lasting fifty million years—across the then unformed Indian Ocean.^[69] The subcontinent's subsequent collision with the Eurasian Plate and subduction under it, gave rise to the Himalayas, the planet's highest mountains, which now abut India in the north and the north-east.^[69] In the former seabed immediately south of the emerging Himalayas, plate movement created a vast trough, which, having gradually been filled with river-borne sediment,^[70] now forms the Indo-Gangetic Plain.^[71] To the west of this plain, and cut off from it by the Aravalli Range, lies the Thar Desert.^[72] The original Indian plate now survives as peninsular India, the oldest and geologically most stable part of India, and extending as far north as the Satpura and Vindhya ranges in central India. These parallel ranges run from the Arabian Sea coast in Gujarat in the west to the coal-rich Chota Nagpur Plateau in Jharkhand in the east.^[73] To their south, the remaining peninsular landmass, the Deccan Plateau, is flanked on the left and right by the coastal ranges, Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats respectively;^[74] the plateau contains the oldest rock formations in India, some over one billion years old. Constituted in such fashion, India lies to the north of the equator between 6°44' and 35°30' north latitude^[75] and 68°7' and 97°25' east longitude.^[76]

India's coast is 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi) long; of this distance, 5,423 kilometers (3,370 mi) belong to peninsular India, and 2,094 kilometers (1,301 mi) to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands.^[13] According to the Indian naval hydrographic charts, the mainland coast consists of the following: 43% sandy beaches, 11% rocky coast including cliffs, and 46% mudflats or marshy coast.^[13]

Major Himalayan-origin rivers that substantially flow through India include the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, both of which drain into the Bay of Bengal.^[77] Important tributaries of the Ganges include the Yamuna and the Kosi, whose extremely low gradient causes disastrous floods every year. Major peninsular rivers whose steeper gradients prevent their waters from flooding include the Godavari, the Mahanadi, the Kaveri, and the Krishna, which also drain into the Bay of Bengal;^[78] and the Narmada and the Tapti, which drain into the Arabian Sea.^[79] Among notable coastal features of India are the marshy Rann of Kutch in western India, and the alluvial Sundarbans delta, which India shares with Bangladesh.^[80] India has two archipelagos: the Lakshadweep, coral atolls off India's south-western coast; and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a volcanic chain in the Andaman Sea.^[81]

India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, both of which drive the monsoons.^[82] The Himalayas prevent cold Central Asian katabatic winds from blowing in, keeping the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes.^[83][84] The Thar Desert plays a crucial role in attracting the moisture-laden southwest summer monsoon winds that, between June and October, provide the majority of India's rainfall.^[82] Four major climatic groupings predominate in India: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid, and montane.^[85]

Flora and fauna

Main articles: Flora of India and Fauna of India

The Indian peacock is India's national bird.

India, which lies within the Indomalaya ecozone, displays significant biodiversity. One of eighteen megadiverse countries, it is home to 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of all avian, 6.2% of all reptilian, 4.4% of all amphibian, 11.7% of all fish, and 6.0% of all flowering plant species.^[86] Many ecoregions, such as the shola forests, exhibit extremely high rates of endemism; overall, 33% of Indian plant species are endemic.^[87][88] India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforest of the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and North-East India to the coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between these extremes lie the sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; the teak-dominated dry deciduous forest of central and southern India; and the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain.^[89] Important Indian trees include the medicinal neem, widely used in rural Indian herbal remedies. The pipal fig tree, shown on the seals of Mohenjo-daro, shaded Gautama Buddha as he sought enlightenment.

Many Indian species are descendants of taxa originating in Gondwana, to which India originally belonged. Peninsular India's subsequent movement towards, and collision with, the Laurasian landmass set off a mass exchange of species. However, volcanism and climatic changes 20 million years ago caused the extinction of many endemic Indian forms.^[90] Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya.^[89] Consequently, among Indian species, only 12.6% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.^[86] Notable endemics are the Nilgiri leaf monkey and the brown and carmine Beddome's toad of the Western Ghats. India contains 172, or 2.9%, of IUCN-designated threatened species.^[91] These include the Asiatic Lion, the Bengal Tiger, and the Indian white-rumped vulture, which suffered a near-extinction from ingesting the carrion of diclofenac-treated cattle.

