India

Republic of India

federal republicIndependence 15 August 1947 (from UK)

India as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 79 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalNew Delhi

Area3,287,590 km2

LocationSouth Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between

Populationas each edition published it

903.16 million July 1993 est. · 849.75m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.86% 1993 est. · 0.72% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 24.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

58.12 years 1993 est. · 68.2 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.57 children per woman 1993 est. · 3.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

80.5 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 89 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$270 $9,800 in 2025

GDP real growth% a year

4% 6.5% in 2025

Geography

South Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between | Bangladesh and Pakistan

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Land useshare of 3,287,590 km2

arable land 55%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 4%forest and woodland 23%other 17%irrigated 430,390 km2 (1989)

Area

3,287,590km2

land area: 2,973,190 km2comparative area: slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Coastline

7,000km

contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

14,103km

total · Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km

Location

South Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Pakistan

International disputes

boundaries with Bangladesh and China;
status of Kashmir with Pakistan;
water-sharing problems with downstream riparians, Bangladesh over the Ganges and Pakistan over the Indus

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

Natural resources

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone

Environment

droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common;
deforestation;
soil erosion;
overgrazing;
air and water pollution;
desertification

Note

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes

People

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Population

903,158,968

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 1.86% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

29.11Death

10.52Net migration

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years58.12

57.69 · 58.59

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy48%

62% · 34%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1990)

Ethnic divisions

Indo-Aryan 72%Dravidian 25%Mongoloid and other 3%

Religions

Hindu 82.6%Muslim 11.4%Christian 2.4%Sikh 2%Buddhist 0.7%Jains 0.5%other 0.4%

Labor force

284.4million

by occupation: agriculture 67% (FY85)

Infant mortality rate

80.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Indian(s)
adjective:: Indian

English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication, Hindi the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people, Bengali (official), Telugu (official), Marathi (official), Tamil (official), Urdu (official), Gujarati (official), Malayalam (official), Kannada (official), Oriya (official), Punjabi (official), Assamese (official), Kashmiri (official), Sindhi (official), Sanskrit (official), Hindustani a popular variant of Hindu/Urdu, is spoken widely throughout northern India; note: 24 languages each spoken by a million or more persons; numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible

Government

Federal republic

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Names

conventional long form:: Republic of India
conventional short form:: India

Digraph

Type

federal republic

Capital

New Delhi

Administrative divisions

25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra, Pradesh, Arunachal Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh,, Maharashtra, Manipur,

Independence

15 August 1947 (from UK)

Constitution

26 January 1950

Legal system

based on English common law;
limited judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday

Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950)

Political parties and leaders

Congress (I) Party, P. V. Narasimha RAO, president;
Bharatiya Janata Party, M. M. JOSHI;
Janata Dal Party;
Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M), Harkishan Singh SURJEET;
Communist Party of India (CPI), C. Rajeswara RAO;
Telugu Desam (a regional party in Andhra Pradesh), N. T. Rama RAO;
All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK; a regional party in Tamil Nadu), JAYALALITHA Jeyaram;
Samajwadi Janata Party, CHANDRA SHEKHAR;
Shiv Sena, Bal THACKERAY;
Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip CHOWDHURY;
Bahujana Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi RAM;
Congress (S) Party, leader NA;
Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML), Satyanarayan SINGH;
Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (a regional party in Tamil Nadu), M. KARUNANIDHI;
Akali Dal factions representing Sikh religious community in the Punjab;
National Conference (NC; a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir), Farooq ABDULLAH;
Asom Gana Parishad (a regional party in Assam), Prafulla MAHANTA

Other political or pressure groups

various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy;
numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including
- Adam Sena,
- Ananda Marg,
- Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
- and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

People's Assembly:: last held 21 May, 12 and 15 June 1991 (next to be held by November 1996);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (545 total, 543 elected, 2 appointed) Congress (I) Party 245, Bharatiya Janata Party 119, Janata Dal Party 39, Janata Dal (Ajit Singh) 20, CPI/M 35, CPI 14, Telugu Desam 13, AIADMK 11, Samajwadi Janata Party 5, Shiv Sena 4, RSP 4, BSP 1, Congress (S) Party 1, other 23, vacant 9

Executive branch

president, vice president, prime minister, Council of Ministers

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Sansad) consists of an upper house or Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and a lower house or People's Assembly (Lok Sabha)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 25 July 1992); Vice President K.R. NARAYANAN (since 21 August 1992)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June 1991)

Member of

AG (observer), AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-19, AfDB, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, ONUSAL, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNTAC, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Siddhartha Shankar RAY
chancery:: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: (202) 939-7000
consulates general:: Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering
embassy:: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [91] (11) 600651
FAX:: [91] (11) 687-2028, 687-2391
consulates general:: Bombay, Calcutta, Madras

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of 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

India's economy is a mixture of traditional village farming, modern | agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude | of support services.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$270

(FY93 est.)

