India

भारत गणराज्य Bhārata Gaṇarājya Other languages Republic of India
Flag Emblem
Motto: Satyameva Jayate   (Sanskrit) सत्यमेव जयते  (Devanāgarī) "Truth Alone Triumphs"
Anthem: "Jana Gaṇa Mana"
Location of India
Capital	New Delhi 28°34′N 77°12′E
Largest city	Mumbai (Bombay)
Official languages	Hindi, English + 21 other official languages
Government	Federal republic
- President	A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
- Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
Independence	from the UK
- Declared	15 August 1947
- Republic	26 January 1950
Area
- Total	3,166,414† km² (7th) 1,222,559 sq mi
- Water (%)	9.56
Population
- 2005 estimate	1,103,371,000
- 2001 census	1,027,015,248
- Density	329/km² 852/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2006 estimate
- Total	$4.042 trillion
- Per capita	$3,700
GDP (nominal)	2005 estimate
- Total	$796.1 billion
- Per capita	$705
HDI  (2006)	0.611 (medium)
Currency	Rupee (₨) (INR)
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
- Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+5:30)
Internet TLD	.in
Calling code	+91
† Includes only Indian-administered territory.

The Republic of India (Hindi: भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya), commonly known as India, is a country in South Asia. It is the most populous liberal democracy in the world.

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.

Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism, arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped India's variegated culture.

With the world's fourth largest economy in purchasing power and the second fastest growing large economy, India has made rapid progress in the last decade, especially in information technology. Although India's standard of living is projected to rise sharply in the next half-century, it currently battles high levels of poverty, persistent malnutrition, and environmental degradation.

Geography

The name India is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.

The Constitution of India and common usage in Hindi also recognise Bharat as an official name of equal status. A third name, هندوستان, Hindustan (Persian: Land of the Hindus has been used since the twelfth century, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied.

India is the seventh-largest country in the world, with a total land area of 1,269,219 square miles (3,287,590 square kilometers). It is bounded on the southwest by the Arabian Sea and on the southeast by the Bay of Bengal. On the north, northeast, and northwest are the Himalayas. Kanyakumari constitutes the southern tip of the Indian peninsula, which narrows before ending in the Indian Ocean. India borders Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, Nepal, and Pakistan.

India constitutes the major portion of the Indian subcontinent, which sits atop the Indian Plate and the northwesterly portion of the Indo-Australian Plate. India's northern and north-eastern states are partially situated in the Himalayan Range. The rest of northern, central, and eastern India consists of the fertile Indo-Gangetic Plain. In the west, bordering southeastern Pakistan, lies the Thar Desert. Southern India is almost entirely composed of the peninsular Deccan plateau, which is flanked by two hilly coastal ranges, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats.

The highest point is Kanchenjunga, at 22,208 feet (8598 meters). The third tallest mountain in the world, it lies on the border with Nepal.

File:IndiaMap2.PNG

Map of India .

India has several major rivers, including the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Yamuna, the Godavari, the Kaveri, the Narmada, and the Krishna. India has three archipelagos — Lakshadweep, which lies off the south-western coast; the volcanic Andaman and Nicobar Islands island chain to the southeast, and the Sunderbans in the Ganges Delta of West Bengal.

The climate in India varies from tropical in the south to more temperate in the Himalayan north, where elevated regions receive sustained winter snowfall. India's climate is strongly influenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert. The Himalayas, along with the Hindu Kush mountains in Pakistan, prevent cold Central Asian katabatic winds from blowing in. This keeps the bulk of the Indian subcontinent warmer than most locations at similar latitudes. The Thar Desert is responsible for attracting the moisture-laden summer monsoon winds that, between June and September, provide most of India's rainfall.

Now the world's rarest monkey, the golden langur typifies the precarious survival of much of India's megafauna.

A Bengal tiger.

Lying within the Indomalaya ecozone, India hosts significant biodiversity; it is home to 7.6 percent of all mammal, 12.6 percent of bird, 6.2 percent of reptile, and 6.0 percent of flowering plant species.

Overall, 33 percent of Indian plant species are endemic. India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforests of the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and Northeast India to the coniferous forest of the Himalayas. Between these extremes lie the sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; teak-dominated dry deciduous forest of central and southern India; and the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain.

