The Republic of India, located in South Asia and constituting most of the Indian subcontinent is the second most populous country in the world and is the world's largest democracy, with over one billion people speaking about 800 distinct languages. The Indian economy is the fourth-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity.

Republic of India
भारत गणराज्य
Bhārat Gaṇarājya

(In Detail) (In Detail)
National motto: Satyameva Jayaté (Sanskrit: Truth Alone Triumphs) (Mundaka Upanishad)
Official language	Hindi, English (+ other official languages)
Capital	New Delhi
Largest City	Mumbai
President	Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam
Prime Minister	Dr. Manmohan Singh
Area - Total - % water	Ranked 7th 3,287,590 km² 9.5%
Population - Total - Density	Ranked 2nd 1,049,700,118 319.3/km²
GDP by PPP - Total - GDP/head	Ranked 4th (among countries) Ranked 5th (among economies) 2.66 trillion $ 2,540 $
Independence	August 15, 1947
Republic	January 26, 1950
Currency Currency Code (ISO 4217)	Indian Rupee (₨) INR
Time zone	UTC +5.30 (IST)
National anthem	Jana Gana Mana
National song	Vandé Mataram
Internet TLD	.IN
Calling Code	91
National game	Hockey
National animal	Bengal Tiger
National bird	Peacock
National flower	Lotus

Origin of names

The official name India is derived from Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the river Indus and is the most internationally recognisable of the country. The Constitution of India and general usage also recognises Bharat as the other official name of equal status. Bharat comes from the name of an ancient Hindu king and means seeker of knowledge. Hindustan, meaning land of the Hindus (Hindu from Sindhu/ Indus) is the third major name used from the Mughal times onwards. It is unevenly used across the country today due to differing views of its appropriateness as a national signifier.

For a detailed discussion see: Origin of India's name

History

Main article: History of India.

Like a palimpsest, witness to many distinct layers of cultural history, India has a rich and colourful tradition. Many disruptive events have shaped its civilisation, threads of continuity are maintained across time. For this reason, the periodisation of India's history into neat compartments, a legacy of colonial scholarship, is under review in recent times. However this is still the simplest and most popular way of understanding Indian history.

Prehistoric and Early India

Stone age rock shelters with paintings at Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh constitute the earliest known traces of human life in India.

The first known permanent settlements appeared 9,000 years ago. This indigenous culture developed into the Indus Valley civilisation which was at its height from around 2600 BC to 1900 BC and was one of the earliest known civilisations. At around 1500 BC there were incursions (through invasion or migration) of Aryan tribes from Central Asia into India from the northwestern passes of the Himalayas. The interaction between the Indus culture and the Aryan Vedic culture resulted in a composite culture that gave birth to Hinduism. This is a composite and evolved form of the theory first put forth by German historian Max Müller in the 19^th century and is largely accepted. Recent theories of Indian history dispute the foreign origin of the Aryans and hold that there is an unbroken continuity in Indian civilisation. (See Aryan invasion theory).

Early India

The first millennium saw many highly developed independent kingdoms some of which acquired imperial stature. Arts, mathematics, engineering, astrology and philosophy all flourished under the patronage of kings. Trade was conducted with Central, East, West Asia and Africa. The religions of Jainism and Buddhism were conceived. In 326 BC, Alexander the Great conquered north-western India. The Mauryas, Guptas and Ashoka were some of the monarchs of early India.
(Full Article: Early India)

Medieval India

Though the earliest Islamic invasion dates back to the 8^thc. in the Arab invasion of Sind, it was the Turkic invasions of the 12^th c. that culminated in the formation of the Delhi Sultanate. Islamic provinces were established in many regions starting from the 14^thc. In 1526, Babur, a Central Asian chieftain, invaded India and established the Mughal dynasty which under Aurangazeb almost covered the whole of India. Kingdoms such as the Vijayanagara, theRajput and the Maratha offered stiff resistance to the Mughals. Islamic influence was generally much lesser in South India and Hindu kingdoms continued to hold sway.