Real growth rate

(FY93 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 2.5% (FY93 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

11.9%

(1992 est.)

External debt

$73billion

(March 1992)

Budget

Revenues

$39.2 billionExpenditures

$41.06 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $10.2 billion (FY92)

Overview

India's economy is a mixture of traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services. Faster economic growth in the 1980s permitted a significant increase in real per capita private consumption. A large share of the population, perhaps as much as 40%, remains too poor to afford an adequate diet.

Financial strains in 1990 and 1991 prompted government austerity measures that slowed industrial growth but permitted India to meet its international payment obligations without rescheduling its debt. Policy reforms since 1991 have extended earlier economic liberalization and greatly reduced government controls on production, trade, and investment.

National product

GDP - exchange rate conversion - $240 billion (FY93 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$19.8 billion (f.o.b., FY93 est.)

commodities:: gems and jewelry, clothing, engineering goods, leather manufactures, cotton yarn, and fabric
partners:: USSR 16.1%, US 14.7%, West Germany 7.8% (FY91)

Imports

$25.5 billion (c.i.f., FY93 est.)

commodities:: crude oil and petroleum products, gems, fertilizer, chemicals, machinery
partners:: US 12.1%, West Germany 8.0%, Japan 7.5% (FY91)

Electricity

82,000,000 kW capacity; 310,000 million kWh produced, 340 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery

Agriculture

accounts for about 30% of GDP and employs 67% of labor force;
principal crops - rice, wheat, oilseeds, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes;
livestock - cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, poultry;
fish catch of about 3 million metric tons ranks India among the world's top 10 fishing nations

Illicit drugs

licit producer of opium poppy for the pharmaceutical trade, but some opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets;
major transit country for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries;
illicit producer of hashish

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.4 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $31.7 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $315 million;
USSR (1970-89), $11.6 billion;
Eastern Europe (1970-89), $105 million

Currency

1 Indian rupee (Re) = 100 paise

Exchange rates

Indian rupees (Rs) per US$1 - 26.156 (January 1993), 25.918 (1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989), 13.917 (1988)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

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Merchant marine, 306 ships by type

short-sea passenger 1passenger-cargo 6cargo 87roll-on/roll-off 1container 8oil tanker 63chemical tanker 10combination ore/oil 8bulk 114combination bulk 2liquefied gas 6306 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,278,672 GRT/10,446,073 DWT

Networkskm

Highways

1,970,000Railroads

61,850Inland waterways

16,180

Highways: (1989); 960,000 km surfaced and 1,010,000 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth · Railroads: (1986); 33,553 km 1.676-meter broad gauge, 24,051 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,246 km narrow gauge (0.762 meter and 0.610 meter); 12,617 km is double track; 6,500 km is electrified · Inland waterways: ; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels

Railroads

61,850 km total (1986);
33,553 km 1.676-meter broad gauge, 24,051 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,246 km narrow gauge (0.762 meter and 0.610 meter);
12,617 km is double track;
6,500 km is electrified

Highways

1,970,000 km total (1989); 960,000 km surfaced and 1,010,000 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth

Inland waterways

16,180 km; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels

Pipelines

crude oil 3,497 km; petroleum products 1,703 km; natural gas 902 km (1989)

Ports

Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Kandla, Madras, New Mangalore, Port Blair (Andaman Islands)

Airports

total:: 336
usable:: 285
with permanent-surface runways:: 205
with runways over 3,659 m:: 2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:: 58
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:: 90

Telecommunications

domestic telephone system is poor providing only one telephone for about 200 persons on average;
long distance telephoning has been improved by a domestic satellite system which also carries TV;
international service is provided by 3 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations and by submarine cables to Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates;
broadcast stations - 96 AM, 4 FM, 274 TV (government controlled)