Physical. India is located in Southern Asia, with the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal to the south and China to the north. It is slightly more than one-third the size of the US. The climate varies from a tropical zone in the south to a temperate zone in the north. Its terrain changes from an upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in the south, to flat to rolling plains along the Ganges River, to deserts in the west and the Himalayas in the north. India has many natural resources, some of which include coal (4th-largest reserves in the world) iron ore, titanium ore, diamonds and petroleum.

People. India is home to over 1.06 billion people. Hindi is the national language (spoken by 30% of the population) but Indians recognize more than a dozen official languages including Bengali, Tamil, Urdu and Hindustani. English is used widely in business and government. Ethnically, the people of India fit into one of three major categories: Indo-Aryan (72%) Dravidian (25%) or Mongoloid and other (3%). Their diverse religious practices include: Hindu (81%) Muslim (12%) Christian (2%) Sikh (2%) and other (3% including Buddhist, Jain and Parsi).

Government. India is the largest democracy in the world, holding local government elections and maintaining a stable parliament and rule of law since the adoption of its constitution in 1950. During this time India has brought frontier territories into full statehood and held separatist movements in check. However, human rights abuses by security forces and separatist groups in Kashmir, Punjab and Assam do occur. The current president is Abdul Kalam and Manmohan Singh has been the prime minister is since May 2004. 

Economy. One of the world’s top ten industrial powers, India has the most diversified industrial economy in South Asia. Industry and agriculture now have an equal share of the GDP. Most laborers however, work in agriculture. To encourage more foreign investment, the government has recently begun to sell state-run industries and limit restrictions.

Despite this, 25% of the population lives in poverty, half of those in extreme poverty. But because the village economy is based upon the production and distribution of food in exchange for craft or services of labor, the jajmani system, low income does not necessarily mean starvation.

In the past decade, there has emerged a significant middle class of households earning more than what is necessary for mere survival. In the Millennium Conference in 2000, it was reported that 25% of the population is affluent or upper middle class with disposable income. Another 40% are identified as lower middle class, having risen out of the throes of subsistence and seem to be increasing their incomes at an impressive rate. the tsunamis of 2004/5 will affect these figures, particularly in the Tamil Nadu region with most of India’s identified 8,000 dead found in that region. Repairing and rebuilding are expected to cost about $1.2 billion. However, India’s response to the disaster was the most rapid and well managed in the area.

Areas of Concern. Balancing the needs of the environment (degradation of soil, water and air) against the overpopulation of India is a constant challenge. The large percentage of the population living in poverty is still a problem. Nuclear proliferation, particularly in the face of tensions with Pakistan, is of concern. The issue of Tamil separatists has led to a large influx of refugees.

India statistics

Geography
Area: 1,269,010
Capital: New Delhi (pop 13,000,000)
Environmental concerns: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air and water pollution; overpopulation
Geographical features: upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south; flat to rolling plain along the Ganges; deserts in west; Himalayas in north
Climate: tropical monsoon in the south; temperate in the north

People.
1,065,070,607 people; Indo-Aryan (72%); Dravidian (25%); Mongoloid and other (3%) (2000)
Annual growth rate: 1.44%
Major languages: Hindi; English; 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
Religions: Hindu (81%); Muslim (12%); Christian (2.3%); Sikh (1.9%); other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi (2.5%) (2000)

Communication and transportation
48,917,000 main telephone lines (2003)
18,481,000 Internet users (2003)
1,991,786 miles of highway
37,477 miles of railroad
335 airfields
6,700,000 motor vehicles

Government
India is a federal republic that gained its independence from the United Kingdom on August 15, 1947
President Abdul Kalam is head of state
8 major political parties
Suffrage: universal at 18

Military
Military expenditures: 2.4% of GDP
Current disputes: highly militarized disputes with China and Pakistan over Kashmir and other boundaries; boundary disputes with Bangladesh and Nepal

Economy
Currency: rupees
Per capita GDP: $2,900
GDP: $3.033 trillion
GDP growth rate: 8.3%
Inflation rate: 3.8%
Labor force: agriculture (60%); industry (17%): services (23%)

Resources and industry
Natural resources: coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land
Agriculture: rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish
Industry: textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software
Exports: $57.24 billion
Imports: $74.14 billion

Suggested web sites
www.goidirectory.nic.in/
www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook