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| Version | User | Scope of changes |
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| Mar 31 2007, 5:00 AM EDT (current) | wahaby300 | 4456 words added, 26 photos added |
| Mar 31 2007, 5:00 AM EDT | wahaby300 |
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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| Motto: "Satyameva Jayate"(Sanskrit) सत्यमेव जयते (Devanāgarī) "Truth Alone Triumphs" | ||||
| Anthem: Jana Gaṇa Mana listen(help·info) | ||||
 | ||||
| Capital | New Delhi 2) 28°34′N 77°12′E | |||
| Mumbai1 | ||||
| Hindi, English and 21 other official languages | ||||
| Federal republic | ||||
| - | President | A.P.J. Abdul Kalam | ||
| - | Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh | ||
| from the United Kingdom | ||||
| - | Declared | 15 August 1947 | ||
| - | Republic | 26 January 1950 | ||
| - | Total | 3,166,4142 km²(7th) 1,222,559sqmi | ||
| - | Water(%) | 9.56 | ||
| - | 2006estimate | 1,095,351,995(2nd) | ||
| - | 2001census | 1,027,015,248 | ||
| - | Density | 329/km²(31st) 852/sqmi | ||
| GDP(PPP) | 2006estimate | |||
| - | Total | $4.042 trillion(4th) | ||
| - | Per capita | $3,700(117th) | ||
| GDP (nominal) | 2006estimate | |||
| - | Total | $796.1 billion(12th) | ||
| - | Per capita | $820(132th) | ||
| Gini?(1999–00) | 32.5(medium) | |||
| HDI(2006) |  0.611(medium)(126th) | |||
| Rupee (₨) (INR) | ||||
| IST(UTC+5:30) | ||||
| - | Summer(DST) | not observed(UTC+5:30) | ||
| .in | ||||
| +91 | ||||
| 1 | Formerly known as Bombay. | |||
| 2 | Includes only Indian-administered territory. |
[edit] Etymology
The name India /'ɪndiə/ is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.[2] The ancient Greeks referred to the ancient Indians as Indoi, the people of the Indus.[3] The Constitution of India and common usage in Hindi also recognise Bharat (/bʰɑːrət̪/ (help·info)) as an official name of equal status. A third name, هندوستان, Hindustan (/hin̪d̪ust̪ɑːn/ (info)) (Persian: Land of the Hindus), has been in use since the twelfth century, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied.[edit] History
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, dating back to 3300BCE 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 550BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the Mahajanapadas were established across the country. The empire built by the Maurya dynasty under Emperor Ashoka united most of modern South Asia in third centuryBCE. From 180BCE, a series of invasions from Central Asia followed, including those led by the Indo-Greeks, Indo-Scythians, Indo-Parthians and Kushans in the northwestern Indian Subcontinent. From the third century CE, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient India's "Golden Age." While the north had larger, fewer kingdoms, south India had several dynasties such as the Chalukyas, Cholas, Pallavas and Pandyas, which overlapped in time and territory. 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. 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 and revolutionary organisations. Millions of protesters engaged in mass campaigns of civil disobedience with a commitment to ahimsa or non-violence, led by Mahatma Gandhi. Finally, on 15 August 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but not before losing its Muslim-majority areas, which were carved out into the separate nation-state of Pakistan. 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 in 1999 in Kargil. 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. This was followed by five more tests in 1998. Significant economic reforms beginning in 1991 have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies, adding to its global and regional clout.
[edit] Government
| Flag | Tiranga | |
| Emblem | Sarnath Lion Capital | |
| Anthem | Jana Gana Mana | |
| Song | Vandē Mātaram | |
| Animal | Royal Bengal Tiger | |
| Bird | Indian Peacock | |
| Flower | Lotus | |
| Tree | Banyan | |
| Fruit | Mango | |
| Sport | Field Hockey | |
| Calendar | Saka |
[edit] Politics
For most of its democratic history, the Government of India has been led by the Indian National Congress (INC). State politics have been dominated by several national parties including INC, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 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 Indian National Congress won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance, supported by various left-leaning parties and members opposed to the BJP.
[edit] Military and foreign relations
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. 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 35 UN peace keeping operations deployed across four continents.[6] 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. Recently, India concluded a deal with the United States that would allow the latter to supply Indian reactors with civilian nuclear technology and fuel. India maintains a "no-first-use" nuclear policy.
[edit] States and union territories
India is a union of twenty-eight states and seven federally-governed union territories. All states, and the union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have elected governments. The other five union territories have centrally-appointed administrators. States: Union Territories:
- Andaman and Nicobar Islands
- Chandigarh
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- Lakshadweep
- National Capital Territory of Delhi
- Puducherry
[edit] Geography
[edit] Flora and fauna
India, lying within the Indomalaya ecozone, hosts significant biodiversity; it is home to 7.6% of all mammalian, 12.6% of avian, 6.2% of reptilian, and 6.0% of flowering plant species.[7] Many ecoregions, such as the shola forests, also exhibit extremely high rates of endemism; overall, 33% of Indian plant species are endemic.[8][9] India's forest cover ranges from the tropical rainforest of the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and Northeast India to the coniferous forest of the Himalaya. Between these extremes lie the sal-dominated moist deciduous forest of eastern India; teak-dominated dry deciduous forest of central and southern India; and the babul-dominated thorn forest of the central Deccan and western Gangetic plain.[10] 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, shaded the 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.[11] Soon thereafter, mammals entered India from Asia through two zoogeographical passes on either side of the emerging Himalaya.[10] 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.[7] 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.[12] 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 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, four of which are part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves; twenty-five wetlands are registered under the Ramsar Convention.
[edit] Economy
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$177 billion in January 2007, while federal and state budget deficits have reduced.[13] Privatisation of publicly-owned companies and the opening of certain sectors to private and foreign participation has continued amid political debate. With a GDP growth rate of 9.2% in 2006, the Indian economy is among the fastest growing in the world.[14] It has the world's fourth largest GDP of US $4.042 trillion as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). India's per capita income (PPP) of US $3,700 is however ranked 117th in the world. When measured in terms of USD exchange-rate, India's GDP is US$785.47 billion, which makes it the twelfth largest economy.[15] Wealth distribution in India, a developing country, is fairly uneven, with the top 10% of income groups earning 33% of the income.[16] In 2007, The Australian reported that "India's recent economic gains, while enriching the social elite and middle classes, have failed to benefit almost half of its 1.1 billion people." This was prompted by a survey finding that 47% of Indian children suffered from malnutrition.[17] India has a labour force of 509.3 million, 60% of which is employed in agriculture and related industries. 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.[18] In 2006, estimated exports stood at US$112 billion and imports were around US $187.9 billion. Textiles, jewelery, 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.[18] More recently, India has capitalised on its large pool of educated, English-speaking people to become an important outsourcing destination for multinational corporations. India has also become a major exporter of software as well as financial, research, and technological services.
[edit] Demographics