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 the 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. Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya. As a result, among Indian species, only 12.6 percent of mammals and 4.5 percent of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8 percent of reptiles and 55.8 percent of amphibians.

A Nilgiri leaf monkey.

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 percent, of IUCN-designated threatened species. 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 and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat. Further federal protections were promulgated in the 1980s. Along with over 500 wildlife sanctuaries, India now hosts 14 biosphere reserves, four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; 25 wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.

Natural resources are coal (India has fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, and arable land.

Natural hazards are droughts, flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rain, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes.

Environmental issues include 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; and a huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources.

Kanyakumari is the southernmost point in mainland India.

Mumbai, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, the most populous city]] of India, and by some measures the most populous city in the world with an estimated population of about 13 million (as of 2006). [[Image:Qminar.jpg|thumb|At 72.5 metres, the Qutub Minar is the world's tallest brick minaret. Delhi is the second-largest metropolis. Located in northern India on the banks of the River Yamuna, The metropolis consists of three coterminous census towns – Delhi, Delhi Cantonment, New Delhi – along with 214 villages. New Delhi was declared the capital of India after India gained independence from British rule in 1947. As the seat of the Government of India, New Delhi houses important offices of the federal government, including the Parliament of India.

History

History of South Asia History of India
Stone Age	70,000–3300 B.C.E.
· Mehrgarh Culture	· 7000–3300 B.C.E.
Indus Valley Civilization	3300–1700 B.C.E.
Late Harappan Culture	1700–1300 B.C.E.
Vedic Period	1500–500 B.C.E.
· Iron Age Kingdoms	· 1200–700 B.C.E.
Maha Janapadas	700–300 B.C.E.
Magadha Kingdom	1700 B.C.E.–550 C.E.
· Maurya Dynasty	· 321–184 B.C.E.
Middle Kingdoms	230 B.C.E.–AD 1279
· Satavahana Empire	· 230 B.C.E.–AD 199
· Kushan Empire	· 60–240
· Gupta Empire	· 240–550
· Pala Empire	· 750–1174
· Chola Empire	· 848–1279
Islamic Sultanates	1206–1596
· Delhi Sultanate	· 1206–1526
· Deccan Sultanates	· 1490–1596
Hoysala Empire	1040–1346
Kakatiya Empire	1083–1323
Vijayanagara Empire	1336–1565
Mughal Empire	1526–1707
Maratha Empire	1674–1818
Colonial Era	1757–1947
Modern States	1947 onwards
State histories Bangladesh · Bhutan · Republic of India Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka
Regional histories Assam · Bengal · Pakistani Regions Punjab · Sindh · South India · Tibet
Specialised histories Dynasties · Economy · Indology · Language · Literature Maritime · Military · Science and Technology · Timeline

Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in western India.

Isolated remains of Homo erectus in Hathnora in the Narmada Valley in Central India indicate that India might have been inhabited since at least the Middle Pleistocene era, or anywhere between 200,000 to 500,000 years ago.

Evidence of Mesolithic culture throughout India, suggests widespread habitation covering a time span of around 25,000 years, starting around 30,000 years ago. Hunting, gathering, fishing, and other forms of hunter-gatherer subsistence seem to have dominated the period. However, early forms of herding and small scale farming have been detected.

The Indus Valley Civilisation

The first confirmed permanent settlements appeared 9000 years ago in Bhimbetka in modern Madhya Pradesh. By 5100 B.C.E., people in the Indus Valley were farming and harvesting Einkorn wheat, a primitive form of wheat

The irrigation of the Indus Valley, which provided enough resources to support urban centers such as Harappa and Mohenjo-daro around 2500 B.C.E., marked the beginning of the earliest urban society in India, known as the Indus Valley Civilization (or, the Harappan Civilization), which thrived between 2500 and 1900 B.C.E.

