|
|
India
Main Page
|
India
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 onto 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. Nonviolent resistance
to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and
Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually brought about
independence in 1947. Communal violence led to the
subcontinent's bloody partition, which resulted in
the creation of two separate states, India and
Pakistan. The two countries have fought three wars
since independence, the last of which in 1971
resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate
nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests
in 1998 caused Pakistan to conduct its own tests
that same year. In November 2008, terrorists
allegedly 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, rapid economic development is fueling
India's rise on the world stage. In January 2011,
India assumed a nonpermanent seat in the UN Security
Council for the 2011-12 term.
Geography
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: 3,287,263
sq km
country
comparison to the world: 7
land: 2,973,193
sq km
water: 314,070
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:
|
territorial sea: 12
nm
contiguous zone: 24
nm
exclusive economic zone: 200
nm
continental shelf: 200
nm or to the edge of the continental margin
|
|
Climate:
|
Current
Weather
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, rare earth elements, titanium
ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds,
petroleum, limestone, arable land
|
|
Land use:
|
arable land: 48.83%
permanent crops: 2.8%
other: 48.37%
(2005)
|
|
Irrigated land:
|
558,080 sq km (2003)
|
|
Total renewable water
resources:
|
1,907.8 cu km (1999)
|
|
Freshwater withdrawal
(domestic/industrial/agricultural):
|
total: 645.84
cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%)
per capita: 585
cu m/yr (2000)
|
|
Natural hazards:
|
droughts; flash floods,
as well as widespread and destructive
flooding from monsoonal rains; severe
thunderstorms; earthquakes
volcanism: Barren
Island (elev. 354 m, 1,161 ft) in the
Andaman Sea has been active in recent years
|
|
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; Kanchenjunga, third tallest
mountain in the world, lies on the border
with Nepal
|
People
::India
Population:
|
1,173,108,018 (July
2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 2 |
|
Age structure:
|
0-14 years: 30.5%
(male 187,197,389/female 165,285,592)
15-64 years: 64.3%
(male 384,131,994/female 359,795,835)
65 years and over: 5.2%
(male 28,816,115/female 31,670,841)
(2010 est.)
|
|
Median age:
|
total: 25.9
years
male: 25.4
years
female: 26.6
years (2010 est.)
|
|
Population
growth rate:
|
1.376% (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 89 |
|
Birth rate:
|
21.34 births/1,000
population (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 85 |
|
Death rate:
|
7.53 deaths/1,000
population (July 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 115 |
|
Net migration
rate:
|
-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000
population (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 123 |
|
Urbanization:
|
urban population: 29%
of total population (2008)
rate of
urbanization: 2.4%
annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
|
|
Sex ratio:
|
at birth: 1.12
male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13
male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.07
male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91
male(s)/female
total population: 1.08
male(s)/female (2010 est.)
|
|
Infant mortality
rate:
|
total: 49.13
deaths/1,000 live births
country
comparison to the world: 53
male: 47.7
deaths/1,000 live births
female: 50.73
deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)
|
|
Life expectancy
at birth:
|
total population: 66.46
years
country
comparison to the world: 160
male: 65.46
years
female: 67.57
years (2010 est.)
|
|
Total fertility
rate:
|
2.65 children
born/woman (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 81 |
|
HIV/AIDS - adult
prevalence rate:
|
0.3% (2007 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 89 |
|
HIV/AIDS -
people living with HIV/AIDS:
|
2.4 million (2007
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 4 |
|
HIV/AIDS -
deaths:
|
310,000 (2001 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 2 |
|
Major infectious
diseases:
|
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne
diseases: bacterial
diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne
diseases: chikungunya,
dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis,
and malaria
animal contact
disease: rabies
water contact
disease: leptospirosis
note: highly
pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has
been identified in this country; it
poses a negligible risk with extremely
rare cases possible among US citizens
who have close contact with birds
(2009)
|
|
Nationality:
|
noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian
|
|
Ethnic groups:
|
Indo-Aryan 72%,
Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%
(2000)
|
|
Religions:
|
Hindu 80.5%, Muslim
13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%,
other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001
census)
|
|
Languages:
|
Hindi 41%, Bengali
8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil
5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada
3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%,
Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili
1.2%, other 5.9%
note: English
enjoys the status of subsidiary
official language but is the most
important language for national,
political, and commercial
communication; Hindi is the most
widely spoken language and primary
tongue of 41% 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 (2001 census)
|
|
Literacy:
|
definition: age
15 and over can read and write
total population: 61%
male: 73.4%
female: 47.8%
(2001 census)
|
|
School life
expectancy (primary to tertiary
education):
|
total: 10
years
male: 11
years
female: 10
years (2007)
|
|
Education
expenditures:
|
3.2% of GDP (2006)
country
comparison to the world: 142
|
|
|
Government
::India
Country name:
|
conventional long form: Republic
of India
conventional short form: India
local long form: Republic
of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya
local short form: India/Bharat
|
|
Government type:
|
federal republic
|
|
Capital:
|
name: New
Delhi
geographic coordinates: 28
36 N, 77 12 E
time difference: UTC+5.5
(10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
|
|
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, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh,
Uttarakhand, West Bengal
|
|
Independence:
|
15 August 1947 (from the
UK)
|
|
National holiday:
|
Republic Day, 26 January
(1950)
|
|
Constitution:
|
26 January 1950; amended
many times
|
|
Legal system:
|
based on English common
law; judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with
reservations; separate personal law codes
apply to Christians, Hindus, and Muslims
|
|
Suffrage:
|
18 years of age;
universal
|
|
Executive branch:
|
chief of state: President
Pratibha Devisingh PATIL (since 25 July
2007); Vice President Mohammad Hamid ANSARI
(since 11 August 2007)
head of government: Prime
Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet
appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
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 (no term
limits); election last held in July 2007
(next to be held in July 2012); vice
president elected by both houses of
Parliament for a five-year term; election
last held in August 2007 (next to be held
August 2012); prime minister chosen by
parliamentary members of the majority party
following legislative elections; election
last held April - May 2009 (next to be held
no later than May 2014)
election results: Pratibha
PATIL elected president; percent of vote -
Pratibha PATIL 65.8%, Bhairon Singh
SHEKHAWAT - 34.2%
|
|
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 whom 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
members elected by popular vote, 2 appointed
by the president; members serve five-year
terms)
elections: People's
Assembly - last held in five phases on 16,
22-23, 30 April and 7, 13 May 2009 (next
must be held by May 2014)
election results: People's
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - INC 206, BJP 116, SP 23,
BSP 21, JD (U) 20, AITC 19, DMK 18, CPI-M
16, BJD 14, SS 11, AIADMK 9, NCP 9, other
61, vacant 2; note - seats by party as
November 2009 - INC 207, BJP 116, SP 22, BSP
21, JD (U) 20, AITC 19, DMK 18, CPI-M 16,
BJD 14, SS 11, AIADMK 9, NCP 9, other 61,
vacant 2
|
|
Judicial branch:
|
Supreme Court (one chief
justice and 25 associate justices are
appointed by the president and remain in
office until they reach the age of 65 or are
removed for "proved misbehavior")
|
|
Political parties and
leaders:
|
All India Anna Dravida
Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [J. JAYALALITHAA];
All India Trinamool Congress or AITC [Mamata
BANERJEE]; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI];
Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Nitin GADKARI];
Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK];
Communist Party of India or CPI [B. BARDHAN];
Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI-M [Prakash
KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or DMK [Kalaignar
M.KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or
INC [Sonia GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or
JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]; Left Front (an
alliance of Indian leftist parties);
Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad
PAWAR]; Rashtriya Lok Dal or RLD [Ajit
SINGH]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh
YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash
Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS [Bal THACKERAY];
Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU];
note - India has dozens of national and
regional political parties; only parties or
coalitions with four or more seats in the
People's Assembly are listed
|
|
Political pressure
groups and leaders:
|
All Parties Hurriyat
Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist
group); Bajrang Dal (religious
organization); National Socialist Council of
Nagaland in the northeast (separatist
group); Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [Mohan
BHAGWAT] (religious organization); Vishwa
Hindu Parishad [Ashok SINGHAL] (religious
organization)
other: numerous
religious or militant/chauvinistic
organizations; various separatist groups
seeking greater communal and/or regional
autonomy
|
|
International
organization participation:
|
ADB, AfDB (nonregional
member), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CD, CERN (observer), CICA,
CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS
(observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS
(observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC,
SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS,
UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
|
|
Diplomatic
representation in the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador
Meera SHANKAR
chancery: 2107
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008; note - Consular Wing located at 2536
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: [1]
(202) 939-7000
FAX: [1]
(202) 265-4351
consulate(s) general: Chicago,
Houston, New York, San Francisco
|
|
Diplomatic
representation from the US:
|
chief of mission: Ambassador
Timothy J. ROEMER
embassy: Shantipath,
Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
mailing address: use
embassy street address
telephone: [91]
(011) 2419-8000
FAX: [91]
(11) 2419-0017
consulate(s) general: Chennai
(Madras), Hyderabad; 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; 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
note: similar
to the flag of Niger, which has a small
orange disk centered in the white band
|
|
National anthem:
|
name: "Jana-Gana-Mana"
(Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All
People)
lyrics/music: Rabindranath
TAGORE
note: adopted
1950; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate,
also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem
|
Economy
::India
Economy -
overview:
|
India is developing
into an open-market economy, yet
traces of its past autarkic policies
remain. Economic liberalization,
including industrial deregulation,
privatization of state-owned
enterprises, and reduced controls on
foreign trade and investment, began in
the early 1990s and has served to
accelerate the country's growth, which
has averaged more than 7% per year
since 1997. India's diverse economy
encompasses traditional village
farming, modern agriculture,
handicrafts, a wide range of modern
industries, and a multitude of
services. Slightly more than half of
the work force is in agriculture, but
services are the major source of
economic growth, accounting for more
than half of India's output, with only
one-third of its labor force. India
has capitalized on its large educated
English-speaking population to become
a major exporter of information
technology services and software
workers. In 2010, the Indian economy
rebounded robustly from the global
financial crisis - in large part
because of strong domestic demand -
and growth exceeded 8% year-on-year in
real terms. Merchandise exports, which
account for about 15% of GDP, returned
to pre-financial crisis levels. An
industrial expansion and high food
prices, resulting from the combined
effects of the weak 2009 monsoon and
inefficiencies in the government's
food distribution system, fueled
inflation which peaked at about 11% in
the first half fo 2010, but has
gradually decreased to single digits
following a series of central bank
interest rate hikes. New Delhi in 2010
reduced subsidies in fuel and
fertilizers, sold a small percentage
of its shares in some state-owned
enterprises and auctioned off rights
to radio bandwidth for 3G
telecommunications in part to lower
the government's deficit. The Indian
Government seeks to reduce its deficit
to 5.5% of GDP in FY 2010-11, down
from 6.8% in the previous fiscal year.
India's long term challenges include
widespread poverty, inadequate
physical and social infrastructure,
limited non-agricultural employment
opportunities, insufficient access to
quality basic and higher education,
and accommodiating rual-to-urban
migration.
|
|
GDP (purchasing
power parity):
|
$4.046 trillion
(2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 5
$3.736 trillion
(2009 est.)
$3.478 trillion
(2008 est.)
note: data
are in 2010 US dollars
|
|
GDP (official
exchange rate):
|
$1.43 trillion
(2009 est.)
|
|
GDP - real
growth rate:
|
8.3% (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 7
7.4% (2009 est.)
7.4% (2008 est.)
|
|
GDP - per capita
(PPP):
|
$3,400 (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 164
$3,200 (2009 est.)
$3,000 (2008 est.)
note: data
are in 2010 US dollars
|
|
GDP -
composition by sector:
|
agriculture: 16.1%
industry: 28.6%
services: 55.3%
(2009)
|
|
Labor force:
|
478.3 million (2009
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 2 |
|
Labor force - by
occupation:
|
agriculture: 52%
industry: 14%
services: 34%
(2009 est.)
|
|
Unemployment
rate:
|
10.8% (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 118
10.7% (2009 est.)
|
|
Population below
poverty line:
|
25% (2007 est.)
|
|
Household income
or consumption by percentage share:
|
lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 31.1%
(2005)
|
|
Distribution of
family income - Gini index:
|
36.8 (2004)
country
comparison to the world: 79
37.8 (1997)
|
|
Investment
(gross fixed):
|
32% of GDP (2009
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 13 |
|
Budget:
|
revenues: $170.7
billion
expenditures: $257.4
billion (2009 est.)
|
|
Public debt:
|
55.9% of GDP (2010
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 42
57.3% of GDP (2009
est.)
|
|
Inflation rate
(consumer prices):
|
11.7% (2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 205
10.9% (2009 est.)
|
|
Central bank
discount rate:
|
6% (31 December
2009)
country
comparison to the world: 74
6% (31 December
2008)
|
|
Commercial bank
prime lending rate:
|
12.19% (31 December
2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 59
13.31% (31 December
2008 est.)
|
|
Stock of narrow
money:
|
$328.4 billion (31
December 2010 est)
$268.4 billion (31
December 2009 est)
|
|
Stock of broad
money:
|
$1.29 trillion (31
December 2010 est.)