By the 15^th c., European traders started to arrive in India to establish commodity trading.
(Full Article: Medieval India). ; Mughal Era

Colonial India

In 1498, the Portuguese set foot in Goa. Rivalry between reigning European powers saw the entry of the British and French among others. The fractured debilitate kingdoms of India were quickly usurped by the Europeans and indirectly assumed control by subjugating rulers. By early 19^th century the British had assumed direct and indirect control over most of India. In 1857, an insurrection in the army sepoys ensued in the popular Revolt of 1857. This mobilised resistance, though short-lasting, was caused due to the widespread resentment due to British discriminatory policies. As a result of this, India formally became a Crown colony. From then on there were numerous independence movements. In 1914, the independence movement was bolstered with the return of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, a pacifist. As a colony of Britain, India fought on the side of the British in both World Wars.
Full Article: British India; ; Indian Mutiny; Indian National Congress; British Raj; British East India Company; India during World War II

Independence

On August 8, 1942, Gandhi led the Quit India Movement, a move for early independence. However, due to World War II, it was agreed that a free India was to be created after the war. Agitation by political Muslim parties under the leadership of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and concurrently rising tensions between Hindus and Muslims led to the creation of two dominion nations - one a secular India and the other an Islamic Pakistan - on August 15, 1947 (Independence Day).
See: Partition of India.

Free India

India began its "tryst with destiny" with Jawaharlal Nehru taking oath as India's first Prime Minister. On 26 January, 1950. India became a Republic. Nehru's tenure saw two wars with Pakistan over Kashmir and one against China. His Fabian Marxist tenets resulted in India's leaning towards a socialist ideology for several decades. Though Nehru refused to actively align with either of the two dominant superpowers, India did end up developing close ties with the Soviet Union through the years. India was also one of the founding members of the Non-aligned Movement. In 1971, witnessing the on-going civil war east of its borders, India went to war with Pakistan again, resulting in the creation of Bangladesh from East Pakistan.
See Sino-Indian War, Indo-Pakistani War of 1947, Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Indo-Pakistani War of 1971

Modern-day India

In 1975, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared an Emergency, thereby freezing civil rights; in that time thousands of political dissidents and protesting civilians were jailed for years sans trial. Emergency was finally revoked only in 1977. In the 1980s India began to upgrade its military. In October 1984, Gandhi was assassinated by her bodyguards, affiliated to a Sikh separatist group, resulting in anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. The destruction of the Babri Masjid in the early 90's also resulted in religious strife in Gujarat and Mumbai. A major metamorphosis in Indian politics was seen as, in the late 90’s, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) became the first non-Congress party to hold central Indian government for a full-term, coming to power on a conservative Hindu (but liberal economic) platform. Under its leadership, India 'went nuclear,' exploding five nuclear bombs. In 1999, India mobilised its military in Kargil, Kashmir to repel Islamic militants, allegedly backed by the Pakistan government, who were encroaching on Indian territory there.

Politics

Main article: Politics of India
The Republic of India is a sovereign democratic republic. It is a Union of states with a federal structure. The head of state is a ceremonial President. The president and vice-president are elected indirectly through an electoral college have 5 year staggered terms.

The head of government who wields the actual Executive power is the Prime Minister. He is assisted by the Council of Ministers (The cabinet) whom he appoints. All ministers are sworn in by the president. The prime minister is designated by legislators of the political party or coalition commanding a parliamentary majority. The president then appoints subordinate ministers on the advice of the prime minister.

India's bicameral parliament consists of the upper house called 'The Council of States' (Rajya Sabha) and the lower house called 'The House of the People' (Lok Sabha). The Rajya Sabha consists of incumbents elected through an electoral college whereas the Lok Sabha consists of directly elected representatives.
Also see Indian Administrative Service; List of political parties in India; Indian election process; Election Commission of India; List of government ministers

Geography and climate

Main article: Geography of India,

The above map is not the official Indian map; it is CIA's version which distinguishes parts of Kashmir claimed by India, but controlled by Pakistan, as part of Pakistan (see also: Kashmir Map Issues). For the official Indian map, see Official map of the Government of India (http://www.meadev.nic.in/map/indmap.htm).

India shares its borders with Pakistan, China, Myanmar, Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan. Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia are the neighbouring island nations in the Indian Ocean.

Occupying most of the Indian subcontinent, India's entire north and northeast states are made up of the Himalayan Range. The rest of northern, central and eastern India consists of the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain. Towards western India, bordering southeast Pakistan lies the Thar Desert. The southern Indian peninsula, is almost entirely composed of the Deccan plateau. The plateau is flanked by two hilly coastal ranges, the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats.

India is home to several major rivers such as the Ganga (Ganges), the Brahmaputra, the Yamuna, the Godavari and the Krishna.

Climate

The Indian climate varies from a tropical climate in the south to a more temperate climate in the north. India gets its rains through the monsoons. There are three distinct seasons in India: Summer, Winter and the Monsoons.
See also: Climate of India

States and Union territories

Main articles: States and Territories of India, Population by State

India is divided into 28 states (which are further sub-divided into districts), 6 Union Territories and the National Capital Territory of Delhi:

Indian States and Territories
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 | Uttaranchal | Uttar Pradesh | West Bengal
Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Chandigarh | Dadra and Nagar Haveli | Daman and Diu | Lakshadweep | Pondicherry
National Capital Territory: Delhi

India has made no territorial claim in Antarctica but had a scientific base there - Dakshin Gangotri.

Economy

Main article: Economy of India

The Indian economy today is the 4^th largest in the world and has the second fastest annual growth rate at around 8%. India's foreign exchange reserves stands at over $100 billion. Mumbai, headquarters of the Reserve Bank of India, and housing the Bombay Stock Exchange, remains the financial capital and nerve centre of the country's economy.

After independence, India's economy was modelled on socialist lines. The government nationalised industries such as telecommunications, aviation, banking and radio. Private sector initiatives were mostly shunned, with the government preferring to give licences to a few companies. In the early 1990s, the government liberated its market by allowing competitors into nationalised sectors, reducing import tariffs and disinvesting in loss making public sectors.

The Indian economy is largely fuelled by the rural economy, such that India's economic fortunes are intricately linked to the annual agricultural produce. Food and cash crops are intensively cultivated. Coupled with the monsoons, the rural sector can sway financial planning in the country. Other booming industries are software, entertainment, support services, textile, steel and handicrafts.

See also: List of software companies, List of Indian companies

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of India

India is the second most populous country in the world, with only China having a larger population. Language, religion, and caste are major determinants of social and political organisation within the highly diverse Indian population today. Its biggest metropolitan agglomerations are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai (formerly Madras).
See also: (List of cities in India)

Languages

India's national language is Hindi written in the Devanagari script. English, classified as an "Associate Official Language", is widely in use by the government, particularly among the higher echelons. 18 other official languages are recognised by the Constitution. The number of estimated living languages in India has been estimated to be as high as 400.
See also: List of Indian languages.

Religion

Main article: Religion in India

Although 83% of the people are Hindus, India is home to a large population of Muslims (13%) giving it the world's third largest Muslim population after Indonesia and Pakistan. Other smaller religious minorities include Christians (3%), Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Jews, Parsis, Ahmadi and Bahá'í.

Religious practices are rich and colourful and imbued with a sense of occasion and vitality, but at the same time retaining underlying spiritual qualities.

Society

A pluralist and multicultural society, Indians are largely tolerant and peaceful. Religious practices of various faiths are an integral part of everyday life in society and they are publicly displayed. While religious fundamentalism intermittently upsets the peace of the country, the mindset is not shared by the majority of the Indian populace.

India is still predominantly agrarian with 70% of the country residing in rural areas. However, the process of urbanisation is quite rapid, especially with technology and industrial sectors growing at a healthy pace.

Indians are liberal-minded but try to strike a balance between traditional values and Western influences. In some strata of urban society the family structure is seeing movement from the joint-family system to the nuclear family, bringing to the fore hitherto unthought of issues such as support systems and care of the elderly. Caste, gender bias and other such issues are slowly being overcome through conscious efforts. Such changes are typically more pronounced in urban, rather than rural, areas.

Full article: Indian society;

Culture

Main article: Culture of India; ; Indian architecture

India has a rich and unique cultural heritage that embodies the polar concepts of continuity and change. It has striven to preserve its established traditions throughout history, though its dynamic nature is manifest in its willingness to respect and frequently imbibe foreign ways and practices.

Music

Main article: Indian music

Indian music is folk music. Popular forms of music also prevail, the most notable being Filmi music.
, Indian musicians and their music

Literature

Full article: Indian literature

The earliest literary traditions were mostly oral and were later transformed into the written mode. Most of these spring from Hindu tradition and are represented by sacred works like the Vedas, the epics of the Mahabharatha and Ramayana, and devotional poetry of the bhakti saints. Sangam literature from Tamil Nadu represents some of India's oldest secular traditions. Cultural and linguistic synthesis in the later periods resulted in rich traditions such as Urdu poetry. Prose writers have expressed themselves in most languages, as evidenced by the afsana (short story) writers of Urdu, the novelist boom in Bengali, and the modern day bloom of Hindi writers (like Yashpal). India has also been very active in the modern literary realm, both in Indian languages and English. India's only Nobel laureate in Literature was the Bengali writer Rabindranath Tagore.
'