The civilization is noted for its cities built of brick, road-side drainage system and multi-storied houses, and indicated amazing uniformity of its measurement systems. The Mohenjo-daro ruins were once the centre of this ancient society. Indus Civilization settlements spread as far south as present-day Mumbai, as far east as Delhi, as far west as the Iranian border, and as far north as the Himalayas. The Indus Civilization may have had a population of over five million. Over 2500 cities and settlements have been found. It is thought that the Indus Valley Civilizations depended upon the alluvial soils of the rivers, which produced high yield crops. Around the middle of the second millennium B.C.E., the Indus River basin dried up, and the sites were abandoned.

File:Lothal conception.jpg

An ancient Indus-Valley city (Lothal) as envisaged by the Archaeological Survey of India.

Vedic Civilisation

The origins of Vedic Civilisation, which laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society, are in dispute. Some scholars say there was an Indo-Aryan migration into the north-west regions of the subcontinent in the early second millennium B.C.E. brought the Vedic civilisation.

Early Vedic society was pastoral, but became agricultural, and was organized around the four Varnas. Several small kingdoms and tribes merged to form a few large ones, such as the Kuru and Pançala, some of which were often at war with each other.

The principal texts of Hinduism (the Vedas), the great Indian epics (the Ramayana and Mahabharata) including the famous stories of Rama and Krishna are said to have their origins during this period, from an oral tradition of unwritten bardic recitation. The Bhagavad Gita, another primary text of Hinduism well-known for its philosophical nature, is contained in the Mahabharata.

The Mahajanapadas

The Mahajanapadas were the sixteen most powerful kingdoms and republics of the era, located mainly across the fertile Ganges plains, however there were a number of smaller kingdoms stretching the length and breadth of India

During the Iron Age, a number of small kingdoms or city states covered the subcontinent, many mentioned during Vedic literature as far back as 1000 B.C.E. By 500 B.C.E., 16 monarchies and “republics” known as the Mahajanapadas viz: Kasi, Kosala, Anga, Magadha, Vajji, Malla, Chedi, Vatsa, Kuru, Panchala, Machcha, Surasena, Assaka, Avanti, Gandhara, Kamboja— stretched across the Indo-Gangetic plains from modern-day Afghanistan to Bangladesh, and many smaller clans mentioned within early literature seem to have been present across the rest of the subcontinent. The largest of these nations were Magadha, Kosala, Kuru and Gandhara.

The educated speech at that time was Sanskrit, while the dialects of the general population of northern India were referred to as Prakrits.

Hindu rituals at that time were complicated and conducted by the priestly class. It is thought that the Upanishads, late Vedic texts, were first composed early in this period. They had a huge effect on Indian philosophy, and were contemporary to the development of Buddhism and Jainism, indicating a golden age of thought in this period, similar to that in ancient Greece.

It was in 537 B.C.E., that Gautama Buddha gained enlightenment and founded Buddhism, which was initially intended as a supplement to the existing Vedic dharma. Around the same time period, in mid-sixth century B.C.E., Mahavira founded Jainism. Both religions had a simple doctrine, and were preached in Prakrit, which helped it gain acceptance amongst the masses. While the geographic impact of Jainism was limited, Buddhist nuns and monks eventually spread the teachings of Buddha to Central Asia, East Asia, Tibet, Sri Lanka and South East Asia.

The Mahajanapadas were roughly equivalent to the ancient Greek city-states of the same period in the Mediterranean, producing philosophy which would eventually form the basis of much of the eastern world's beliefs, just as ancient Greece would produce philosophy that much of the western world's subsequent beliefs were based on. The period effectively ended with the onset of Persian invasion, around the fifth century B.C.E., and the Greek invasion, by the late fourth century B.C.E., and the subsequent rise of a single Indian empire from the kingdom of Magadha.

Maurya dynasty

Map depicting the largest extent of the Mauryan Empire in dark blue, and allied or friendly areas in light blue

In 321 B.C.E., exiled general Chandragupta Maurya founded the Maurya dynasty after overthrowing the reigning king Dhana Nanda to establish the Maurya Empire. During that time, most of the subcontinent was united under a single government for the first time. Chandragupta Maurya was influenced by the jainacharya Bhadrabahu and he adopted Jainism.He is credited for the spread of Jainism in southern Indian region. Chandragupta was succeeded by his son Bindusara, who expanded the kingdom over most of present day India, barring Kalinga, and the extreme south and east, which may have held tributary status. Modern day India is an image of the Mauryana, that tied all the peoples and cultures of the erstwhile separate kingdoms under one banner, and predicted a common destiny for all Indians (then mainly Hindus and Buddhists). The tradition was continued later by the Mughals and the British, who formed similar empires.

