'India' (
Hindi: à¤à¤¾à¤°à¤¤ '''BhÄrat'''; see also
other names), officially the 'Republic of India', is a sovereign 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 over 7000 kilometres.
[5] It borders
Pakistan to the west;
[8] China,
Nepal, and
Bhutan to the north-east; and
Bangladesh and
Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of
Sri Lanka,
Maldives, and
Indonesia.
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.
[9] 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 the region's variegated 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 a modern
nation-state in 1947 after a
struggle for independence that was marked by widespread use of
nonviolent resistance as a means of social protest.
India is the
world's 4th largest economy in terms of
purchasing power and the
12th largest economy at market exchange rates. India has made rapid economic progress in the last decade. Although the country's
standard of living is projected to rise sharply in the next half-century, it currently battles
high levels of
poverty,
illiteracy,
malnutrition, and
environmental degradation. A
pluralistic,
multi-lingual, and
multi-ethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of
wildlife in a variety of
protected habitats.
Etymology
Main articles: Etymology of the names of India
The name ''India'' (
IPA: ) is derived from ''
Indus'', which is derived from the
Old Persian word ''
Hindu'', from
Sanskrit ''
Sindhu'', the historic local appellation for the
Indus River.
[10] The ancient
Greeks referred to the ancient Indians as ''Indoi'', the people of the Indus.
[11] The
Constitution of India and common usage in various Indian languages also recognise ''Bharat'' (, ) as an official name of equal status.
[12] ''
Hindustan'' (), 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.
[13]
History
Main articles: History of India,
History of Republic of India
Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at the
Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka 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 Civilization,
[14] dating back to 3300 BCE in western India. It was followed by the
Vedic Civilisation, which laid the foundations of
Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society. From around 550 BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the
Mahajanapadas were established across the country.
[15]
The empire built by the
Maurya dynasty under Emperor
Ashoka united most of
South Asia in the third century BCE.
[16] From 180 BCE, a series of invasions from
Central Asia followed, including those led by the
Indo-Greeks,
Indo-Scythians,
Indo-Parthians and
Kushans in the north-western
Indian Subcontinent. From the third century CE, the
Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient India's "Golden Age."
[17] While the north had larger, fewer kingdoms,
south India had several dynasties such as the
Rashtrakutas,
Chalukyas,
Pallavas and
Cholas, which overlapped in time and territory.
[18] Science, engineering,
art,
literature,
astronomy, and
philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings.
Following invasions from Central Asia between the tenth and twelfth centuries, much of north India came under the rule of the
Delhi Sultanate, and later the
Mughal dynasty. Mughal emperors gradually expanded their kingdoms to cover large parts of the subcontinent. Nevertheless, several indigenous kingdoms, such as the
Vijayanagara Empire, flourished, especially in the south. In the seventeenth and eighteenth century, the Mughal supremacy declined and the
Maratha Empire became the dominant power. From the sixteenth century, several
European countries, including
Portugal,
Netherlands,
France, and the
United Kingdom, started arriving as traders and later took advantage of the fractious nature of relations between the kingdoms to establish
colonies in the country. By 1856, most of India was under the control of the
British East India Company.
[19] A year later, a nationwide insurrection of rebelling military units and kingdoms, variously referred to as the
First War of Indian Independence or
Sepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged British rule but eventually failed. As a consequence, India came under the direct control of the
British Crown as a colony of the
British Empire.
During the first half of the twentieth century, a nationwide
struggle for independence was launched by the
Indian National Congress and other political organisations. Millions of protesters engaged in mass campaigns of
civil disobedience with a commitment to ''
ahimsa'', or non-violence, led by
Mahatma Gandhi.
[20] Finally, on
15 August,
1947, India gained independence from British rule, but not before losing most of its Muslim-majority areas, which were carved out into the separate
nation-state of
Pakistan.
[21] Three years later, on
26 January,
1950, India became a republic, and a new
constitution came into effect.
Since independence, India has experienced 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 in 1962 escalated into the brief
Sino-Indian War; and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in
1947,
1965,
1971, and
1999. 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.
[22] This was followed by
five more tests in 1998.
Beginning in 1991, significant economic reforms
[23] have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies, adding to its global and regional clout.
[24]
Government
Main articles: Government of India
India is the largest
democracy in the world.