In recent decades, human encroachment has posed a threat to India's wildlife; in response, the system of national parks and protected areas, first established in 1935, was substantially expanded. In 1972, India enacted the Wildlife Protection Act^[92] and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; in addition, the Forest Conservation Act^[93] was enacted in 1980. Along with more than five hundred wildlife sanctuaries, India hosts thirteen biosphere reserves,^[94] four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; twenty-five wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.^[95]

Economy

Main article: Economy of India

See also: Economic development in India

The Bombay Stock Exchange, in Mumbai, is Asia's oldest and India's largest stock exchange.

For most of its post-independence history, India adhered to a quasi-socialist approach with strict government control over private sector participation, foreign trade and foreign direct investment. However, since 1991, India has gradually opened up its markets through economic reforms and reduced government controls on foreign trade and investment.^[34] Foreign exchange reserves have risen from US$5.8 billion in March 1991 to US$308 billion on 4 July 2008,^[96] while federal and state budget deficits have decreased.^[97] Privatisation of publicly owned companies and the opening of certain sectors to private and foreign participation has continued amid political debate.^[98][99] India's GDP in terms of USD exchange-rate is US$1.089 trillion. When measured in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), India has the world's fourth largest GDP at US$4.726 trillion. India's per capita income (nominal) is US$977, while its per capita (PPP) is US$2700.

With an average annual GDP growth rate of 5.7% for the past two decades, the economy is among the fastest growing in the world.^[100] India has the world's second largest labour force, with 516.3 million people, 60% of whom are employed in agriculture and related industries; 28% in services and related industries; and 12% in industry.^[9] Major agricultural crops include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, and potatoes. The agricultural sector accounts for 28% of GDP; the service and industrial sectors make up 54% and 18% respectively. Major industries include automobiles, cement, chemicals, consumer electronics, food processing, machinery, mining, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, steel, transportation equipment, and textiles. Along with India’s fast economic growth comes its growing demand for energy. According to the Energy Information Administration, India is the sixth largest consumer of oil and third largest consumer of coal.^[101]

Although the Indian economy has grown steadily over the last two decades; its growth has been uneven when comparing different social groups, economic groups, geographic regions, and rural and urban areas.^[102] Income inequality in India is relatively small (Gini coefficient: 36.8 in year 2004),^[11] though it has been increasing of late. Wealth distribution in India is fairly uneven, with the top 10% of income groups earning 33% of the income.^[103] Despite significant economic progress, a quarter of the nation's population earns less than the government-specified poverty threshold of $0.40 per day. In 2004–2005, 27.5% of the population was living below the poverty line.^[17]

More recently, India has capitalised on its large pool of educated, English-speaking people, and trained professionals to become an important outsourcing destination for multinational corporations and a popular destination for medical tourism.^[104] India has also become a major exporter of software as well as financial, research, and technological services. Its natural resources include arable land, bauxite, chromite, coal, diamonds, iron ore, limestone, manganese, mica, natural gas, petroleum, and titanium ore.^[54]

In 2007, exports stood at US$145 billion and imports were around US$217 billion.^[105] Textiles, jewellery, engineering goods and software are major export commodities while crude oil, machineries, fertilizers, and chemicals are major imports. India's most important trading partners are the United States, the European Union, and China.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of India

See also: Religion in India, Languages of India, and Ethnic groups of South Asia

Population density map of India.

With an estimated population of 1.13 billion,^[9] representing 17% of the world population,^[106] India is the world's second most populous country. The last 50 years have seen a rapid increase in population due to medical advances and massive increase in agricultural productivity^[107] made by the green revolution.^[108] Almost 70% of Indians reside in rural areas, although in recent decades migration to larger cities has led to a dramatic increase in the country's urban population. India's largest cities are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.^[54]

India is the most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity after the African continent.^[54] India is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. Hindi, with the largest number of speakers,^[109] is the official language of the union.^[110] English, which is extensively used in business and administration, has the status of a 'subsidiary official language;'^[111] it is also important in education, especially as a medium of higher education. The constitution also recognises in particular 21 other languages that are either abundantly spoken or have classical status. While Sanskrit and Tamil have been studied as classical languages for many years,^[112] the Government of India, using its own criteria, has also accorded classical language status to Kannada and Telugu.^[113] The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.^[114]

Over 800 million Indians (80.5%) are Hindu. Other religious groups include Muslims (13.4%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahá'ís and others.^[115] Tribals constitute 8.1% of the population.^[116]

India's literacy rate is 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males).^[9] The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate (91%);^[117] Bihar has the lowest (47%).^[118] The national human sex ratio is 944 females per 1,000 males. India's median age is 24.9, and the population growth rate of 1.38% per annum; there are 22.01 births per 1,000 people per year.^[9]

Culture

Main article: Culture of India

The Taj Mahal in Agra was built by Shah Jahan as memorial to wife Mumtaz Mahal. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site considered to be of "outstanding universal value".^[120]

India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism^[121] and cultural pluralism.^[122] It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants and spreading its cultural influence to other parts of Asia.

