India
Country Guide

Explore India

India with its capital New Delhi is located in Asia (Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal). It covers some 3,287,261 square kilometers (slightly more than one-third the size of the US) with a population of 1,281,940,000. English, Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Oriya, Panjabi, Assamese, Bihari, Kashmiri, Nepali, Sindhi, Sanskrit and French are the languages spoken by people in India (consider regional differences). Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan are bordering countries.

India is the largest country in the Indian subcontinent. Befitting its size and population, India's culture and heritage are a rich amalgam of the past and the present. India has a very rich and diverse mix of culture and tradition, dominated by religious and spiritual themes. India has 22 official languages and drinking alcohol can either be frowned upon or openly accepted, depending on the region and religion of the area within which you are drinking. There is no single unified Indian culture, and it's probably the only country where people of so many different origins, religious beliefs, languages and ethnic backgrounds coexist. India is big and has many outstanding landmarks and areas of outstanding beauty. If you really want to see all the worth visiting places in India, one tourist visa of six months can be argued to be considered enough. Allow considerable buffer time for any journey with a fixed deadline (eg. your flight back). Cannabis in its many forms is widely available throughout India, but they are all illegal in the vast majority of the country, and may mean years in jail! As a rule India is quite safe for foreigners, apart from instances of petty crime and theft common to any developing country.

Popular Destinations in India

Administrative regions of India

• Assam
• Chhattisgarh
• Goa
• Haryana
• Himachal Pradesh
• Jharkhand
• Kerala
• Lakshadweep
• Madhya Pradesh
• Manipur
• Meghalaya
• Mizoram
• National Capital Territory of Delhi
• Puducherry
• Punjab
• Rajasthan
• Sikkim
• State of Andhra Pradesh
• State of Arunachal Pradesh
• State of Bihar
• State of Gujarat
• State of Jammu and Kashmir
• State of Karnataka
• State of Maharashtra
• State of Nagaland
• State of Odisha
• State of Tamil Nadu
• State of Uttarakhand
• Telangana
• Tripura
• Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands
• Union Territory of Chandigarh
• Union Territory of Dadra and Nagar Haveli
• Union Territory of Daman and Diu
• Uttar Pradesh
• West Bengal

About the country

The topography is upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north. The average density of population is about 390 per km². The climate in India can be described as varying from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north. Potential natural disasters are Barren Island (354 m) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years, droughts, earthquakes, flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains and severe thunderstorms.

To reach someone India dial +91 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".in". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 230 V - 50 Hz (plugs: C, D, M). The sign for the locally used currency Rupee is INR.

Three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green, with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white signifies purity and truth; green stands for faith and fertility; the blue chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation.

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty, which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.

Geography

Area
Total (World Rank: 8)	3,287,260	sq km
Land (World Rank: 8)	2,973,190	sq km
Water (World Rank: 4)	314,070	sq km
Forest (World Rank: 171)	3.50	%
Comparative	slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Coastline
7000
Landborder
13888
Elevation
Highest point (World Rank: 4)	8,586	m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 41)	60.50	%
Arable (World Rank: 6)	52.80	%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 61)	4.20	%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 171)	3.50	%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 2)	667,000	sq km
Map reference
Asia
Environment
Issues	- air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions - deforestation - desertification - huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources - overgrazing - soil erosion - tap water is not potable throughout the country - water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides
Agreement party	- Antarctic Treaty - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol - Antarctic-Marine Living Resources - 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
Hazzards	- Barren Island (354 m) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years - droughts - earthquakes - flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains - severe thunderstorms
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
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

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People

Population
Total (World Rank: 2)	1,281,940,000
Deathrate (World Rank: 118)	0.73	%
Birthrate (World Rank: 86)	1.90	%
Growthrate (World Rank: 95)	1.17	%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 80)	2.43	%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 138)	27.20
Female (World Rank: 131)	28.60
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 1)	186,088,000
0 14 female (World Rank: 1)	164,398,000
15 24 male (World Rank: 1)	121,880,000
15 24 female (World Rank: 1)	107,583,000
25 54 male (World Rank: 2)	271,745,000
25 54 female (World Rank: 2)	254,835,000
55 64 male (World Rank: 2)	47,846,100
55 64 female (World Rank: 2)	47,632,500
65 x male (World Rank: 2)	37,837,800
65 x female (World Rank: 2)	42,091,100
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 47)	3.91	%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 161)	69	years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 166)	70	years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 149)	68	years
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 124)	0.73
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 164)	0.70
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 173)	39.60	%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 188)	3.90	%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 117)	94.10	%

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Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 3)	1,289,000,000,000	kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 3)	1,048,000,000,000	kWh
Export (World Rank: 36)	5,150,000,000	kWh
Import (World Rank: 37)	5,244,000,000	kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 102)	71.50	%
Source nuclear (World Rank: 143)	1.60	%
Source renew (World Rank: 47)	14.60	%
Crude oil
Production (World Rank: 24)	734,500	bbl / day
Imports (World Rank: 3)	3,789,000	bbl / day
Proved reserves (World Rank: 24)	4,621,000,000	bbl
Refined products
Production (World Rank: 4)	4,793,000	bbl / day
Consumption (World Rank: 3)	4,142,000	bbl / day
Export (World Rank: 6)	1,371,000	bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 17)	481,900	bbl / day
Natural gas
Production (World Rank: 24)	31,240,000,000	m³
Consumption (World Rank: 12)	102,300,000,000	m³
Export (World Rank: 45)	270,000,000	m³
Import (World Rank: 68)	0	m³
Carbon footprint
1887000000

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Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 113)	4	% of GDP
Military (World Rank: 38)	2	% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 149)	5	% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 124)	-4	% of GDP
National symbol
the Lion Capital of Ashoka
National colours
white
Adjective
Indian
Noun
Indian(s)
Background
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty, which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.
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; saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white signifies purity and truth; green stands for faith and fertility; the blue chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation

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Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 3)	8,701,000,000,000	USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 10)	7.10	%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 155)	6,700	USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 58)	17.40	%
Source industry (World Rank: 87)	28.80	%
Source service (World Rank: 190)	46.20	%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 2)	510,100,000
In poverty (World Rank: 98)	21.90	%
Products
Industries	- cement - chemicals - food processing - machinery - mining - petroleum - pharmaceuticals - software - steel - textiles - transportation equipment
Agriculture	- cotton - dairy products - fish - goats - jute - lentils - oilseed - onions - potatoes - poultry - rice - sheep - sugarcane - tea - wheat
Exports	- apparel - cereals - chemicals - iron - machinery - petroleum products - pharmaceutical products - precious stones - steel - vehicles
Imports	- chemicals - crude oil - fertilizer - iron - machinery - plastics - precious stones - steel

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Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 11)	24,404,000
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 174)	2.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 150)	89.00
Assessment	0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 2)	374,328,000
Population (World Rank: 158)	29.50	%

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Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 10)	253
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 35)	93.00
Heliports (World Rank: 7)	45.00
Rail
Total length (World Rank: 5)	68,525
Road
Total length (World Rank: 2)	4,699,020
Water
Total length (World Rank: 9)	14,500

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