[25] The Constitution defines India as a
sovereign,
socialist,
secular,
democratic republic.
[26] 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 of India is the official
head of state elected indirectly by an
electoral college[27] for a five-year term.
[28] The
Prime Minister is, however, the ''de facto''
head of government and exercises most executive powers.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President
[29], 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 Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, has up to 250 members serving staggered six year terms.
[30] Most are elected indirectly by the
state and territorial legislatures in proportion to the state's population.
The Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent individual
constituencies 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, with the Prime Minister and his Council being directly responsible to the lower house of the parliament.
[31]
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, appellate jurisdiction over the twenty-one
High Courts of India, and the power to declare union and state laws null and void if in conflict with the
basic structure of the
Constitution of India.
Politics
Main articles: Politics of India
For most of its democratic history, the federal
Government of India has been led by the
Indian National Congress (INC). State politics have been dominated by several national parties including the INC, the
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the
Communist Party of India (CPI), and various regional parties. From 1950 to 1990, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority barring two brief periods. The INC was out of power 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. 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.
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. In 1998, the BJP formed the
National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several regional parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term. 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.
Foreign relations and the military
Main articles: Foreign relations of India,
Indian Armed Forces
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.
[32] 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. India has also 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 thirty-five UN peace keeping operations deployed across four continents.
[33]
India maintains the third largest military force in the world, which consists of the
Indian Army,
Navy, and
Air Force.
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 also became a
nuclear state in 1974 after conducting an initial
nuclear test explosion.
Further underground testing in 1998 led to international military sanctions against India, which were gradually withdrawn after September 2001. India maintains a "
no-first-use" nuclear policy.
[34]
Subdivisions
Main articles: Subdivisions of India
India is a union of twenty-eight
states and seven federally governed
union territories. All states, the union territory of Puducherry, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have elected governments. The other five union territories have centrally appointed administrators.
All states and union territories are subdivided into districts. In larger states, districts may be grouped together to form a division.
Geography
Main articles: Geography of India

Topographic map of India
India lies to the north of the equator between 8°4' and 37°6' north latitude and 68°7' and 97°25' east longitude.
[35] Being the
seventh largest country in the world, India constitutes a major portion of the
Indian subcontinent,
[36] which sits atop the
Indian Plate and the north-westerly 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 south-eastern 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.
India is home to 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 south-east; and the
Sunderbans in the
Ganges Delta of West Bengal.
The
climate of India varies from
tropical in the south to more
temperate and
alpine in the Himalayan north,
[37] 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, 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.
Flora and fauna
Main articles: Flora of India,
Fauna of India
India, lying within the
Indomalaya ecozone, hosts significant
biodiversity; 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
flowering plant species.
[38] Many
ecoregions, such as the ''
shola''
forests, also exhibit extremely high rates of
endemism; overall, 33% of Indian plant species are endemic.
[39][40] 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.
[41] 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, also 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.
[42] 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% of mammals and 4.5% of birds are endemic, contrasting with 45.8% of reptiles and 55.8% of amphibians.] 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.[43] 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[44] and Project Tiger to safeguard crucial habitat; further federal protections were promulgated in the 1980s. Along with more than five hundred wildlife sanctuaries, India now hosts fourteen biosphere reserves,[45] four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; twenty-five wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.[46]
Economy
Main articles: Economy of India
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. Foreign exchange reserves have risen from US$5.8 billion in March 1991 to US$208 billion in June 2007,[ Weekly Statistical Supplement ] while federal and state budget deficits have reduced.[47] Privatisation of publicly-owned companies and the opening of certain sectors to private and foreign participation has continued amid political debate.[48]
With a GDP growth rate of 9.4% in 2006-07, the Indian economy is among the fastest growing in the world.[49] India's GDP in terms of USD exchange-rate is US$1,103 billion, which makes it the twelfth largest economy in the world.[50] When measured in terms of purchasing power parity (PPP), India has the world's fourth largest GDP at US$4.156 trillion. India's per capita income (nominal) is $979, ranked 128th in the world, while its per capita (PPP) of US$3,700 is ranked 118th.
