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Facts about INDIA >> India India is the Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world. Indus is from Sanskrit, Sindhu referring to Indus River. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab attacks starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by those of European traders, starting in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian soils. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by the great leaders Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into two, the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. NATURAL FEATURES / Indian Geography: Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan Area: total: 3,287,590 sq km Land: 2,973,190 sq km Water: 314,400 sq km National Capital: New Delhi Geographic coordinates: 20 00 N, 77 00 E Map references: Asia Land boundaries: total: 14,103 km Border countries: Pakistan 2,912 km, Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km Major Ranges. Himayalas, Karakoram, Vindbya, Aravalli, Satpura, Western and Eastern Ghats. Major Peaks. Nanda Devi, 25,646 feet (7,817 meters); Kamet, 25,447 feet (7,756 meters); Anai Mudi, 8,842 feet (2,695 meters). Major Rivers. Ganges, Yamuna (Jumna), Brahmaputra, Narbada, Mahanadi, Godavari, Kaveri. Major Islands. Andaman, Nicobar, Lakshadweep. 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 Highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m Natural resources: coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone Land use: arable land: 54.4% 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, Himalayas in north Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m Permanent crops: 2.74% Irrigated land: 590,000 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards: droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes Population: 1,080,354,345 (Aug. 2005 est.) Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.2% (male 173,634,432/female 163,932,475) 15-64 years: 63.9% (male 356,932,082/female 333,283,590) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 26,542,025/female 25,939,784) (2005 est.) Population growth rate: 1.4% (2005 est.) Birth rate: 22.32 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) Death rate: 8.28 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) Net migration rate: -0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female Under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female Male: 63.57 years Female: 65.16 years (2005 est.) Total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.) Infant mortality rate: total: 56.29 deaths/1,000 live births Male: 56.86 deaths/1,000 live births Female: 55.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.35 years Total fertility rate: 2.78 children born/woman (2005 est.) HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.9% (2001 est.) HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 5.1 million (2001 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 Nationality: noun: Indian(s) Adjective: Indian Religions: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census) Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000) Major Languages. Hindi, English, Telugu, Bengali, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese. Major Religions. Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism. Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write Total population: 59.5% Male: 70.2% Female: 48.3% (2003 est.) Government India: Country name in conventional long form: Republic of India Conventional short form: India Government type: federal republic Capital: New Delhi 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, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK) Republic Day: 26 January (1950) Legal system: based on English common law; limited 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 A.P.J. Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002) Head of government: Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh (since NA May 2004) Elections: president is 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; election last held July 2002 (next to be held 18 July 2007); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 12 August 2002 (next to be held August 2007); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held April - May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) Election results: Mr. Abdul KALAM elected president, Mr. Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT elected vice president. National Emblem: Adapted from Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka in 1950. Four lions (one of which is hidden from view) standing back to back with wheel in the center of the abacus; a bull on the right, a horse on the left, and the outlines of the other wheels on the extreme right and left. The words Satyameva jayate (Truth Alone Triumphs) are inscribed below the wheel in the Devanagari script. The National Anthem of India: "Jana Gana Mana" By Rabindranath Tagore, written in the Bengali language. Indian Economy: India's varied economy include traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic growth, though two-thirds of the workforce is in agriculture. The UPA government has committed to furthering economic reforms and developing basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor and boost economic performance. Government controls on foreign trade and investment have been reduced in some areas, but high tariffs (averaging 20% in 2004) and limits on foreign direct investment are still in place. The government has indicated it will do more to liberalize investment in civil aviation, telecom, and insurance sectors in the near term. Privatization of government-owned industries has proceeded slowly, and continues to generate political debate; continued social, political, and economic rigidities hold back needed initiatives. The economy has posted an excellent average growth rate of 6.8% since 1994, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank and others worry about the combined state and federal budget deficit, running at approximately 9% of GDP. The huge and growing population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental problem. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took at least 60,000 lives in India, caused massive destruction of property, and severely affected the fishing fleet. GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.319 trillion (2004 est.) GDP - real growth rate: 6.2% (2004 est.) GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,100 (2004 est.) GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.6% industry: 28.4% services: 48% (2002 est.) Currency /code: Indian rupee / INR Exchange rates: Indian rupees per US dollar - 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.186 (2001), 44.942 (2000) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March Pipelines: gas 6,171 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,195 km; oil 5,613 km; refined products 5,567 km (2004) Ports and harbors: Chennai (Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Vishakhapatnam Merchant marine: total: 299 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,555,507 GRT/11,069,791 DWT Foreign Trade. Imports 59 percent, exports 41 percent ( 2004 Est.) Major Trading Partners. United States, United Kingdom, Japan, Germany, Saudi Arabia. Monetary Unit. 1 rupee = 100 paisa. |
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