Map of India | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

top of page


Background: The Indus Valley civilization one of the oldest in the world goes back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in 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. 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 strife all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.


top of page


Location

Geographic coordinates

Map reference

Area

Land boundaries:

Coastline: 7,000 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Extended economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Terrain: upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Elevation

Natural resources: coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, crude oil, limestone

Land use: 55% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 23% forest and woodland; 17% other; includes 13% irrigated

Irrigated land

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards

Geography
Note: dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Joint River Commission on water sharing with downstream riparian Bangladesh


top of page


Population: 833,421,982 (July 1989), growth rate 2.0% (1989)

Nationality: noun - Indian(s; adjective - Indian

Ethnic groups: 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% Mongoloid and other

Languages: Hindi, English, and 14 other official languages; 24 languages spoken by a million or more persons each; numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindustani, a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu, is spoken widely throughout northern India

Religions: 82.6% Hindu, 11.4% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2.0% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate

Birth rate: 31 births/1000 population (1989)

Death rate: 11 deaths/1000 population (1989)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1000 population (1989)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; air and water pollution; desertification

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 91 deaths/1000 live births (1989)

Life expectancy at birth: 57 years male, 58 years female (1989)

Total fertility rate: 3.9 children born/woman (1989)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy: 36%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name: conventional long form: Republic of India

Government type: federal republic

Capital: New Delhi

Administrative divisions: 24 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Delhi*, Goa and Daman and Diu*, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal; note - Goa may have become a state with Daman and Diu remaining a union territory

Dependent areas

Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950)

Constitution: 26 January 1950

Legal system: based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: universal over age 21

Executive branch: Chief of State - President Ramaswamy Iyer VENKATARAMAN (since 25 July 1987; Vice President Dr. Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 3 September 1987) Head of Government - Prime Minister Rajiv GANDHI (since 31 October 1984)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Paramilitary Forces

Judicial branch

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ADB, AIOEC, ANRPC, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU, IWC - International Wheat Council, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us: Ambassador Karan SINGH; Chancery at 2,107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20,008; telephone (202) 939-7,000; there are Indian Consulates General in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco; US - Ambassador Dr. John HUBBARD; Embassy at Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110,021, New Delhi; telephone Õ91å (11) 600,651; there are US Consulates General in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of 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

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: During the early 1980s real growth in GNP increased at an average annual rate of more than 5%, compared with the historical trend rate of 4%. Agricultural output continued to expand, reflecting the greater use of modern farming techniques and improved seed that have helped to make India self-sufficient in food grains and a net agricultural exporter. Industry has benefited from a liberalization of controls. The growth rate of the service sector has also been strong. India is one of the 20 poorest nations in the world with a per capita average annual income of about $300. Its huge population of 833 million (mid-year 1989) is increasing rapidly at a 2.0% annual rate, and unemployment and underemployment abound.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate

Real gdp per capita

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: rice, other cereals, pulses, oilseed, cotton, jute, sugarcane, tobacco, tea, coffee; legal producer of opium poppy for the pharmaceutical trade, but also an illegal producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade

Industries: textiles, food processing, steel, machinery, transportation equipment, cement, jute manufactures, mining, petroleum

Industrial production growth rate: 7.5% (1987)

Labor force: 284,400,000; 67% agriculture (FY85)

Unemployment rate: 10% (FY87)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues $46.2 billion; expenditures $50.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $18.6 billion (FY87)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $11.4 billion (f.o.b., FY87)
Commodities: tea, coffee, iron ore, fish products, manufactures
Partners: EC 22%, USSR and Eastern Europe 19%, US 19%, Japan 11% (FY87)

Imports: $16.7 billion (c.i.f., FY87)
Commodities: petroleum, edible oils, textiles, clothing, capital goods
Partners: EC 32%, Middle East 19%, Japan 13%, US 10%, USSR and Eastern Europe 8% (FY87)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $44.1 billion (1988)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Indian rupees (Rs) per US$1 - 15.113 (January 1989), 13.917 (1988), 12.962 (1987), 12.611 (1986), 12.369 (1985)


top of page


Electricity
Capacity: 55,000,000 kW capacity; 205,000 million kWh produced, 250 kWh per capita (1988)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $8.97 billion, 19.6% of central government budget (FY89 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 346 total, 293 usable; 201 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 57 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 93 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil, 3,497 km; refined products, 1,703 km; natural gas, 902 km (1989)

Railways

Roadways

Waterways: 16,180 km; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels

Merchant marine: 300 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,779,755 GRT/9,641,588 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 8 passenger-cargo, 104 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 8 container, 57 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 11 chemical tanker, 9 combination ore/oil, 99 bulk, 2 combination bulk

Ports and terminals


top of page


Disputes international: boundaries with Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs