BACKGROUND:
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all-Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU led to independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into 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. Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.
LOCATION:
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
CLIMATE:
Varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
POPULATION:
1,065,070,607
Labour force - by occupation:
Agriculture 60%, industry 17%, services 23% (1999)
Population below poverty line:
25% (2002 est.)
NATIONALITY:
Noun: Indian(s) Adjective: Indian
LANGUAGES:
Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language.
LITERACY:
Age 15 and over can read and write total population: 59.5% male: 70.2% female: 48.3% (2003 est.)
NAME:
Conventional long form: Republic of India Conventional short form: India
GOVERNMENT TYPE:
Federal republic
CAPITAL:
New Delhi
Currency:
Indian rupee (INR)
INDEPENDENCE:
15 August 1947 (from UK)
EXECUTIVE BRANCH:
Chief of state: President Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since NA May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
FLAG DISCRIPTION:
Three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band
ECONOMY – OVERVIEW:
India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services. Government controls have been reduced on foreign trade and investment, and privatization of domestic output has proceeded slowly. The economy has posted an excellent average growth rate of 6% since 1990, 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 continuing public-sector budget deficit, running at approximately 60% of GDP.
INDUSTRIES:
Textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software
UNEMPLOYMENT RATE:
9.5% (2003)
COMMUNICATIONS:
Telephone, Radio, Television, Internet
TRANSPORTATION:
Railways, Roadways, Airports, Waterways
MAJOR ISSUES:
Kashmir remains the world's most highly militarized territorial dispute. Portions under the administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas). But recent discussions and confidence-building measures among parties are beginning to defuse tensions; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding lands to China in the 1965 boundary agreement; disputes with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing and the terminus of the Sir Creek Estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch, which prevents maritime boundary delimitation; Pakistani maps continue to show Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; most of the rugged, militarized boundary with China is in dispute, but sides have committed to begin resolution with discussions on the least disputed Middle Sector; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to work on resolution of minor disputed boundary sections; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section.
SOURCE: The World Fact book (2003)
- Farooque
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