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BACKGROUND |
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The
civilization of India is one of the oldest
civilizations in the World, spanning more than
4000 years and witnessing the rise and fall of
several Empires, and projecting a unique
assimilation of various cultures and heritage.
The Country has always been portrayed as a land
of spiritual integrity with professors of
Philosophy, who have engineered the magnanimity
of its nationalism. One of the oldest scriptures
in the World, the four-volume Vedas that many
regard as the repository of national thoughts,
which have anticipated some of the modern
scientific discoveries, has been created in the
orb of this myth oriented Country. This strong
affinity with religion and mythology has been
reflected time and again through various art
forms and performing arts, which are symbolical
of the composite culture of India. Unity in
diversity is another facet of the Country’s
inherent nationalism, which had been fused by
the feeling of national fervour incited by
various foreign invasions that ever made its way
to the Indian shores. Religious tolerance and
cultural amalgamation have given shape to a
uniquely secular Nation, which has created an
impressive status of itself in the global
arena. |
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GEOGRAPHY |
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The Indian
peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the
Himalayas. The Country is surrounded by the Bay
of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the
west, and the Indian Ocean to the south.
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Lying entirely in the
Northern Hemisphere, the Country extends between
8° 4' and 37° 6' latitudes north of the Equator,
and 68°7' and 97°25' longitudes east of
it. |
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GMT + 05:30 |
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3.3 Million sq
km |
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+91 |
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Afghanistan and
Pakistan to the north-west; China, Bhutan and
Nepal to the north; Myanmar to the east; and
Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka
is separated from India by a narrow channel of
sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of
Mannar. |
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7,516.6 km
encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands,
and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. |
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The climate of India
can broadly be classified as a tropical monsoon
one. But, in spite of much of the northern part
of India lying beyond the tropical zone, the
entire country has a tropical climate marked by
relatively high temperatures and dry winters.
There are four seasons - winter
(December-February), (ii) summer (March-June),
(iii) south-west monsoon season
(June-September), and (iv) post monsoon season
(October- November). |
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The mainland comprises
of four regions, namely the great mountain zone,
plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert
region, and the southern peninsula. |
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Coal, iron ore,
manganese ore, mica, bauxite, petroleum,
titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, magnesite,
limestone, arable land, dolomite, barytes,
kaolin, gypsum, apatite, phosphorite, steatite,
fluorite, etc. |
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Monsoon floods, flash
floods, earthquakes, droughts, and
landslides. |
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Air pollution control,
energy conservation, solid waste management, oil
and gas conservation, forest conservation,
etc. |
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Rio Declaration on
environment and development, Cartagena Protocol
on biosafety, Kyoto Protocol to the United
Nations Framework Convention on climatic change,
World Trade Agreement, Helsinki Protocol to
LRTAP on the reduction of sulphur emissions of
nitrogen oxides or their transboundary fluxes
(Nox Protocol), and Geneva Protocol to LRTAP
concerning the control of emissions of volatile
organic compounds or their transboundary fluxes
(VOCs Protocol). |
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India occupies a major
portion of the south Asian
subcontinent. | |
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PEOPLE |
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India's
population, as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028
million (532.1 million males and 496.4 million
females). |
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The average annual
exponential growth rate stands at 1.93 per cent
during 1991-2001. |
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The Crude Birth rate
according to the 2001 census is
24.8 |
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The Crude Death rate
according to the 2001 census is
8.9 |
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63.9 years (Males);
66.9 years (Females) (As of Sep 2005) |
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933 according to the
2001 census |
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Indian |
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All the five major
racial types - Australoid, Mongoloid, Europoid,
Caucasian, and Negroid find representation among
the people of India. |
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According to the 2001
census, out of the total population of 1.028
million in the Country, Hindus constituted the
majority with 80.5 %, Muslims came second at
13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists,
Jains, and others. |
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There are 22 National
Languages have been recognized by the
Constitution of India, of which Hindi is the
Official Union Language. Besides these, there
are 844 different dialects that are practiced in
various parts of the Country. |
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According to the
provisional results of the 2001 census, the
literacy rate in the Country stands at 64.84 per
cent, 75.26% for males and 53.67% for
females. | |
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GOVERNMENT |
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Republic
of India; Bharat Ganrajya |
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Sovereign Socialist
Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system
of Government. |
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New Delhi |
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28 States and 7 Union
Territories. |
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15th August 1947 (From
the British Colonial Rule) |
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The Constitution of
India came into force on 26th January
1950. |
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The Constitution of India is the
fountain source of the legal system in the
Country. |
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The President of India is the
Head of the State, while the Prime Minister is
the Head of the Government, and runs office with
the support of the Council of Ministers who form
the Cabinet Ministry. |
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The Indian Legislature comprises
of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the
Rajya Sabha (Council of States) forming both the
Houses of the Parliament. |
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The Supreme Court of India is the
apex body of the Indian legal system, followed
by other High Courts and subordinate
Courts. |
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The National Flag is a horizontal
tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top,
white in the middle, and dark green at the
bottom in equal proportion. At the centre of the
white band is a navy blue wheel, which is a
representation of the Ashoka Chakra at Sarnath.
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26th January (Republic Day)
15th August (Independence Day)
2nd
October (Gandhi Jayanti; Mahatma Gandhi's
Birthday) | |
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ECONOMY |
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Half a
Century after gaining its independence, India
has overcome all odds and achieved phenomenal
standards of economic stability, courtesy the
indomitable contributions of various sectors
such as agriculture, tourism, commerce, power,
communications, science & technology, etc.,
which have acted as the pillars of the Indian
economy. India is today one of the six fastest
growing economies of the world. The country is
ranked fourth in terms of Purchasing Power
Parity (PPP) in 2001. The business and
regulatory environment is evolving and moving
towards constant improvement. |
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The second quarter
(July-September) of the financial year 2005-06
registers a growth rate of 8 percent. |
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India is the fourth
largest economy, with US$ 3 trillion GDP in
terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) after
USA, China, and Japan. |
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As of September 2005,
the GDP per capita of the Country stood at US$
543.
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Services 56%,
Agriculture 22%, and Industry 22% (As of
September 2005).
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According to the
Report of the Committee on India Vision: 2020,
India’s labour force has reached approximately
375 million in 2002. |
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9.1% (As of Sep 2005)
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26.10% as on
1999-2000
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4.1% as on July
2005. |
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The total Debt as on
31st March 2002 stands at Rs. 1372117.58
crores. |
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Check RBI website for daily
exchange rates. |
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Rice, wheat, tea,
cotton, sugarcane, potatoes, jute, oilseed,
poultry, etc. |
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Steel, garments,
petroleum, cement, machinery, locomotive, food
processing, pharmaceutical products, mining,
etc. |
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Indian Rupee
(INR) |
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1st April to 31st
March. | |
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