Indian architecture is one area that represents the diversity of Indian culture. Much of it, including notable monuments such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Mughal architecture and South Indian architecture, comprises a blend of ancient and varied local traditions from several parts of the country and abroad. Vernacular architecture also displays notable regional variation.

Indian music covers a wide range of traditions and regional styles. Classical music largely encompasses the two genres – North Indian Hindustani, South Indian Carnatic traditions and their various offshoots in the form of regional folk music. Regionalised forms of popular music include filmi and folk music; the syncretic tradition of the bauls is a well-known form of the latter.

Indian dance too has diverse folk and classical forms. Among the well-known folk dances are the bhangra of the Punjab, the bihu of Assam, the chhau of West Bengal, Jharkhand and Orissa and the ghoomar of Rajasthan. Eight dance forms, many with narrative forms and mythological elements, have been accorded classical dance status by India's National Academy of Music, Dance, and Drama. These are: bharatanatyam of the state of Tamil Nadu, kathak of Uttar Pradesh, kathakali and mohiniyattam of Kerala, kuchipudi of Andhra Pradesh, manipuri of Manipur, odissi of Orissa and the sattriya of Assam.^[123]

Theatre in India often incorporates music, dance, and improvised or written dialogue.^[124] Often based on Hindu mythology, but also borrowing from medieval romances, and news of social and political events, Indian theatre includes the bhavai of state of Gujarat, the jatra of West Bengal, the nautanki and ramlila of North India, the tamasha of Maharashtra, the burrakatha of Andhra Pradesh, the terukkuttu of Tamil Nadu, and the yakshagana of Karnataka.^[125]

The Lotus Temple, the Bahá'í house of worship in Delhi

The Indian film industry is the largest in the world.^[126] Bollywood, based in Mumbai, makes commercial Hindi films and is the most prolific film industry in the world.^[127] Established traditions also exist in Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Marathi, Tamil, and Telugu language cinemas.^[128]

The earliest works of Indian literature were transmitted orally and only later written down.^[129] These included works of Sanskrit literature – such as the early Vedas, the epics Mahābhārata and Ramayana, the drama Abhijñānaśākuntalam (The Recognition of Śakuntalā), and poetry such as the Mahākāvya^[130] – and the Tamil language Sangam literature.^[131] Among Indian writers of the modern era active in Indian languages or English, Rabindranath Tagore won the Nobel Prize in 1913.

Indian cuisine is characterized by a wide variety of regional styles and sophisticated use of herbs and spices. The staple foods in the region are rice (especially in the south and the east) and wheat (predominantly in the north).^[132] Spices originally native to the Indian subcontinent that are now consumed world wide include black pepper; in contrast, hot chili peppers, popular across India, were introduced by the Portuguese.^[133]

Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular.

Many Indian festivals are religious in origin, although several are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. Some popular festivals are Diwali, Ganesh Chaturthi, Ugadi, Thai Pongal, Holi, Onam, Vijayadasami, Durga Puja, Eid ul-Fitr, Bakr-Id, Christmas, Buddha Jayanti and Vaisakhi.^[134] India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in individual states. Religious practices are an integral part of everyday life and are a very public affair.

Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, although urban families now prefer the nuclear family structure due to the socio-economic constraints imposed by traditional joint family system.

Sports

A 2008 Indian Premier League Twenty20 cricket match being played between the Chennai Super Kings and Kolkata Knight Riders

Main article: Sports of India

India's official national sport is field hockey, administered by the Indian Hockey Federation. The Indian field hockey team has won the 1975 Men's Hockey World Cup and Olympic gold medals. However, cricket is the most popular sport; the India national cricket team has won the 1983 Cricket World Cup and the 2007 ICC World Twenty20. Cricket in India is administered by the Board of Control for Cricket in India and domestic competitions include the Ranji Trophy, the Duleep Trophy, the Deodhar Trophy, the Irani Trophy and the Challenger Series. Indian national team cricketers enjoy widespread popularity and hold several world records.