Dance

Many dance forms exist in India - Bharata Natyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Kathakali, etc., mostly they have a narrative form, telling stories. Other forms such as street theatre and puppetry are also found.
'

Festivals

A melting pot of all religions, festivals of all religions are celebrated by one and all. Popular Hindu festivals include Diwali, Holi and Dussera.
Full article: Indian festivals;

Dress

Traditional dress in India is typically extremely colourful and various styles of silk inundate the textiles industry. Popular women's wear is the sari which is also the national costume. The Salwar Kameez is another very popular garment worn by most women. Ethnic Indian wear for men is composed of the Dhoti and Kurta.
Full article: Indian Dress

Cuisine

Rice is the staple diet in India. Rice along with wheat, form the basic food which is eaten all over the country. Food in India is peppered with spices, with gastronomic delights varying from region to region. Also ubiquitous in the country are a variety of regional and pan-Indian sweets both syrupy and dry.
Full article: Indian cuisine

Film

Full article: Cinema of India
India produces the world's highest number of films annually. The most recognisable face is that of Bollywood, based in Mumbai, which produces mainly commercial Hindi films. Cinema in other language bases is particularly strong, with movies regularly produced in well-established Bengali, Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu industries. Possibly the most famous director in Indian cinema was Satyajit Ray; part of the Bengali film tradition, he is one of the few Indians to have won an Academy Award.

Sports

Full Article: Sports in India
India's national sport is Field Hockey, although most would assert that it is in fact Cricket that has become the unofficial national game. Football too, is a very popular sport played nationwide. Some traditional indigenous games are Kabaddi and Gilli-danda. Chess, Carrom, Polo and Badminton, are some sports that have originated from India.

Trivia

• Traffic is on the left side (and cars have Right Hand Drive).
• British English is used in India.
• Date format: dd/mm/yyyy
• Number format: 10⁷= 1 crore. 10⁵= 1 lakh. 1,00,00,000 = 1 crore. Is recursive eg. 10,00,000 crores = 10 lakh crores.
• Postal Code (PIN): 6 digits.
• Official Measurements: Metric
• Voltage 220V; 50 Hz
• TV signals use PAL
• Financial Year starts on April 1.

Miscellaneous topics

Main article: miscellaneous India topics

Related topics

Main article: List of India-related topics

External links

Official

• Information on India Travel (http://www.indiasite.com/)
• GOI Directory (http://goidirectory.nic.in) - Directory of governmental websites
• Prime Minister's Office (http://pmindia.nic.in)
• President of India (http://presidentofindia.nic.in)
• Indian Parliament (http://parliamentofindia.nic.in)
• Ministry of Defence (http://mod.nic.in) - Official MOD site
• Indiaimage - National Informatics Center (http://indiaimage.nic.in/) - Basic Portal to Govt. of India Websites
• Census of India (http://www.censusindia.net) - Office of the Census Commissioner
• Indian Postal Service (http://www.indiapost.org)
• Supreme Court of India (http://supremecourtofindia.nic.in)
• Ministry of External Affairs (http://www.meadev.gov.in) - Discover India. Definitive site for information and links.
• Central Board of Excise and Customs, India (http://www.customs.gov.in) - A direct, no-nonsense site.
• Election Commission of India (http://www.eci.gov.in) - India's political watchdog.
• Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC) (http://www.eepc.gov.in) - Indian Export Organisation
• Department of Electronics (http://www.doe.gov.in)
• Tourism of India (http://www.tourismofindia.com/) - Ministry of Tourism
• Department of Education, Govt. of India (http://www.education.nic.in)

Other

• Air India
• Maitri and Dakshin Gangotri - Indian stations in the continent of Antarctica
• CIA - The World Factbook -- India (http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/in.html) - CIA's Factbook on India
• Country Profile: India (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/country_profiles/1154019.stm) - BBC's's Country Profile on India
• Indian States (http://www.statoids.com/uin.html) - Table of Indian states and codes with useful stffs. From Statoids (http://www.statoids.com/statoids.html)
• STD Codes (http://www.india4u.com/stdcodes/) - Citywise STD codes
• Images of India (http://india.travelphoto.net/)
• India visa requirements (http://www.visa4you.net/india-visa.html)
• Travel information at countryguide.com (http://www.countryguide.com/India/)
• Historical Maps of India (http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~poyntz/India/maps.html)
• Indian Literature (http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A0825109.html)
• Indian Literature (http://www.diehardindian.com/demogrph/moredemo/literatr.htm)

News Sources

• See News sources India

India is also the letter I in the NATO phonetic alphabet