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India
Area:3.287,623m square kilometres (1,269,219 square miles).
Population: 1,095.4 million (2005 est).
Capital City: New Delhi
Languages: The official language is Hindi, but there are 18 main and regional languages adopted as state languages
Religions: India is a secular state and freedom of religion is protected under the Constitution. The main religious groups are Hindus (81.3%), Muslims (12%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%).
Currency: Rupee
Government: United Progressive Alliance, a Congress-led 20-party coalition.
Head of State: President A P J Abdul Kalam
Prime Minister: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
Foreign Minister: Pranab Mukherjee
Membership of international groupings/organisations: Commonwealth; United Nations and the United Nations Human Rights Council; World Trade Organisation; South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC); ASEAN (dialogue partner).
GEOGRAPHY
India forms a natural sub-continent with the Himalayas to the north. The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, which are sections of the Indian Ocean, lie to the west and east respectively. India's neighbours are China (Tibet), Bhutan and Nepal to the north, Pakistan to the north-west, and Burma to the north-east. To the east, almost surrounded by India, is Bangladesh. Near India's southern tip, across the Palk Strait, is Sri Lanka.
India has 28 states with constitutionally defined powers of government. The states vary greatly in size, population and development. Each state has a Governor appointed by the President for five years, a legislature elected for five years, and a Council of Ministers headed by a chief minister. Each state has its own legislative, executive and judicial machinery, corresponding to that of the Indian Union. In the event of the failure of constitutional government in a state, the Union can impose President's Rule. There are also seven Union Territories including the National Capital Territory of Delhi, administered by Lieutenant Governors or Administrators, all of whom are appointed by the President. The Territories of Delhi and Pondicherry also have elected chief ministers and state assemblies.
The 28 states are: Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Manipur, Maharashtra, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal.
The Territories are: Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Lakshadweep, and Pondicherry.
LANGUAGES
The official language of India is Hindi written in the Devanagari script and spoken by some 30% of the population as a first language. Since 1965 English has been recognised as an 'associated language'. In addition there are 18 main and regional languages recognised for adoption as official state languages.
POLITICS
The Indian Constitution provides a system of parliamentary and cabinet government both at the centre and in the states. The Indian Parliament consists of the President, currently President A P J Abdul Kalam, (elected for a 5 year term as the constitutional head of the executive) and two Houses: The Lower House - Lok Sabha ('House of the People') - directly elected on the basis of universal adult suffrage; and the Upper House - Rajya Sabha ('Council of States') - indirectly elected by the members of state legislative assemblies.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress Party are the two main forces in the current Indian political scene, but neither can command a clear Parliamentary majority. The balance of power is held by a loose collection of regional and other parties.
ECONOMY
Basic Economic Facts
GDP: $797 million (2005-2006)
GDP per head: $714 per head (2006)
Annual Growth: 8.4% (2005-2006)
Inflation: 5.6% (2006 est.)
Major Industries: Textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, gems and jewellery, leather manufactures.
Major trading partners: Exports for 2005: USA (19.1%); China (9.4%); UAE (8.4%); UK (4.9%) Imports for 2005: China (7.3%); USA (6.5%); Belgium (5.2%); Singapore (4.8%)
Aid & development: Foreign aid was approximately $3.8 billion (2005-2006)
Exchange rate Indian rupees per UK Pound Sterling – 81.7 (end June 2007).
Economic reforms, initiated in 1991, have placed India firmly on the path of sustained economic growth, needed to alleviate poverty and allow India to claim its place as a global economic power. These economic reforms followed several decades during which its economy was virtually closed. India, a country which was traditionally dependent on agriculture, is now looking towards knowledge-driven sectors such as information, communications and entertainment (ICE) sector and pharmaceuticals as flagships of its economic potential. India now has a burgeoning middle class and has made great strides in fields such as information technology.
Although substantial progress has been made, the Indian Government remains conscious of the need to ensure that the pace of reform is not relaxed, and that India builds upon its recent success. There are other pressures to push ahead with reforms: Indian consumers' rising aspirations; the need to attract private capital into infrastructure; and the need to improve social sector delivery. The next round of reforms will, however, require politically difficult decisions and legislative changes.
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