|
India
at a Glance
India at a Glance
People of India
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
Please note that information on About India and India at is Glance is from “The CIA World Factbook” website. You can find additional information at the following link: http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 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 and religious strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.
| India
at a Glance |
| Location: |
Southern
Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,
between Burma and Pakistan |
| Geographic
coordinates: |
20 00 N, 77 00 E |
| Map references: |
Asia |
| Area: |
total:
3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km |
| Area - comparative: |
slightly
more than one-third the size of the US |
| Land boundaries: |
total:
14,103 km
border countries: Bangladesh 4,053 km,
Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km,
Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km |
| Coastline: |
7,000 km
|
| Maritime claims
- as described in UNCLOS 1982 (see Notes and Definitions): |
territorial
sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge
of the continental margin
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 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
extremes: |
lowest
point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m |
| Natural resources: |
coal (fourth-largest
reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica,
bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds,
petroleum, limestone, arable land |
| Land use: |
arable
land: 54.35%
permanent crops: 2.66%
other: 42.99% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
590,000
sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural hazards: |
droughts;
flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive
flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms;
earthquakes |
| Environment
- current issues: |
deforestation;
soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air
pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle
emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff
of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable
throughout the country; huge and growing population
is overstraining natural resources |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party
to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine
Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
| Geography
- note: |
dominates
South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian
Ocean trade routes |
|
|
|
|
| People of India |
| Population: |
1,065,070,607 (July
2004 est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 31.7%
(male 173,869,856; female 164,003,915)
15-64 years: 63.5% (male 349,785,804; female
326,289,402)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 25,885,725;
female 25,235,905) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 24.4 years
male: 24.4 years
female: 24.4 years (2004 est.) |
| Population
growth rate: |
1.44% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: |
22.8 births/1,000 population
(2004 est.) |
| Death rate: |
8.38 deaths/1,000 population
(2004 est.) |
| Net migration
rate: |
-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2004
est.) |
| Infant mortality
rate: |
total: 57.92 deaths/1,000
live births
female: 57.29 deaths/1,000 live births
(2004 est.)
male: 58.52 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy
at birth: |
total population:
63.99 years
male: 63.25 years
female: 64.77 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility
rate: |
2.85 children born/woman (2004
est.) |
| HIV/AIDS -
adult prevalence rate: |
0.8% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS: |
3.97 million (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS -
deaths: |
310,000 (2001 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian |
| Ethnic groups: |
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%,
Mongoloid and other 3% (2000) |
| Religions: |
Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian
2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist,
Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000) |
| Languages: |
English enjoys associate status
but is the most important language for national,
political, and commercial communication; Hindi is
the national language and primary tongue of 30%
of the people; there are 14 other official languages:
Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati,
Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri,
Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant
of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern
India but is not an official language |
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15
and over can read and write
total population: 59.5%
male: 70.2%
female: 48.3% (2003 est.) |
| Government |
| Country name: |
conventional long
form:Republic of India conventional short form:
India |
| Government type: |
federal republic |
| Capital: |
New Delhi |
| Administrative divisions: |
28 states and 7 union territories*;
Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh,
Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*,
Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and
Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*,
Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya,
Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab,
Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal,
Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal |
| Independence: |
15 August 1947 (from UK) |
| National holiday: |
Republic Day, 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 |
| Suffrage: |
18 years of age; universal
|
| Executive branch: |
chief of state:
President Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice
President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 19 August
2002)
elections: president elected by an electoral
college consisting of elected members of both
houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the
states for a five-year term; election last held
NA July 2002 (next to be held 18 July 2007); vice
president elected by both houses of Parliament
for a five-year term; election last held 12 August
2002 (next to be held NA August 2007); prime minister
elected by parliamentary members of the majority
party following legislative elections; election
last held 3 October 1999 (next to be held NA October
2004)
head of government:Prime Minister
Atal Bihari VAJPAYEE (since 19 March 1998)
cabinet:Council of Ministers
appointed by the president on the recommendation
of the prime minister
election results: Abdul KALAM elected president;
percent of electoral college vote - 89.6%; Bhairon
Singh SHEKHAWAT elected vice president; percent
of Parliament vote - 59.8%; Atal
Bihari VAJPAYEE elected
prime minister; percent of vote - NA% |
| Legislative branch: |
bicameral Parliament
or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya
Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members,
up to 12 of which are appointed by the president,
the remainder are chosen by the elected members
of the state and territorial assemblies; members
serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly
or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular
vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve
five-year terms) elections:
People's Assembly - last held 5 September through
3 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election
results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by
party - BJP alliance 40.8%, Congress (I) 33.8%,
other 25.4%; seats by party - BJP alliance 304,
Congress (I) 134, other 107 |
| Judicial branch: |
Supreme Court (judges are appointed
by the president and remain in office until they
reach the age of 65) |
| Political parties and leaders: |
All India Anna Dravida Munnetra
Kazhagam or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha JAYARAM]; All
India Forward Bloc or AIFB, [D. BISWAS, general
secretary]; Asom Gana Parishad [Brindaban GOSWAMI];
Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya
Janata Party or BJP [Venkaiah NAIDU]; Biju Janata
Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of
India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist
Party of India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML [Dipankar
BHATTACHARYA]; Congress (I) Party [Sonia GANDHI];
Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a regional party
in Tamil Nadu) [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National
League [Suliaman SAITH]; Janata Dal (Secular) [H.
