India

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भारत गणराज्य* Bhārat Gaṇarājya Republic of India
Motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit) सत्यमेव जयते  (Devanāgarī) "Truth Alone Triumphs"[1]
Anthem: Jana Gana Mana Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people[2]
National Song[4] Vande Mataram I bow to thee, Mother[3]
Capital		New Delhi ‡) 28°34′N, 77°12′E
Largest city		Mumbai
Official languages		Hindi, English Hindi in the Devanagari script is the official language of the Union[5] and English the "subsidiary official language".[6]
Other official languages:		8th Schedule: Assamese Bengali Bodo Dogri Gujarati Hindi Kannada Kashmiri Konkani Maithili Malayalam Manipuri Marathi Nepali Oriya Punjabi Sanskrit Santali Sindhi Tamil Telugu Urdu[7]
Demonym		Indian
Government		Federal republic Parliamentary democracy[8]
-	President	Pratibha Patil
-	Prime Minister	Manmohan Singh
-	Chief Justice	K. G. Balakrishnan
Independence		from United Kingdom
-	Declared	15 August 1947
-	Republic	26 January 1950
Area
-	Total	3,287,240‡ km² (7th) 1,269,210 sq mi
-	Water (%)	9.56
Population
-	2008 estimate	1,147,995,904[9] (2nd)
-	2001 census	1,027,015,248
-	Density	349/km² (33rd) 904/sq mi
GDP (PPP)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$2.965 trillion[10] (4th)
-	Per capita	$2,563[10] (165th)
GDP (nominal)		2007 estimate
-	Total	$1.100 trillion[10] (12th)
-	Per capita	$941[10] (132nd)
Gini (2004)		36.8[11]
HDI (2007)		▲ 0.619 (medium) (128th)
Currency		Indian rupee (Rs) (INR)
Time zone		IST (UTC+5:30)
-	Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+5:30)
Internet TLD		.in
Calling code		+91
Non-numbered Footnotes: * Bharat Ganarajya, that is, the Republic of India in Hindi,[8] written in the Devanāgarī script. See also other official names ‡ This is the figure as per the United Nations though the Indian government lists the total area as 3,287,260 square kilometers.[12]

India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages), 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. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi).^[13] It is bordered by Pakistan to the west;^[14] People's Republic of China (PRC), Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.

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.^[15] Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated there, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.

India is a republic consisting of 28 states and seven union territories with a parliamentary system of democracy. It has the world's twelfth largest economy at market exchange rates and the fourth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms since 1991 have transformed it into one of the fastest growing economies;^[16] however, it still suffers from high levels of poverty,^[17] illiteracy, and malnutrition. A pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Government 3.1 Administrative divisions 4 Politics 4.1 Foreign relations and military 5 See also 6 Notes 7 References 8 External links

Etymology

Main article: Names of India

The name India (pronounced /ˈɪndiə/) is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River.^[18] The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (Ινδοί), the people of the Indus.^[19] The Constitution of India and common usage in various Indian languages also recognise Bharat (pronunciation (help·info), /bʰɑːrət̪/) as an official name of equal status.^[20] Hindustan ( /hin̪d̪ust̪ɑːn/ ), which is the Persian word for “Land of the Hindus” and historically referred to northern India, is also occasionally used as a synonym for all of India.^[21]

History

Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India

Stone Age rock shelters with paintings at the Bhimbetka rock shelters 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 Civilisation,^[22] dating back to 3300 BCE in western India. It was followed by the Vedic period, which laid the foundations of Hinduism and other cultural aspects of early Indian society, and ended in the 500s BCE. From around 550 BCE, many independent kingdoms and republics known as the Mahajanapadas were established across the country.^[23]

In the third century BCE, most of South Asia was united into the Maurya Empire by Chandragupta Maurya and flourished under Ashoka the Great.^[24] From the third century CE, the Gupta dynasty oversaw the period referred to as ancient "India's Golden Age."^[25][26] Empires in Southern India included those of the Chalukyas, the Cholas and the Vijayanagara Empire. Science, engineering, art, literature, astronomy, and philosophy flourished under the patronage of these kings.