$1.04 trillion (31
December 2009 est.)
|
|
Stock of
domestic credit:
|
$1.164 trillion (31
December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 14
$938.8 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
|
|
Market value of
publicly traded shares:
|
$1.179 trillion (31
December 2009)
country
comparison to the world: 14
$645.5 billion (31
December 2008)
$1.819 trillion (31
December 2007)
|
|
Agriculture -
products:
|
rice, wheat,
oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane,
lentils, onions, potatoes; dairy
products, sheep, goats, poultry; fish
|
|
Industries:
|
textiles,
chemicals, food processing, steel,
transportation equipment, cement,
mining, petroleum, machinery,
software, pharmaceuticals
|
|
Industrial
production growth rate:
|
9.7% (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 17 |
|
Electricity -
production:
|
723.8 billion kWh
(2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 6 |
|
Electricity -
consumption:
|
568 billion kWh
(2007 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 6 |
|
Electricity -
exports:
|
810 million kWh
(2009 est.)
|
|
Electricity -
imports:
|
5.27 billion kWh
(2009 est.)
|
|
Oil - production:
|
878,700 bbl/day
(2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 24 |
|
Oil -
consumption:
|
2.98 million
bbl/day (2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 5 |
|
Oil - exports:
|
738,600 bbl/day
(2007 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 23 |
|
Oil - imports:
|
2.9 million bbl/day
(2007 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 6 |
|
Oil - proved
reserves:
|
5.8 billion bbl (1
January 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 23 |
|
Natural gas -
production:
|
38.65 billion cu m
(2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 22 |
|
Natural gas -
consumption:
|
51.27 billion cu m
(2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 16 |
|
Natural gas -
exports:
|
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 170 |
|
Natural gas -
imports:
|
12.62 billion cu m
(2009 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 17 |
|
Natural gas -
proved reserves:
|
1.075 trillion cu m
(1 January 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 26 |
|
Current account
balance:
|
-$26.91 billion
(2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 181
-$26.63 billion
(2009 est.)
|
|
Exports:
|
$201 billion (2010
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 22
$168.2 billion
(2009 est.)
|
|
Exports -
commodities:
|
petroleum products,
precious stones, machinery, iron and
steel, chemicals, vehicles, apparel
|
|
Exports -
partners:
|
UAE 12.87%, US
12.59%, China 5.59% (2009)
|
|
Imports:
|
$327 billion (2010
est.)
country
comparison to the world: 13
$274.3 billion
(2009 est.)
|
|
Imports -
commodities:
|
crude oil, precious
stones, machinery, fertilizer, iron
and steel, chemicals
|
|
Imports -
partners:
|
China 10.94%, US
7.16%, Saudi Arabia 5.36%, UAE 5.18%,
Australia 5.02%, Germany 4.86%,
Singapore 4.02% (2009)
|
|
Reserves of
foreign exchange and gold:
|
$284.1 billion (31
December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 6
$274.7 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
|
|
Debt - external:
|
$237.1 billion (31
December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 28
$221.3 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
|
|
Stock of direct
foreign investment - at home:
|
$191.1 billion (31
December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 23
$157.9 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
|
|
Stock of direct
foreign investment - abroad:
|
$89.04 billion (31
December 2010 est.)
country
comparison to the world: 26
$76.62 billion (31
December 2009 est.)
|
|
Exchange rates:
|
Indian rupees (INR)
per US dollar - 46.163 (2010), 48.405
(2009), 43.319 (2008), 41.487 (2007),
45.3 (2006)
|
Communications
::India
Telephones
- main lines in use:
|
35.77 million
(2010)
country
comparison to the world: 8 |
|
Telephones
- mobile cellular:
|
670 million
(2010)
country
comparison to the world: 2 |
|
Telephone
system:
|
general
assessment: supported
by recent deregulation and
liberalization of
telecommunications laws and
policies, India has emerged as
one of the fastest growing
telecom markets in the world;
total telephone subscribership
base reached 700 million, an
overall teledensity of 60%, and
subscribership is currently
growing more than 15 million per
month; urban teledensity has
reached 100% and rural
teledensity is about 20% and
steadily growing
domestic: mobile
cellular service introduced in
1994 and organized nationwide
into four metropolitan areas and
19 telecom circles each with
multiple private service
providers and one or more
state-owned service providers;
in recent years significant
trunk capacity added in the form
of fiber-optic cable and one of
the world's largest domestic
satellite systems, the Indian
National Satellite system (INSAT),
with 6 satellites supporting
33,000 very small aperture
terminals (VSAT)
international:
country
code - 91; a number of major
international submarine cable
systems, including Sea-Me-We-3
with landing sites at Cochin and
Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4
with a landing site at Chennai,
Fiber-Optic Link Around the
Globe (FLAG) with a landing site
at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa
- Far East (SAFE) with a landing
site at Cochin, the i2i cable
network linking to Singapore
with landing sites at Mumbai
(Bombay) and Chennai (Madras),
and Tata Indicom linking
Singapore and Chennai (Madras),
provide a significant increase
in the bandwidth available for
both voice and data traffic;
satellite earth stations - 8
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1
Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region);
9 gateway exchanges operating
from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi,
Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai
(Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur,
Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and
Ernakulam (2010)
|
|
Broadcast
media:
|
Doordarshan,
India's public TV network,
operates about 20 national,
regional, and local services;
large number of privately-owned
TV stations are distributed by
cable and satellite service
providers; government controls
AM radio with All India Radio
operating domestic and external
networks; news broadcasts via
radio are limited to the All
India Radio Network; since 2000,
privately-owned FM stations are
permitted but limited to
broadcasting entertainment and
educational content (2007)
|
|
Internet
country code:
|
.in
|
|
Internet
hosts:
|
4.536 million
(2010)
country
comparison to the world: 18 |
|
Internet
users:
|
61.338
million (2009)
country
comparison to the world: 6
|
|
|
|
Transportation
::India
Airports:
|
352 (2010)
country
comparison to the world: 23 |
|
Airports - with
paved runways:
|
total: 249
over 3,047 m: 21
2,438 to 3,047 m: 57
1,524 to 2,437 m: 75
914 to 1,523 m: 81
under 914 m: 15
(2010)
|
|
Airports - with
unpaved runways:
|
total: 103
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 43
under 914 m: 48
(2010)
|
|
Heliports:
|
40 (2010)
|
|
Pipelines:
|
condensate/gas 2
km; gas 7,542 km; liquid petroleum gas
2,163 km; oil 7,659 km; refined
products 7,201 km (2009)
|
|
Railways:
|
total: 64,015
km
country
comparison to the world: 4
broad gauge: 52,808
km 1.676-m gauge (18,172 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 8,473
km 1.000-m gauge; 2,734 km 0.762-m
gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2009)
|
|
Roadways:
|
total: 3,320,410
km (includes 200 km of expressways)
(2009)
country
comparison to the world: 3 |
|
Waterways:
|
14,500 km
country
comparison to the world: 9
note: 5,200
km on major rivers and 485 km on
canals suitable for mechanized vessels
(2008)
|
|
Merchant marine:
|
total: 324
country
comparison to the world: 29
by type: bulk
carrier 94, cargo 78, chemical tanker
23, container 15, liquefied gas 11,
passenger 4, passenger/cargo 12,
petroleum tanker 87
foreign-owned: 8
(China 1, Hong Kong 1, Jersey 1,
Malaysia 1, UAE 4)
registered in other
countries: 56
(Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Liberia 1,
Malta 4, Marshall Islands 8, Nigeria
1, Panama 17, Singapore 19, unknown 2)
(2010)
|
|
Ports and
terminals:
|
Chennai, Jawaharal
Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta),
Mumbai (Bombay), Sikka, Vishakhapatnam
|
Military
::India
Military
branches:
|
Army, Navy
(includes naval air arm), Air
Force (Bharatiya Vayu Sena),
Coast Guard (2009)
|
|
Military
service age and obligation:
|
17 years 6
months of age for voluntary
military service; no
conscription; women may join as
officers, but for noncombat
roles only (2010)
|
|
Manpower
available for military service:
|
males age
16-49: 313,905,989
females age
16-49: 291,755,100
(2010 est.)
|
|
Manpower
fit for military service:
|
males age
16-49: 244,727,406
females age
16-49: 235,662,750
(2010 est.)
|
|
Manpower
reaching militarily significant
age annually:
|
male: 12,011,217
female: 10,639,158
(2010 est.)