D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United) or JDU [Sharad
YADAV]; Kerala Congress (Mani faction) [K. M. MANI];
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKO];
Muslim League [G. M. BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress
Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Rashtriya Janata Dal
or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Revolutionary Socialist
Party or RSP [Abani ROY]; Samajwadi Party or SP
[Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal [G. S.
TOHRA]; Shiv Sena [Bal THACKERAY]; Tamil Maanila
Congress [G. K. VASAN]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP
[Chandrababu NAIDU]; Trinamool Congress [Mamata
BANERJEE] |
| Political pressure groups
and leaders: |
numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic
organizations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various
separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or
regional autonomy, including the All Parties Hurriyat
Conference |
| International organization
participation: |
AfDB, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue
partner), BIS, C, CP, FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, MICAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer),
OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation
in the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador Lalit MANSINGH
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston,
New York, and San Francisco
FAX: [1] (202) 483-3972
telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000
chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; note - Embassy located at
2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
|
| Diplomatic representation
from the US: |
chief of mission:
Ambassador David C. Mulford
embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New
Delhi 110021
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [91] (11) 419-8000
FAX: [91] (11) 419-0017
consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras),
Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay) |
| Flag description: |
three equal horizontal bands
of saffron (subdued 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
|
| Economy |
| Economy
- overview: |
India's economy
encompasses traditional village farming, modern
agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern
industries, and a multitude of support services.
Government controls have been reduced on foreign
trade and investment, and privatization of domestic
output has proceeded slowly. The economy has posted
an excellent average growth rate of 6% since 1990,
reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points.
India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated
people skilled in the English language to become
a major exporter of software services and software
workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank and
others worry about the continuing public-sector
budget deficit, running at approximately 10% of
GDP. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $3.022
trillion (2003 est.) |
| GDP - real
growth rate: |
7.6% (2003 est.) |
| GDP - per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $2,900
(2003 est.) |
| GDP - composition
by sector: |
agriculture: 23.6%
industry: 28.4%
services: 48% (2002 est.) |
| Population
below poverty line: |
25% (2002 est.) |
| Household income
or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 33.5% (1997) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
37.8 (1997) |
| Inflation rate
(consumer prices): |
4.6% (2003 est.) |
| Labor force: |
406 million (1999) |
| Labor force
- by occupation: |
agriculture 60%, services 23%,
industry 17% (1999) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
9.1% (2003) |
| Budget: |
revenues: $48.3 billion
expenditures: $78.2 billion, including
capital expenditures of $13.5 (FY01/02 est.) |
| Industries: |
textiles, chemicals, food processing,
steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining,
petroleum, machinery, software |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
6% (2003 est.) |
| Electricity
- production: |
533.3 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- production by source: |
fossil fuel: 81.7%
hydro: 14.5%
other: 0.3% (2001)
nuclear: 3.4% |
| Electricity
- consumption: |
497.2 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- exports: |
321 million kWh (2001) |
| Electricity
- imports: |
1.54 billion kWh (2001) |
| Oil - production: |
732,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)
|
| Oil - consumption: |
2.13 million bbl/day (2001
est.) |
| Oil - exports: |
NA |
| Oil - imports: |
NA |
| Oil - proved
reserves: |
4.33 billion bbl (1 January
2002) |
| Natural gas
- production: |
22.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)
|
| Natural gas
- consumption: |
22.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)
|
| Natural gas
- exports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural gas
- imports: |
0 cu m (2001 est.) |
| Natural gas
- proved reserves: |
542.4 billion cu m (1 January
2002) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton,
jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo,
sheep, goats, poultry;, insert comma
fish |
| Exports: |
$57.24 billion f.o.b. (2003
est.) |
| Exports - commodities: |
textile goods, gems and jewelry,
engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures
|
| Exports - partners: |
US 22.4%, UK 5.1%, Hong Kong
4.5%, Germany 4.3%, China 4.1% (2002) |
| Imports: |
$74.15 billion f.o.b. (2003
est.) |
| Imports - commodities: |
crude oil, machinery, gems,
fertilizer, chemicals |
| Imports - partners: |
US 6.9%, Belgium 6.4%, China
4.5%, Singapore 4.4%, UK 4.4% (2002) |
| Debt - external: |
$95.3 billion (2003 est.) |
| Economic aid
- recipient: |
$2.9 billion (FY98/99) |
| Currency: |
Indian rupee (INR) |
| Currency code: |
INR |
| Exchange rates: |
Indian rupees per US dollar
- 46.58 (2003), 48.61 (2002), 47.19 (2001), 44.94
(2000), 43.06 (1999) |
| Fiscal year: |
1 April - 31 March |
| Communications |
| Telephones
- main lines in use: |
41.42 million (2002)
|
| Telephones
- mobile cellular: |
21,991,743 (2003) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment:mediocre
service; local and long distance service provided
throughout all regions of the country, with services
primarily concentrated in the urban areas; major
objective is to continue to expand and modernize
long-distance network to keep pace with rapidly
growing number of local subscriber lines; steady
improvement is taking place with the recent admission
of private and private-public investors, but, with
