The Republic
of India is a South Asian country
that comprises a major portion of the Indian
subcontinent. It has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometres, borders Pakistan
to the west, the People's
Republic of China, Nepal,
and Bhutan to
the northeast, and Bangladesh
and Myanmar
to the east. On the Indian
Ocean, it is adjacent to three island
nations — the Maldives
to the southwest, Sri Lanka to the south, and Indonesia to the southeast. India
also claims a border with Afghanistan to the northwest.
The name India IPA:
/
/ is derived from the Old
Persian version of Sindhu,
the historic local name for the Indus
river (see Origin
of India's name). The Constitution
of India, and common usage also recognises Bharat as an
official name of equal status. This name is derived from the Sanskrit
name of an ancient Hindu
king whose story can be found in the Mahabharata
epic poem.
A third name, Hindustan
(Persian:
Land of the Hindus) has been used since the twelfth century AD, though
its contemporary use is unevenly applied due to domestic disputes over its
representativeness as a national signifier.
India is the fourth largest economy in the world
by purchasing
power parity, and the tenth largest by absolute GNP.
It is the second
most populous country, with a population
of over one billion,
and the seventh
largest by geographical area.
It is home to the Indus
Valley Civilisation — one of the most ancient civilizations in recorded
history — and a centre of important historic trade
routes. Four major
world religions — Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism
and Sikhism
— have Indian origins. India was a part of the British
Empire before gaining independence
in 1947. In the last twenty years, it has grown significantly, especially in the
economic
and military
spheres.
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| Motto:
Saţyaméva
Jayaţé (Truth Alone Triumphs) |
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| Anthem:
Jana
Gaña Mana |
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| Capital | New
Delhi |
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| Largest city | Mumbai (Bombay) | ||||
| Official language(s) | Hindi, English, and 21 other languages | ||||
| Government | Federal
republic APJ Abdul Kalam Dr. Manmohan Singh |
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| Independence - Declared - Republic |
From the United
Kingdom 1947-08-15 1950-01-26 |
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| Area • Total • Water (%) |
3,287,590 km² (7th) 9.56 |
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| Population • 2005 est. • 2001 census • Density |
1,089,000,000 (2nd) 1,027,000,000 329/km² (19th) |
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| GDP
(PPP) • Total • Per capita |
2005
estimate $3.602 trillion (4th) $3262 (125th) |
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| HDI (2003) | 0.602 (127th) – medium | ||||
| Currency | Rupee
(Rs.)1 (INR) |
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| Time
zone • Summer (DST) |
IST
(UTC+5:30) not observed (UTC+5:30) |
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| Internet TLD | .in | ||||
| Calling code | +91 |
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| 1 Re. is singular | |||||
| Flag | Tiranga |
| Emblem | Sarnath Lion |
| 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 |
| Costume | Sari (women |
