India

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For a topic outline on this subject, see List of basic India topics. For other uses, see India (disambiguation).

India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. India is a parliamentary federal republic, consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. The capital city is New Delhi.

Administrative divisions of India, including 28 states and 7 union territories.

States:

Union Territories:

2. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west; and the Bay of Bengal on the east. India borders:

Pakistan to the west; ^[1]
China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and
Bangladesh and Burma to the east.

3. Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early 18th century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became a modern nation state in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.

4. India has an estimated population of 1.13 billion, with a median age of 24.9, and a population growth rate of 1.38% per annum. Almost 70% of Indians reside in rural areas although in recent decades, migration to larger cities has led to a dramatic increase in the country's urban population. Its largest cities are Mumbai (formerly Bombay), Delhi, Kolkata (formerly Calcutta), Chennai (formerly Madras), Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore), Hyderabad and Ahmedabad. 80.5% of the population are Hindu.

5. India is the second most culturally, linguistically and genetically diverse geographical entity after the African continent. It is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (24%). Hindi, with the largest number of speakers, is the official language of the union. English, which is extensively used in business and administration, has the status of a 'subsidiary official language.' The constitution also recognises 21 other languages. India has as high as 1,652 dialects. India's literacy rate is 64.8% (53.7% for females and 75.3% for males).

6. India has the world's 12th largest economy at market exchange rates and the 4th largest in purchasing power. For most of its post-independence history, it adhered to a quasi-socialist approach but since 1991, India has gradually opened up its markets, transforming itself into the second fastest growing large economy. India also has the world's second largest labour force with 516.3 million people, 60% of whom are employed in the agricultural sector, 28% in the service sector, and 12% in industry. 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 making up 54% and 18% respectively. Textiles, jewellery, engineering goods and software are major export commodities. India's most important trading partners are the United States, the European Union, and China. However, India still suffers from high levels of poverty, and malnutrition. more... at Wikipedia

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India

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