Bindusara's kingdom was inherited by his son Ashoka The Great who initially sought to expand his kingdom. In the aftermath of the carnage caused in the invasion of Kalinga, he renounced bloodshed and pursued a policy of non-violence or ahimsa after converting to Buddhism. The Edicts of Ashoka are the oldest preserved historical documents of India, and from Ashoka's time, approximate dating of dynasties becomes possible. The Mauryan dynasty under Ashoka was responsible for the proliferation of Buddhist ideals across the whole of East Asia and South-East Asia, fundamentally altering the history and development of Asia as a whole.

From 180 B.C.E., a series of invasions from Central Asia followed, including those led by the Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Kushans in the northwestern Indian Subcontinent.

India’s Golden Age

File:Guptaempire.GIF

The Gupta Empire in 400 C.E. (not including vassal states)

The middle period, especially which associated with the Gupta dynasty, is known as India's Golden Age, a time of unparalleled cultural development. The Kushanas invaded north-western India about the middle of the first century C.E., from Central Asia, and founded an empire that eventually stretched from Peshawar to the middle Ganges and, perhaps, as far as the Bay of Bengal. It also included ancient Bactria (in the north of modern Afghanistan) and southern Tajikistan. Their power also extended into Turkestan and helped spread Buddhism to China.

In South India, several kingdoms emerged. The earliest of these is the Pandya kingdom in southern Tamil Nadu, with its capital at Madurai. Around the same time in southern India, the Pandyan kingdom began to take shape. Ancient Indian science and technology, engineering, art, literature, astronomy, and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings. This period lasted roughly from the rise of the Satavahanas in 200 B.C.E., as the Mauryans declined, to the end of the Guptas, around the middle of the first millennium C.E., a span of 700 years, and ended with the onset of Huna invasion.

Delhi sultanate

File:HawaMahal2.jpg

A fine piece of sixth century Rajput architecture, Hawa Mahal or "Hall of the Winds", Jaipur.

India was the richest classical civilization, with the only known diamond mines in the world. Short-lived Islamic empires invaded and spread across the northern subcontinent over a period of a few centuries. Muslim trading communities had been flourishing throughout coastal South India, particularly in Kerala.

Arabs, Turks and Afghans invaded parts of northern India and established the Delhi Sultanate at the beginning of the thirteenth century, from former Rajput holdings. The subsequent Slave dynasty of Delhi managed to conquer large areas of northern India, approximate to the ancient extent of the Guptas, while the Khilji Empire was also able to conquer most of central India, but were ultimately unsuccessful in conquering most of the subcontinent.

The Mughal era

Approximate extent of the Mughal dynasty in the 17th century

In 1526, Babur, a Timurid (Turco-Persian) descendant of Timur, swept across the Khyber Pass and established the Mughal Empire, which lasted for over 200 years. (The traditional form of "Mughal" in English is "Mogul," leading to the use of that word as a term for a powerful businessman.) The Mughal Dynasty ruled most of the Indian subcontinent by 1600; it went into a slow decline after 1707 and was finally defeated during the Indian rebellion of 1857.

This period marked vast social change. Some Mughal emperors showed religious tolerance, liberally patroning Hindu culture, and some of whom destroyed historical temples and imposed taxes on non-Muslims. During the decline of the Mughal Empire, which at its peak occupied an area slightly larger than the ancient Maurya Empire, several smaller empires rose to fill the power vacuum or themselves were contributing factors to the decline.

The Mughals had a policy of integration with Indian culture, which is what made them successful where the short-lived Sultanates of Delhi had failed. Akbar the Great was particularly famed for this. Akbar, who was greatly influenced by Jain teachings, gave up non-vegetarian food.. He rolled back Zazia Tax from Jain Pilgrim places like Palitana.

Europeans arrive

Vasco da Gama's discovery of a new sea route to India in 1498 paved the way for European commerce with India. The Portuguese set up bases in Goa, Daman, Diu and Bombay. They maintained the longest trade-post for 500 years until 1962. The British established their first outpost in South Asia in 1619 at Surat on the northwestern coast of India. Later in the century, the British East India Company opened permanent trading stations at Madras, Bombay, and Calcutta, each under the protection of native rulers.

The French set up base in the seventeenth century, and tried to occupy large parts of southern India. However, subsequent wars with the British led to the loss of almost all of their commercial posts. They did, however, retain the trade-posts of Pondicherry - and Chandernagore. The French were expelled from Pondicherry in 1950.

The Dutch did not have a major presence in India. They maintained trade-posts in the towns of Travancore. However, they were more interested in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) and the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). They were responsible for training the military of the princely state of Kerala. In 1845, the Danish trade-post of Tranquebar was sold to the United Kingdom.

The British Raj

The British established a foothold in Bengal when the British soldiers, funded by the British East India Company, and led by Robert Clive, defeated Nawab Siraj Ud Daulah in the Battle of Plassey in 1757 and plundered the Bengali treasure. Bengal became a protectorate, and then directly went under the rule of East India Company.

The British East India Company monopolized the trade of Bengal. The Bengali craftsmen were obliged to render their labour at minimal compensation while their collective tax burden increased harshly. The result was the |famine of 1769 to 1773 in which 10 million Bengalis died, followed almost a century later by the catastrophic Great Calamity period, resulting in part from an extension of similar policies, in which up to 40 million Indians perished from famine amidst the collapse of India's native industries and skilled workforce.

By the 1850s Britain controlled most of the Indian sub-continent, which included present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh. From 1830, the defeat of the Thugs, a secret society of murderers) played a part in securing establishing greater control of diverse Indian provinces for the British.

The Indian rebellion of 1857 in the north, led by mutinous Indian soldiers and known in British history as the Great Mutiny, was crushed by the British. In the aftermath all political power was transferred from the East India Company to the British Crown, which began administering most of India directly. It controlled the rest through local rulers.

Independence

[[Image:Nehru Gandhi 1937 touchup.jpg|thumb|268px|Gandhi and Nehru in 1937]] The first step toward Indian independence and western-style democracy was taken with the appointment of Indian councillors to advise the symbolic British viceroy, and the establishment of provincial councils with Indian members; the councillors participation was subsequently widened in legislative councils. Beginning in 1920, Indian leaders such as Subhas Chandra Bose transformed the Indian National Congress, largely led by Mahatma Gandhi, into a mass movement to campaign against the British Raj. Finally, on 15 August, 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but not before losing its Muslim-majority areas which were carved out into the separate nation-state of Pakistan. Three years later, on 26 January, 1950, India chose to be a republic, and a new constitution came into effect.

Since independence, India has seen sectarian violence and insurgencies in various parts of the country, but has maintained its unity and democracy. It has unresolved territorial disputes with China, which escalated into the brief Sino-Indian War in 1962; and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965|, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 and in 1999 in Kargil.

India is a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement and the United Nations (as part of British India). In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test. This was followed by five more tests in 1998. Significant economic reforms beginning in 1991 have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies and an emerging superpower in the world, which have added to its global and regional clout.

Government

Template:Indian symbols

The Constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic. India has a federal form of government and a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. It has three branches of governance: the Legislature, Executive, and Judiciary.

The President's role in governance is largely ceremonial. The President is elected indirectly by an electoral college for five-year terms. The Prime Minister is the de facto head of government and holds most executive powers. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President, with the requirement that they enjoy the support of the party or coalition securing the majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament.

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). The literal translations of the names of the two houses are State's Assembly and People's Assembly. The 245-member Rajya Sabha is chosen indirectly by the state legislative assemblies; members have staggered six-year terms. Each state nominates members to the Rajya Sabha in proportion to the state's population. The Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote for five year terms.

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. In fact, the Prime Minister and his Council is directly responsible to the lower house of the parliament.

India's independent judiciary consists of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India. The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over disputes between states and the Centre and appellate jurisdiction over the twenty-one High Courts of India, and additionally, the power to declare union and state laws null and void if in conflict with the Basic structure of the Constitution of India.