Tennis has become increasingly popular, owing to the victories of the India Davis Cup team. Association football is also a popular sport in northeast India, West Bengal, Goa and Kerala.^[135] The Indian national football team has won the South Asian Football Federation Cup several times. India has hosted the 1951 and the 1982 Asian Games, the 1987 Cricket World Cup, co-hosted the 1996 Cricket World Cup and will co-host the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is also gaining popularity with the rise in the number of Indian Grandmasters.^[136] Traditional sports include kabaddi, kho kho, and gilli-danda, which are played nationwide. India is also home to the ancient martial arts, Kalarippayattu and Varma Kalai. The Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna and the Arjuna Award are India's highest civilian sports awards.

See also

India topics Basic topics · Alphabetical index of topics History Overviews Timeline · Economics · Linguistics · Maritime · Military · Science and technology · Mathematics · Astronomy · Metallurgy Pre-colonial Stone Age · Indus Valley Civilization · Indo-Aryan migration · Vedic period · Mahajanapadas · Magadha · Middle kingdoms · Islamic sultanates · Hoysala · Cholas · Kakatiya · Vijayanagara · Mughals · Marathas · European trade Colonial East India Company · Plassey · 1857 Rebellion · British Raj · Railways · Economy · Army · Zamindari · Social changes · Political reforms · Princely states · Partition of Bengal · Independence movement · 1943 famine · World War II · Partition Republic Integration · Non-Aligned Movement · Five-Year Plan · Sino-Indian War · Indo-Pakistani wars · Green Revolution · White Revolution · Naxal Insurgency · Smiling Buddha · Space program · The Emergency · Khalistan movement · Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) · Economic Reforms · Pokhran-II Government     Law Constitution Fundamental Rights & Duties Administrative Divisions Law Enforcement Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Indian Police Service (IPS) Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) Home Guard State Police Federal Police Legislature Lok Sabha Rajya Sabha Executives President Vice President Deputy Prime Minister Prime Minister Cabinet Ministers Government Agencies Judiciary Supreme Court • Chief Justice High Courts District Courts Policy Energy policy Military Indian Army Indian Navy Indian Air Force Indian Coast Guard Indian Paramilitary Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Border Security Force (BSF) Indo-Tibetan Border Police Special Forces Intelligence Research and Analysis Wing(RAW) Intelligence Bureau (IB) Joint Intelligence Committee Politics Censorship · Elections · Human rights · Nationalism · Political parties (Congress • BJP • BSP • CPI • CPM • NCP) · Reservations · Scandals · Scheduled groups · Secularism Geography Landforms Mountains · Glaciers · Volcanoes · Valleys · Rivers · Lakes · Desert · Islands · Extreme Points · waterfalls · Beaches Plains(Gangetic Plains · Eastern coastal · Western coastal) Regions East India · West India · North India · South India · North East India Subdivisions States and territories · Cities · Districts · Autonomous regions · Municipalities Environment Climate · Climatic regions · Geology · Ecoregions · Sanctuaries · National Parks  · Biosphere Reserves · Protected Areas · Wildlife · Fauna · Flora Economy Agriculture · Communications · Companies · Education · Exchanges (BSE • NSE) · Healthcare · Income · Poverty · Obesity · Standard of living · Reserve Bank · Rupee · Tourism · Labour · Forestry  · Fishing · Livestock · Transport · Energy (Solar • Wind • Nuclear) Culture Arts and entertainment · Architecture · Cinema · Cuisine · Dance · Demographics · Dress · Folklore · Holidays · Languages · Literature · Media · Martial arts · Music · Religion · Sport · Wine Education Literacy · Department of Higher Education · Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) · Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE) · Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan · University Grants Commission · All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) · Institutes of Technology / Management / Science · more Portal

Notes

References

History

• Brown, Judith M. (1994). Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. xiii, 474. ISBN 0198731132. http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780198731139. 
• Kulke, Hermann; Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India. 4th edition. Routledge. xii, 448. ISBN 0415329205. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-Hermann-Kulke/dp/0415329205/. 
• Metcalf, Barbara; Thomas R. Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (Cambridge Concise Histories). Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press. xxxiii, 372. ISBN 0521682258. http://www.amazon.com/Concise-History-Modern-Cambridge-Histories/dp/0521682258/. 
• Spear, Percival (1990). A History of India. 2. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. pp. 298. ISBN 0140138366. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-Vol-2/dp/0140138366/ref=pd_ybh_a_6/104-7029728-9591925. 
• Stein, Burton (2001). A History of India. New Delhi and Oxford: Oxford University Press. xiv, 432. ISBN 0195654463. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-World/dp/0631205462/ref=pd_ybh_a_7/104-7029728-9591925. 
• Thapar, Romila (1990). A History of India. 1. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. pp. 384. ISBN 0140138358. http://www.amazon.com/History-India-Penguin/dp/0140138358/. 
• Wolpert, Stanley (2003). A New History of India. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 544. ISBN 0195166787. http://www.amazon.com/New-History-India-Stanley-Wolpert/dp/0195166787/. 

Geography

• Dikshit, K.R.; Joseph E. Schwartzberg (2007). "India: The Land". Encyclopædia Britannica. pp. 1–29. 
• Government of India (2007). India Yearbook 2007. Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 81-230-1423-6. 
• Heitzman, J.; R.L. Worden (1996). India: A Country Study. Library of Congress (Area Handbook Series). ISBN 0-8444-0833-6. 
• Posey, C.A (1994). The Living Earth Book of Wind and Weather. Reader's Digest Association. ISBN 0-8957-7625-1. 

Flora and fauna

• Ali, Salim & S. Dillon Ripley (1995), A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. Pp. 183, 106 colour plates by John Henry Dick, ISBN 0195637321
• Blatter, E. & Walter S. Millard (1997), Some Beautiful Indian Trees, Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. Pp. xvii, 165, 30 colour plates, ISBN 019562162X
• Israel, Samuel & Toby Sinclair (editors) (2001), Indian Wildlife, Discovery Channel and APA Publications., ISBN 9812345558
• Prater, S. H. (1971), The book of Indian Animals, Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. Pp. xxiii, 324, 28 colour plates by Paul Barruel., ISBN 0195621697.
• Rangarajan, Mahesh (editor) (1999), Oxford Anthology of Indian Wildlife: Volume 1, Hunting and Shooting, New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Pp. xi, 439, ISBN 0195645928
• Rangarajan, Mahesh (editor) (1999), Oxford Anthology of Indian Wildlife: Volume 2, Watching and Conserving, New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Pp. xi, 303, ISBN 0195645936
• Tritsch, Mark F. (2001), Wildlife of India, London: Harper Collins Publishers. Pp. 192, ISBN 0007110626

Culture

• Dissanayake, Wimal K. & Moti Gokulsing (2004), Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change, Trentham Books, Pp. 161, ISBN 1858563291 ., <http://books.google.com/books?id=_plssuFIar8C&dq>
• Johnson, W. J. (translator and editor) (1998), The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahabharata: The Massacre at Night, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics). Pp. 192, ISBN 0192823618., <http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780192823618>
• Kalidasa & W. J. Johnson (editor) (2001), The Recognition of Śakuntalā: A Play in Seven Acts, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics). Pp. 192, ISBN 0192839114., <http://www.oup.com/uk/catalogue/?ci=9780192839114>
• Karanth, K. Shivarama (1997), Yakṣagāna, (Forward by H. Y. Sharada Prasad). Abhinav Publications. Pp. 252, ISBN 8170173574.
• Kiple, Kenneth F.; Ornelas, Kriemhild Coneè, eds. (2000), The Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521402166 
• Lal, Ananda (1998), Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. Pp. 600, ISBN 0195644468, <http://www.amazon.com/Oxford-Companion-Indian-Theatre/dp/0195644468/>
• MacDonell, Arthur Anthony (2004), A History of Sanskrit Literature, Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 1417906197 .
• Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006), A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score, Routledge, ISBN 0415348358 
• Massey, Reginald (2006), India's Dances, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 8170174341
• Ramanujan, A. K. (1985), Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil, New York: Columbia University Press. Pp. 329, ISBN 0231051077, <http://books.google.com/books?id=nIybE0HRvdQC&dq>
• Rajadhyaksha, Ashish & Paul Willemen (editors) (1999), Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, 2nd revised edition, University of California Press and British Film Institute, Pp. 652, ISBN 0851706696 ., <http://www.ucpress.edu/books/bfi/pages/PROD0008.html>
• Vilanilam, John V. (2005), Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective, Sage Publications, ISBN 0761933727

External links

• India entry at The World Factbook
• India at UCB Libraries GovPubs
• India at the Open Directory Project