Following invasions from Central Asia between the 10th and 12th centuries, much of North India came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and later the Mughal Empire. Under the rule of Akbar the Great, India enjoyed much cultural and economic progress as well as religious harmony.^[27][28] Mughal emperors gradually expanded their empires to cover large parts of the subcontinent. However, in North-Eastern India, the dominant power was the Ahom kingdom of Assam, among the few kingdoms to have resisted Mughal subjugation. The first major threat to Mughal imperial power came from a Hindu state known as the Maratha confederacy, that dominated much of India in the mid-18th century.^[29]

From the 16th century, European powers such as Portugal, the Netherlands, France, and the United Kingdom established trading posts and later took advantage of internal conflicts to establish colonies in the country. By 1856, most of India was under the control of the British East India Company.^[30] A year later, a nationwide insurrection of rebelling military units and kingdoms, known as India's First War of Independence or the Sepoy Mutiny, seriously challenged the Company's control but eventually failed. As a result of the instability, India was brought under the direct rule of the British Crown.

In the 20th century, a nationwide struggle for independence was launched by the Indian National Congress and other political organisations. Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi led millions of people in national campaigns of non-violent civil disobedience.^[31] On 15 August 1947, India gained independence from British rule, but at the same time Muslim-majority areas were partitioned to form a separate state of Pakistan.^[32] On 26 January 1950, India became a republic and a new constitution came into effect.^[9]

Since independence, India has faced challenges from religious violence, casteism, naxalism, terrorism and regional separatist insurgencies, especially in Jammu and Kashmir and Northeast India. Since the 1990s terrorist attacks have affected many Indian cities. India has unresolved territorial disputes with P. R. China, which in 1962 escalated into the Sino-Indian War; and with Pakistan, which resulted in wars in 1947, 1965, 1971 and 1999. India is a founding member of the United Nations (as British India) and the Non-Aligned Movement. In 1974, India conducted an underground nuclear test^[33] and five more tests in 1998, making India a nuclear state.^[33] Beginning in 1991, significant economic reforms^[34] have transformed India into one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, increasing its global clout.^[16]

Government

Main article: Government of India

The Constitution of India, the longest and the most exhaustive constitution of any independent nation in the world, came into force on 26 January 1950.^[35] The preamble of the constitution defines India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic.^[36] India has a bicameral parliament operating under a Westminster-style parliamentary system. Its form of government was traditionally described as being 'quasi-federal' with a strong centre and weaker states,^[37] but it has grown increasingly federal since the late 1990s as a result of political, economic and social changes.^[38]

The President of India is the head of state^[39] elected indirectly by an electoral college^[40] for a five-year term.^[41][42] The Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises most executive powers.^[39] Appointed by the President,^[43] the Prime Minister is by convention supported by the party or political alliance holding the majority of seats in the lower house of Parliament.^[39] The executive branch consists of the President, Vice-President, and the Council of Ministers (the Cabinet being its executive committee) headed by the Prime Minister. Any minister holding a portfolio must be a member of either house of parliament. In the Indian parliamentary system, the executive is subordinate to the legislature, with the Prime Minister and his Council being directly responsible to the lower house of the parliament.^[44]

The legislature of India is the bicameral Parliament, which consists of the upper house called the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the lower house called the Lok Sabha (House of People).^[45] The Rajya Sabha, a permanent body, has 245 members serving staggered six year terms.^[46] Most are elected indirectly by the state and territorial legislatures in proportion to the state's population.^[46] 543 of the Lok Sabha's 545 members are directly elected by popular vote to represent individual constituencies for five year terms.^[46] The other two members are nominated by the President from the Anglo-Indian community if the President is of the opinion that community is not adequately represented.^[46] Template:Indian symbols India has a unitary three-tier judiciary, consisting of the Supreme Court, headed by the Chief Justice of India, twenty-one High Courts, and a large number of trial courts.^[47] The Supreme Court has original jurisdiction over cases involving fundamental rights and over disputes between states and the Centre, and appellate jurisdiction over the High Courts.^[48] It is judicially independent,^[47] and has the power to declare the law and to strike down union or state laws which contravene the Constitution.^[49] The role as the ultimate interpreter of the Constitution is one of the most important functions of the Supreme Court.^[50]

Administrative divisions

Main article: Administrative divisions of India

India is a federal republic of twenty-eight states and seven Union Territories.^[51] All states, and the two union territories of Puducherry and the National Capital Territory of Delhi have elected governments. The other five union territories have centrally appointed administrators and hence are under direct rule of the President. In 1956, under the States Reorganisation Act, states were formed on a linguistic basis.^[52] Since then, this structure has remained largely unchanged. Each state or union territory is further divided into 610 districts for basic governance and administration.^[53] The districts in turn are further divided into tehsils and eventually into villages.