The Indian economy has grown steadily over the last two decades; however, its growth has been uneven when comparing different social groups, economic groups, geographic regions, and rural and urban areas.[51] Although income inequality in India is relatively small (Gini coefficient: 32.5 in year 1999- 2000) it has been increasing of late. Despite significant economic progress, a quarter of the nation's population earns less than the government-specified poverty threshold of $0.40/day. In addition, India has a higher rate of malnutrition among children under the age of three (46% in year 2007) than any other country in the world.[52]
India has a labour force of 509.3 million, 60% of which is employed in agriculture and related industries; 28% in services and related industries; and 12% in industry. 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.
In 2006, estimated exports stood at US$112 billion and imports were around US$187.9 billion. Textiles, jewellery, engineering goods and software are major export commodities. Crude oil, machineries, fertilizers, and chemicals are major imports. India's most important trading partners are the United States, the European Union, China, and the United Arab Emirates.[5] 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.[ Hospitals in India woo foreign patients, , Ganapati, Mudur, British Medical Journal, 2004 ] 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.
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of India

Population density map of India
With an estimated population of 1.12 billion, India is the world's second most populous country and is expected to be the most populous by 2030.[54] Almost 70% of Indians reside in rural areas,[55] although in recent decades migration to larger cities has led to a dramatic increase in the country's urban population. India's largest urban agglomerations are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Delhi, Chennai (formerly Madras), Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.[56]
India is the second most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity after the African continent.[57]
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,[58] is the official language of India.[59] English, which is extensively used in business and administration, has the status of a 'subsidiary official language'.[ Notification No. 2/8/60-O.L. (Ministry of Home Affairs), dated 27th April, 1960 ] The constitution also recognises in particular 21 other languages that are either abundantly spoken or have classical status. The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652.[60]
Over 800 million Indians, or about 80.5% of the country's population, are Hindu. The next-largest religious group are Muslims, who make up 13.4% of the population. Other religious groups include Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Bahá'Ãs and others.[61] Tribals constitute 8.1% of the population.[62]
At the time of India's independence in 1947, its literacy rate was 12.2%.[63] Since then, it has increased to 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males). The state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate (91%); Bihar has the lowest (47%). The national gender 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.
Culture
Main articles: Culture of India
India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism[64] and cultural pluralism.[65] It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants; multicultural concerns have long informed India’s history and traditions, constitution and political arrangements.[66] Many Indian cultural practices, languages, customs, and monuments are examples of this co-mingling over centuries.
Notable architectural creations, such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of Mughal architecture, examples of Dravidian architecture are the result of traditions that combined elements from several parts of the country and abroad. The vernacular architecture displays notable regional variation.
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. Among many notable Indian writers of the modern era, using both Indian languages and English, Rabindranath Tagore is perhaps the most famous.

An oval-roofed hut of the
Toda people of the
Nilgiris. The walls are made of dressed stone and decorated with mural painting.
The Indian film industry is the world's largest producer of feature films with Mumbai-based "Bollywood," which produces commercial Hindi films as its most recognisable face.[67] Other strong cinema industries are based on the Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bengali, and Marathi languages.
The cuisine of India is diverse, as ingredients, spices and cooking methods vary from region to region. Rice and wheat are the nation's main staple foods.[68] The country is notable for its wide variety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian . Spicy food and sweets are popular in India.
Traditional Indian dress greatly varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends 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, even though cricket is the most popular sport. In some states, particularly those in the northeast and the coastal states of West Bengal, Goa, and Kerala, football is also a popular sport. In recent times, tennis has also gained popularity. Chess, commonly held to have originated in India, is also gaining popularity with the rise of the number of recognized Indian grandmasters. Traditional sports include kabaddi, kho-kho, and gilli-danda, which are played nationwide. India is home to the age-old discipline of yoga and to the ancient martial arts, Kalarippayattu and Varma Kalai.
Indian festivals come in a vast variety; many are celebrated irrespective of caste and creed. The most popular holidays are Diwali, Holi, Onam, Dussehra, Bihu, Durga puja, the two Eids, Christmas, Ugadi, 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.
See also
References
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3. CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY OF INDIA - VOLUME XII
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6. Fact Sheet: Gini Coefficient
7. CIA Factbook: India
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External links
; Government
★ Official entry portal of the Government of India
★ Official directory of Indian Government websites
; General reference
★
★ Encyclopædia Britannica entry on India
★ BBC country profile of India
★ Library of Congress Country Studies entry on India
; Other
★
★