Politics

File:DSC00058.JPG

The Parliament of India (Sansad Bhavan).

For most of its democratic history, India has been ruled by the Indian National Congress at the federal level, while state politics have been dominated by national parties like Indian National Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party, communist parties and some regional parties. Till 1990, Indian National Congress party enjoyed a parliamentary majority barring two brief periods during the 1970s and late 1980s. This rule was interrupted between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the "Emergency" declared by the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. The Janata Dal coalition, called the National Front, won elections in 1989, but its government managed to hold on to power for two years only. Between 1996 and 1998, there was a period of political flux with the government being formed first by the Bharatiya Janata Party followed by the United Front coalition. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with smaller regional parties, and became the first non-Congress and coalition government to complete a full five-year term. The 2004 Indian elections saw the Indian National Congress winning the largest number of seats to form a government leading the United Progressive Alliance, supported by a left-leaning coalition and parties opposed to the BJP.

Military and foreign relations

An Indian-developed Agni-II ballistic missile during a Republic Day parade held in 2004.

Since 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. India is one of the founding members of the Non-Aligned Movement. 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 several wars with Pakistan, primarily over Kashmir. Indian fought an additional war with Pakistan for the the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971.

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. In recent years, India has played an influential role in the ASEAN, SAARC, and the WTO. India has been a long time supporter of the United Nations, with over 55,000 Indian military and police personnel having served in 35 UN peace keeping operations deployed across four continents..

India became a nuclear state in 1998 by successfully conducting underground nuclear tests. This was followed by international military sanctions which were gradually withdrawn after September 2001. Recently, India concluded a nuclear deal with United States that would allow the United States to supply civilian nuclear technology to India and nuclear fuel to Indian reactors. India has adopted a No first use nuclear policy.

India maintains the third largest military force in the world, which consists of the army, and the navy, air force. Auxiliary forces such as the Indian Paramilitary Forces, the Indian Coast Guard, and the Strategic Forces Command also come under the Indian military. The President of India is the supreme commander of the Indian armed forces.

States and union territories

India is a union of twenty-eight states and seven federally-governed union territories. All states, the National Capital Territory of Delhi and the union territory of Pondicherry have elected governments. The other five union territories have centrally-appointed administrators.

Template:India states

All states and union territories are subdivided into districts. In larger states, districts may be grouped together to form a division.

Economy

For most of its democratic 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 by reducing government controls on foreign trade and investment. Forex reserves have risen from US$5.8 billion in March 1991 to US$177 billion in January 2007. High level of foreign reserves acts as a cushion against external shocks. Privatisation of publicly-owned industries and the opening of certain sectors to private and foreign participation has continued amid political debate.

With a GDP growth rate of 9.2%, the Indian economy is among the fastest growing in the world. It is the world's third largest as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP), with a GDP of US $4.042 trillion. However, when measured by USD exchange-rate terms, it is the twelfth largest in the world, with a GDP of US$785.47 billion. A Goldman Sachs report recently cited by BBC News stated that 'India could overtake Britain and have the world's fifth largest economy within a decade as the country's growth accelerates' Wealth distribution in India, a developing country, is fairly uneven, with the top 10% of income groups earning 33% of all income. India's per capita income of US $3,700 is ranked 117nd in the world. The federal and state budget deficits, has reduced.

India has a labour force of 509.3 million, 60% of which is employed in agriculture or agriculture-related industries. The service sector accounts for 54% of GDP; the agricultural and industrial sectors make up 28% and 18% respectively. Major agricultural crops include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, and potatoes. Major industries include automobiles, cement, chemicals, consumer electronics, food processing, machinery, mining, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, steel, transportation equipment and textiles.

Last year exports stood at US$112 billion and imports was around US$187.9 billion. Textiles, Jewellery, Engineering goods and software are major export commodities.Crude oil, machineries, fertilizers and chemicals are major import commodities. India's most important trading partners are the United States, the European Union, Japan, China, and the United Arab Emirates.More recently, India has capitalised on its large pool of educated, English-speaking people to become an important outsourcing destination for multinational corporations. India has also become a major exporter of software as well as financial, research, and technology services. India's software exports is growing at the rate 30-35% per year.