telephone density at about two for each 100 persons
and a waiting list of over 2 million, demand for
main line telephone service will not be satisfied
for a very long time
domestic: local service is provided by microwave
radio relay and coaxial cable, with open wire and
obsolete electromechanical and manual switchboard
systems still in use in rural areas; starting in
the 1980s, a substantial amount of digital switch
gear has been introduced for local and long-distance
service; long-distance traffic is carried mostly
by coaxial cable and low-capacity microwave radio
relay; since 1985, significant trunk capacity has
been added in the form of fiber-optic cable and
a domestic satellite system with 254 earth stations;
mobile cellular service was introduced in 1994 and
is organized nation-wide into four metropolitan
cities and 19 telecom circles
international: country code - 91; satellite earth
stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat
(Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges operating
from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta),
Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar,
Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 4 submarine cables - LOCOM
linking Chennai (Madras) to Penang; Indo-UAE-Gulf
cable linking Mumbai (Bombay) to Al Fujayrah, UAE;
India-SEA-ME-WE-3, SEA-ME-WE-2 with landing sites
at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay); Fiber-Optic Link
Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai
(Bombay) (2000) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68
(1998) |
| Television
broadcast stations: |
562 (of which 82 stations have
1 kW or greater power and 480 stations have less
than 1 kW of power) (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.in |
| Internet hosts: |
78,595 (2002) |
| Internet users: |
16.58 million (2002) |
| Transportation |
| Railways: |
total:
63,518 km (15,009 km electrified)
broad gauge: 45,142 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 15,013 km 1.000-m gauge;
3,363 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2002)
|
| Highways: |
total: 3,319,644
km
paved: 1,517,077 km
unpaved: 1,802,567 km (1999 est.) |
| Waterways: |
16,180 km
note:
3,631 km navigable by large vessels |
| Pipelines: |
gas 5,798 km; liquid petroleum
gas 1,195 km; oil 5,613 km; refined products 5,567
km (2003) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Chennai (Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal
Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay),
Vishakhapatnam |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 306 ships
(1,000 GRT or over) 6,555,507 GRT/11,069,791 DWT
by type: bulk 90, cargo 77, chemical tanker
14, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 2,
container 10, liquefied gas 10, passenger/cargo
5, petroleum tanker 93, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea/passenger
2, specialized tanker 1
registered in other countries: 63 (2003
est.)
foreign-owned: China 2, Portugal 1 |
| Airports: |
333 (2003 est.) |
| Airports -
with paved runways: |
total: 234
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 47
914 to 1,523 m: 74
under 914 m: 21 (2003 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 78 |
| Airports -
with unpaved runways: |
total: 99
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
under 914 m: 45 (2003 est.)
914 to 1,523 m: 42 |
| Heliports: |
20 (2003 est.) |
| Military |
| Military
branches: |
Army, Navy (including
naval air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard, various
security or paramilitary forces (including Border
Security Force, Assam Rifles, National Security
Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier
Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial
Security Force, Railway Protection Force, and Defense
Security Corps) |
| Military manpower
- military age: |
17 years of age (2004 est.)
|
| Military manpower
- availability: |
males age 15-49:
293,677,117 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower
- fit for military service: |
males age 15-49:
172,153,371 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower
- reaching military age annually: |
males: 11,174,415
(2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures
- dollar figure: |
$14,018.8 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures
- percent of GDP: |
2.4% (2003) |
| Transnational
Issues |
| Disputes
- international: |
Kashmir remains
the world's most highly militarized territorial
dispute with portions under the de facto administration
of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir),
and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas),
but recent discussions and confidence-building measures
among parties are beginning to defuse tensions;
India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding lands
to China in the 1965 boundary agreement; disputes
with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing and
the terminus of the Sir Creek Estuary at the mouth
of the Rann of Kutch, which prevents maritime boundary
delimitation; Pakistani maps continue to show Junagadh
claim in Indian Gujarat State; most of the rugged,
militarized boundary with China is in dispute, but
sides have committed to begin resolution with discussions
on the least disputed Middle Sector; Joint Border
Committee with Nepal continues to work on resolution
of minor disputed boundary sections; discussions
with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small
section of river boundary, to exchange 162 miniscule
enclaves in both countries, to allocate divided
villages, and to stop illegal cross-border trade,
migration, and violence; Bangladesh protests India's
attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the
porous boundary; dispute with Bangladesh over volcanic
New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the
Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation;
India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to
keep out Indian Nagaland insurgents; joint border
commission continues to work on small disputed sections
of boundary with Nepal; India has instituted a stricter
border regime to restrict transit of Maoist insurgents
and illegal cross-border activities from Nepal |
| Illicit drugs: |
world's largest producer of
licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an
undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit
international drug markets; transit point for illicit
narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit
producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics
money laundering through the hawala system |
|