Geographic locale
States and territories of India States Andhra Pradesh · Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · Bihar · Chhattisgarh · Goa · Gujarat · Haryana · Himachal Pradesh · Jammu and Kashmir · Jharkhand · Karnataka · Kerala · Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Manipur · Meghalaya · Mizoram · Nagaland · Orissa · Punjab · Rajasthan · Sikkim · Tamil Nadu · Tripura · Uttar Pradesh · Uttarakhand · West Bengal Union Territories Andaman and Nicobar Islands · Chandigarh · Dadra and Nagar Haveli · National Capital Territory of Delhi · Daman and Diu · Lakshadweep · Puducherry Countries of South Asia Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka Sometimes included:  Afghanistan • Iran • Myanmar • British Indian Ocean Territory • Tibet Countries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean Africa Comoros · Djibouti · Eritrea · Kenya · Madagascar · Mauritius · Mayotte · Mozambique · Réunion · Seychelles · Somalia · South Africa · Sudan · Tanzania Asia Bahrain · Bangladesh · Burma · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · India · Indonesia · Iran · Iraq · Kuwait · Malaysia · Maldives · Oman · Pakistan · Qatar · Saudi Arabia · Sri Lanka · Thailand · United Arab Emirates · Yemen Oceania Australia · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands Islands Bahrain · British Indian Ocean Territory · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Madagascar · Maldives · Mauritius · Mayotte · Réunion · Seychelles · Sri Lanka Countries bordering the Arabian Sea  India ·  Iran ·  Sri Lanka ·  Maldives ·  Oman ·  Pakistan ·  Somalia ·  Yemen Countries of Asia Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan1 · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Burma · Cambodia · People's Republic of China · Republic of China (Taiwan)2 · Cyprus · Egypt3 · Georgia1 · India · Indonesia4 · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan1 · North Korea · South Korea · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · Philippines · Qatar · Russia1 · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · East Timor (Timor-Leste)4 · Turkey1 · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen3 For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory. 1 Partly or significantly in Europe.  2 The Republic of China (Taiwan) is not officially recognized by the United Nations; see Political status of Taiwan. 3 Partly or significantly in Africa.  4 Partly or wholly reckoned in Oceania.

International membership
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Members Afghanistan · Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka Observers Australia · China (PRC) · European Union · Iran · Japan · Mauritius · Myanmar · South Korea · United States Guest South Africa Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda · Australia · Bahamas · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize · Botswana · Brunei · Cameroon · Canada · Cyprus · Dominica · Fiji · The Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guyana · India · Jamaica · Kenya · Kiribati · Lesotho · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Malta · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Nauru · New Zealand · Nigeria · Pakistan · Papua New Guinea · St. Kitts and Nevis · St. Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Solomon Islands · South Africa · Sri Lanka · Swaziland · Tanzania · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tuvalu · Uganda · United Kingdom · Vanuatu · Zambia Dependencies Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands · Australian Antarctic Territory · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Coral Sea Islands · Heard Island and McDonald Islands · Norfolk Island New Zealand Cook Islands · Niue · Ross Dependency · Tokelau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Anguilla · Bermuda · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Montserrat · Pitcairn Islands · St. Helena (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · Turks and Caicos Islands Foreign relations of India Bilateral Afghanistan · Argentina · Armenia · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brazil · Burma (Myanmar) · Canada · People's Republic of China · Colombia · Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast) · Cyprus · Denmark · Fiji · Finland · France · Germany · Greece · Iceland · Indonesia · Iraq · Iran · Ireland · Israel · Italy · Japan · Kazakhstan · Malaysia · Maldives · Nepal · Nigeria · Pakistan · Palestine · Paraguay · Poland · Romania · Russia · Saudi Arabia · Serbia · Singapore · South Africa · South Korea · Sri Lanka · Republic of China (Taiwan) · Tajikistan · Ukraine · United Kingdom · United States · Vietnam International organizations United Nations · East Asian Summit · G4 · G8+5 · G20 · BRIC · IBSA · IAEA · IMF · ISO · Commonwealth of Nations · NAM · SAARC · UNESCO · WHO · WTO · SAEU · BIMSTEC Related topics Ministry of External Affairs · Diplomatic missions of India · Diplomatic missions in India · Kashmir dispute · Look East policy  · Indo-Pakistani wars · Sino-Indian War · Greater India