Demographics

Apatani tribal women.

With an estimated population of 1.1 billion, India is the world's second most populous country. Almost 70% of Indians reside in rural areas, although in recent decades migration to larger cities has led to the exponential rise in the urban population. India's largest urban agglomerations are Mumbai, Pune, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai , Bangalore and Hyderabad.

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. The Indian constitution recognises 23 official languages. Hindi and English are used by the Union Government of India for official purposes, wherein Hindi has a de jure priority. Sanskrit and Tamil enjoy classical language status in India. The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.

Although 80.5% of Indians report themselves as Hindus, India's Muslim population is the world's second largest; they constitute 13.4% of the population. Other religious groups include Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahá'ís and others.

At the time of India's emergence as a nation-state in 1947, India's literacy rate was 11%. Since then, it has increased to 68.6% (58.25% for females and 78.8% of males). The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate (91%); Bihar has the lowest (47%). The national sex ratio is 944 females per 1,000 males. India's median age is 24.66, and the population growth rate of 1.38% per annum; there are 22.32 births per 1,000 people.

Culture

The Taj Mahal in Agra is India's most popular tourist destination.

India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism; it has managed to preserve established traditions whilst absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants. Many Indian cultural practices, languages, customs, and 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 traditions that combined elements from all parts of the country.

Indian music is highly diversified. Classical music is mainly split between the North Indian Hindustani and South Indian Carnatic traditions. Highly regionalised forms of popular music include Filmi and folk music like Bhangra. Many classical dance forms exist, including Bharatanatyam, Kathakali, Kathak, Kuchipudi, Manipuri, Odissi and Yakshagana. They often have a narrative form and are usually infused with devotional and spiritual elements.

The earliest literary traditions in India were mostly oral, and were only later transcribed. Most of these are represented by religious texts such as the Vedas, the Mahabharata, and the Ramayana; Sangam literature from Tamil Nadu is among India's oldest. The many notable Indian writers of the modern era, using both Indian languages and in English, include Rabindranath Tagore. The Indian film industry is the world's most prolific; its most recognisable face is the Mumbai-based "Bollywood", which produces mainly Hindi films. Other strong cinema industries are based on the Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, and Bengali,Marathi languages.

A Toda tribal hut.

The cuisine of India is extremely diverse, as ingredients, spices and cooking methods vary from region to region. Rice and wheat are the nation's main staple foods. The country is notable for its wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine. Spicy food and sweets are popular in India. Traditional Indian dress greatly varies across the regions in its colours and styles, and depend on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include the Sari for women and the Lungi or Dhoti for men.

India's national sport is field hockey, although cricket is the most popular sport in India. In some states, particularly those in the northeast and the coastal states of West Bengal, Goa and Kerala, football is the more popular sport. In recent times, tennis has gained popularity. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is also gaining popularity with the rise of the number of recognised Indian grandmasters. Traditional sports include Kabaddi, Kho-Kho, and Gilli-Danda, which are played nationwide. It is also home to one of the worlds oldest martial art forms - Kalari Payattu.

Indian festivals come in a vast variety; many are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. The most popular holidays are Diwali, Holi,Onam Sankranti/Pongal, Gudi Padwa/Ugadi, the two Eids, Christmas, and Vaisakhi. India has three national holidays. Other sets of holidays, varying between nine and twelve, are officially observed in the 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 a nuclear family system due to the socio-economic constraints imposed by the traditional joint family system.

External links

India Portal

Government

• Official entry portal of the Government of India
• Official directory of Indian Government websites

General references

• CIA World Factbook entry on India
• Encyclopædia Britannica entry on India
• BBC country profile of India

Satellite images

• Satellite images of India from Google Maps
• India at WikiMapia

Other

• Travel guide to India from Wikitravel
• India at the Open Directory Project

Countries of South Asia

Bangladesh · Bhutan · India · Maldives · Nepal · Pakistan · Sri Lanka

Sometimes included: Afghanistan • Iran • Myanmar

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

• India  ^history

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

• History of "India"

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.