States: Andhra Pradesh Arunachal Pradesh Assam Bihar Chhattisgarh Goa Gujarat

Haryana Himachal Pradesh Jammu and Kashmir Jharkhand Karnataka Kerala Madhya Pradesh

Maharashtra Manipur Meghalaya Mizoram Nagaland Orissa Punjab

Rajasthan Sikkim Tamil Nadu Tripura Uttar Pradesh Uttarakhand West Bengal

Union Territories: Andaman and Nicobar Islands Chandigarh Dadra and Nagar Haveli Daman and Diu Lakshadweep National Capital Territory of Delhi Puducherry

Politics

Main article: Politics of India

India is the most populous democracy in the world.^[54][55] For most of the years since independence, the federal government has been led by the Indian National Congress (INC).^[51] Politics in the states have been dominated by several national parties including the INC, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)) and various regional parties. From 1950 to 1990, barring two brief periods, the INC enjoyed a parliamentary majority. The INC was out of power between 1977 and 1980, when the Janata Party won the election owing to public discontent with the state of 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.^[56] As the 1991 elections gave no political party a majority, the INC formed a minority government under Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao and was able to complete its five-year term.^[57]

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 that excluded both the BJP and the INC. In 1998, the BJP formed the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) with several other parties and became the first non-Congress government to complete a full five-year term.^[58] In the 2004 Indian elections, the INC won the largest number of Lok Sabha seats and formed a government with a coalition called the United Progressive Alliance (UPA), supported by various left-leaning parties and members opposed to the BJP.^[59]

Foreign relations and military

Main articles: Foreign relations of India and Indian Armed Forces

Since its 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.^[60] India was involved in two brief military interventions in neighboring countries - Indian Peace Keeping Force in Sri Lanka and Operation Cactus in Maldives. India is a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.^[61] 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 three wars with Pakistan, primarily over Kashmir but it also facilitated the creation of Bangladesh in 1971.^[62] Additional skirmishes have taken place between the two nations particularly in 1984 over Siachen Glacier and in 1999 over Kargil.

In recent years, India has played an influential role in the SAARC, and the WTO.^[64] India has provided as many as 55,000 Indian military and police personnel to serve in thirty-five UN peace keeping operations across four continents.^[65] 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, P. R. China and Pakistan. In the economic sphere, India has close relationships with other developing nations in South America, Asia and Africa.

India maintains the third-largest military force in the world, which consists of the Indian Army, Navy and Air Force.^[9] 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 maintains close defence cooperation with Russia, France and Israel, who are the chief suppliers of arms. The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has overseen the indigenous development of sophisticated arms and military equipment, including ballistic missiles, fighter aircrafts and main battle tanks, to reduce India's dependence on foreign imports. India became a nuclear power in 1974 after conducting an initial nuclear test, Operation Smiling Buddha and further underground testing in 1998. India maintains a "no first use" nuclear policy.^[66] On 10 October, 2008 Indo-US civilian nuclear agreement was signed, prior to which India received the IAEA and NSG waivers, ending restrictions on nuclear technology commerce with which India became de facto sixth nuclear power in world.^[67]

Continued at India, part 2

See also

• Outline of India

Template:India topics

Notes

References

History

• Brown, Judith M. (1994). Modern India: The Origins of an Asian Democracy. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press, xiii, 474. ISBN 0198731132. 
• Kulke, Hermann; Dietmar Rothermund (2004). A History of India, 4th edition. Routledge, xii, 448. ISBN 0415329205. 
• Metcalf, Barbara; Thomas R. Metcalf (2006). A Concise History of Modern India (Cambridge Concise Histories). Cambridge and New York: Cambridge University Press, xxxiii, 372. ISBN 0521682258. 
• Spear, Percival (1990). A History of India. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0140138366. 
• Stein, Burton (2001). A History of India. New Delhi and Oxford: Oxford University Press, xiv, 432. ISBN 0195654463. 
• Thapar, Romila (1990). A History of India. New Delhi and London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0140138358. 
• Wolpert, Stanley (2003). A New History of India. Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0195166787. 