|
|
Military
expenditures:
|
2.5% of GDP
(2006)
country
comparison to the world: 61
|
Transnational
Issues ::India
Disputes
- international:
|
since
China and India launched a
security and foreign
policy dialogue in 2005,
consolidated discussions
related to the dispute
over most of their rugged,
militarized boundary,
regional nuclear
proliferation, Indian
claims that China
transferred missiles to
Pakistan, and other
matters continue; various
talks and
confidence-building
measures have cautiously
begun to defuse tensions
over Kashmir, particularly
since the October 2005
earthquake in the region;
Kashmir nevertheless
remains the site of the
world's largest and most
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); India and Pakistan
have maintained the 2004
cease fire in Kashmir and
initiated discussions on
defusing the armed
stand-off in the Siachen
glacier region; Pakistan
protests India's fencing
the highly militarized
Line of Control and
construction of the
Baglihar Dam on the Chenab
River in Jammu and
Kashmir, which is part of
the larger dispute on
water sharing of the Indus
River and its tributaries;
UN Military Observer Group
in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP)
has maintained a small
group of peacekeepers
since 1949; India does not
recognize Pakistan's
ceding historic Kashmir
lands to China in 1964; to
defuse tensions and
prepare for discussions on
a maritime boundary, India
and Pakistan seek
technical resolution of
the disputed boundary in
Sir Creek estuary at the
mouth of the Rann of Kutch
in the Arabian Sea;
Pakistani maps continue to
show its Junagadh claim in
Indian Gujarat State;
discussions with
Bangladesh remain stalled
to delimit a small section
of river boundary, to
exchange territory for 51
Bangladeshi exclaves in
India and 111 Indian
exclaves in Bangladesh, to
allocate divided villages,
and to stop illegal
cross-border trade,
migration, violence, and
transit of terrorists
through the porous border;
Bangladesh protests
India's attempts to fence
off high-traffic sections
of the border; India seeks
cooperation from Bhutan
and Burma to keep Indian
Nagaland and Assam
separatists from hiding in
remote areas along the
borders; Joint Border
Committee with Nepal
continues to examine
contested boundary
sections, including the
400 square kilometer
dispute over the source of
the Kalapani River; India
maintains a strict border
regime to keep out Maoist
insurgents and control
illegal cross-border
activities from Nepal
|
|
Refugees
and internally displaced
persons:
|
refugees
(country of origin): 77,200
(Tibet/China); 69,609 (Sri
Lanka); 9,472
(Afghanistan)
IDPs: at
least 600,000 (about half
are Kashmiri Pandits from
Jammu and Kashmir) (2007)
|
|
Trafficking
in persons:
|
current
situation: India
is a source, destination,
and transit country for
men, women, and children
trafficked for the
purposes of forced labor
and commercial sexual
exploitation; internal
forced labor may
constitute India's largest
trafficking problem; men,
women, and children are
held in debt bondage and
face forced labor working
in brick kilns, rice
mills, agriculture, and
embroidery factories;
women and girls are
trafficked within the
country for the purposes
of commercial sexual
exploitation and forced
marriage; children are
subjected to forced labor
as factory workers,
domestic servants,
beggars, and agriculture
workers, and have been
used as armed combatants
by some terrorist and
insurgent groups; India is
also a destination for
women and girls from Nepal
and Bangladesh trafficked
for the purpose of
commercial sexual
exploitation; Indian women
are trafficked to the
Middle East for commercial
sexual exploitation; men
and women from Bangladesh
and Nepal are trafficked
through India for forced
labor and commercial
sexual exploitation in the
Middle East
tier
rating: Tier
2 Watch List - India is on
the Tier 2 Watch List for
a fifth consecutive year
for its failure to provide
evidence of increasing
efforts to combat human
trafficking in 2007;
despite the reported
extent of the trafficking
crisis in India,
government authorities
made uneven efforts to
prosecute traffickers and
protect trafficking
victims; government
authorities continued to
rescue victims of
commercial sexual
exploitation and forced
child labor and child
armed combatants, and
began to show progress in
law enforcement against
these forms of
trafficking; a critical
challenge overall is the
lack of punishment for
traffickers, effectively
resulting in impunity for
acts of human trafficking;
India has not ratified the
2000 UN TIP Protocol
(2008)
|
|
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
and throughout Southwest
Asia; illicit producer of
methaqualone; vulnerable
to narcotics money
laundering through the
hawala system; licit
ketamine and precursor
production
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AsianInfo.org
supports I.C.E.Y. -
H.O.P.E. (non-profit org)
(International
Cooperation of Environmental Youth - Helping Our Polluted
Earth) Any advertisement you view helps save the
environment! Thanks! |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|