Geography

• Dikshit, K.R.; Joseph E. Schwartzberg (2007). "India: The Land", Encyclopædia Britannica, 1–29. Retrieved on 2007-09-29. 
• Government of India (2007). India Yearbook 2007. Publications Division, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. ISBN 81-230-1423-6. 
• Heitzman, J.; R.L. Worden (1996). India: A Country Study. Library of Congress (Area Handbook Series). ISBN 0-8444-0833-6. 
• Posey, C.A (1994). The Living Earth Book of Wind and Weather. Reader's Digest Association. ISBN 0-8957-7625-1. 

Flora and fauna

• Ali, Salim & S. Dillon Ripley (1995), A Pictorial Guide to the Birds of the Indian Subcontinent, Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. Pp. 183, 106 colour plates by John Henry Dick, ISBN 0195637321
• Blatter, E. & Walter S. Millard (1997), Some Beautiful Indian Trees, Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. Pp. xvii, 165, 30 colour plates, ISBN 019562162X
• Israel, Samuel & Toby Sinclair (editors) (2001), Indian Wildlife, Discovery Channel and APA Publications., ISBN 9812345558
• Prater, S. H. (1971), The book of Indian Animals, Mumbai: Bombay Natural History Society and Oxford University Press. Pp. xxiii, 324, 28 colour plates by Paul Barruel., ISBN 0195621697.
• Rangarajan, Mahesh (editor) (1999), Oxford Anthology of Indian Wildlife: Volume 1, Hunting and Shooting, New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Pp. xi, 439, ISBN 0195645928
• Rangarajan, Mahesh (editor) (1999), Oxford Anthology of Indian Wildlife: Volume 2, Watching and Conserving, New Delhi: Oxford University Press. Pp. xi, 303, ISBN 0195645936
• Tritsch, Mark F. (2001), Wildlife of India, London: Harper Collins Publishers. Pp. 192, ISBN 0007110626

Culture

• Dissanayake, Wimal K. & Moti Gokulsing (2004), Indian Popular Cinema: A Narrative of Cultural Change, Trentham Books, Pp. 161, ISBN 1858563291 .
• Johnson, W. J. (translator and editor) (1998), The Sauptikaparvan of the Mahabharata: The Massacre at Night, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics). Pp. 192, ISBN 0192823618.
• Kalidasa & W. J. Johnson (editor) (2001), The Recognition of Śakuntalā: A Play in Seven Acts, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press (Oxford World's Classics). Pp. 192, ISBN 0192839114.
• Karanth, K. Shivarama (1997), Yakṣagāna, (Forward by H. Y. Sharada Prasad). Abhinav Publications. Pp. 252, ISBN 8170173574.
• Kiple, Kenneth F.; Ornelas, Kriemhild Coneè, eds. (2000), The Cambridge World History of Food, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0521402166 
• Lal, Ananda (1998), Oxford Companion to Indian Theatre, Oxford and New York: Oxford University Press. Pp. 600, ISBN 0195644468
• MacDonell, Arthur Anthony (2004), A History of Sanskrit Literature, Kessinger Publishing, ISBN 1417906197 .
• Majumdar, Boria; Bandyopadhyay, Kausik (2006), A Social History Of Indian Football: Striving To Score, Routledge, ISBN 0415348358 
• Massey, Reginald (2006), India's Dances, Abhinav Publications, ISBN 8170174341
• Ramanujan, A. K. (1985), Poems of Love and War: From the Eight Anthologies and the Ten Long Poems of Classical Tamil, New York: Columbia University Press. Pp. 329, ISBN 0231051077
• Rajadhyaksha, Ashish & Paul Willemen (editors) (1999), Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema, 2nd revised edition, University of California Press and British Film Institute, Pp. 652, ISBN 0851706696 .
• Vilanilam, John V. (2005), Mass Communication in India: A Sociological Perspective, Sage Publications, ISBN 0761933727

External links

• Government of India – Official government portal
• India entry at The World Factbook
• India at UCB Libraries GovPubs
• India at the Open Directory Project
• Wikimedia Atlas of India
• India travel guide

Geographic locale

v • d • e States and territories of India States Andhra Pradesh · Arunachal Pradesh · Assam · Bihar · Chhattisgarh · Goa · Gujarat · Haryana · Himachal Pradesh · Jammu and Kashmir · Jharkhand · Karnataka · Kerala · Madhya Pradesh · Maharashtra · Manipur · Meghalaya · Mizoram · Nagaland · Orissa · Punjab · Rajasthan · Sikkim · Tamil Nadu · Tripura · Uttar Pradesh · Uttarakhand · West Bengal Union Territories Andaman and Nicobar Islands · Chandigarh · Dadra and Nagar Haveli · National Capital Territory of Delhi · Daman and Diu · Lakshadweep · Puducherry v • d • e Countries and territories of South Asia Bangladesh  · Bhutan  · British Indian Ocean Territory  · India  · Maldives  · Nepal  · Pakistan  · Sri Lanka Sometimes included:  Afghanistan • Iran • Myanmar • Tibet Template:Countries and territories bordering the Indian Ocean Template:Countries bordering the Arabian Sea v • d • e Countries of Asia Afghanistan · Armenia · Azerbaijan1 · Bahrain · Bangladesh · Bhutan · Brunei · Burma · Cambodia · People's Republic of China · Republic of China (Taiwan)2 · Cyprus · Egypt3 · Georgia1 · India · Indonesia4 · Iran · Iraq · Israel · Japan · Jordan · Kazakhstan1 · North Korea · South Korea · Kuwait · Kyrgyzstan · Laos · Lebanon · Malaysia · Maldives · Mongolia · Nepal · Oman · Pakistan · Philippines · Qatar · Russia1 · Saudi Arabia · Singapore · Sri Lanka · Syria · Tajikistan · Thailand · East Timor (Timor-Leste)4 · Turkey1 · Turkmenistan · United Arab Emirates · Uzbekistan · Vietnam · Yemen3 For dependent and other territories, see Dependent territory. 1 Partly or significantly in Europe.  2 The Republic of China (Taiwan) is not officially recognized by the United Nations; see Political status of Taiwan. 3 Partly or significantly in Africa.  4 Partly or wholly reckoned in Oceania.

International membership

Template:South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) v • d • e Commonwealth of Nations Sovereign states Antigua and Barbuda · Australia · Bahamas · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize · Botswana · Brunei · Cameroon · Canada · Cyprus · Dominica · Fiji · The Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guyana · India · Jamaica · Kenya · Kiribati · Lesotho · Malawi · Malaysia · Maldives · Malta · Mauritius · Mozambique · Namibia · Nauru · New Zealand · Nigeria · Pakistan · Papua New Guinea · St. Kitts and Nevis · St. Lucia · St. Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · Seychelles · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Solomon Islands · South Africa · Sri Lanka · Swaziland · Tanzania · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · Tuvalu · Uganda · United Kingdom · Vanuatu · Zambia File:Flag of the Commonwealth of Nations.svg Dependencies Australia Ashmore and Cartier Islands · Australian Antarctic Territory · Christmas Island · Cocos (Keeling) Islands · Coral Sea Islands · Heard Island and McDonald Islands · Norfolk Island New Zealand Cook Islands · Niue · Ross Dependency · Tokelau United Kingdom Akrotiri and Dhekelia · Anguilla · Bermuda · British Antarctic Territory · British Indian Ocean Territory · British Virgin Islands · Cayman Islands · Falkland Islands · Gibraltar · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey · Montserrat · Pitcairn Islands · St. Helena (including Ascension Island and Tristan da Cunha) · South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands · Turks and Caicos Islands Template:Foreign relations of India

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