India

federal republicIndependence 15 August 1947 (from UK)

India as the 1994 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 123 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

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CapitalNew Delhi
LocationSouthern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal,
1994

Every edition of India

Populationas each edition published it
919.9 million July 1994 est. · 849.75m in 1990
Population growth% a year
1.82% 1994 est. · 1.86% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 24.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
Not in this edition 58.12 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
3.48 children per woman 1994 est. · 3.8 in 1990
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
78.4 deaths per 1,000 live births 1994 est. · 89 in 1990
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,300 $270 in 1993
GDP real growth% a year
3.8% 4% in 1993

Geography

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

25 fields
Coastline
7,000km
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
Irrigated land
430,390sq km
(1989)

Location

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

Map references

Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

total area

3,287,590 km2

land area

2,973,190 km2

comparative area

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or the edge of continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

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

arable land

55%

permanent crops

1%

meadows and pastures

4%

forest and woodland

23%

other

17%

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;
  • huge and rapidly growing population is overstraining natural resources

natural hazards

  • droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common;
  • subject to earthquakes (a quake measuring 6.4 on the Richter scale occurred near Hyderabad killing several thousand people and causing extensive damage in late September 1993)

international agreements

  • party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling;
  • signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Note

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes

People

22 fields
Population
919,903,056
(July 1994 est.)growth rate: 1.82% (1994 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1994 est.)

Birth
28.45Death
10.29Net migration
0

Ethnic divisions

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

Religions

Hindu 80%Muslim 14%Christian 2.4%Sikh 2%Buddhist 0.7%Jains 0.5%other 0.4%
Labor force
314.751million
(1990)
Literacy
7and over can read and write
age · (1991 est.)

Infant mortality rate

78.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

total population

58.58 years

male

58.09 years

female

59.09 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.48 children born/woman (1994 est.)

noun

Indian(s)

adjective

Indian

Languages

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

total population

52.11%

male

63.86%

female

39.42%

by occupation

agriculture 65% (1993 est.)

Government

Federal republic

32 fields

Legislature, 543 seatsseats by party

(545 total, 543 elected, 2 appointed) Congress (I) Party 245Bharatiya Janata Party 119Janata Dal Party 39Janata Dal (Ajit Singh) 20CPI/M 35CPI 14Telugu Desam 13AIADMK 11Samajwadi Janata Party 5Shiv Sena 4RSP 4BSP 1Congress (S) Party 1other 23vacant 9

conventional long form

Republic of India

conventional short form

India

Type

federal republic

Capital

New Delhi

Administrative divisions

25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

Independence

15 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday

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

Constitution

26 January 1950

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

chief of state

President Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 25 July 1992); Vice President Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN (since 21 August 1992)

head of government

Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June 1991)

cabinet

Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime minister

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Sansad)

Council of States (Rajya Sabha)

body consisting of not more than 250 members, up to 12 appointed by the president, the remainder chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies

People's Assembly (Lok Sabha)

  • elections 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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders

  • Congress (I) Party, P. V. Narasimha RAO, president;
  • Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), L.K. ADVANI;
  • Janata Dal Party, Chandra SHEKHAR;
  • Janata Dal (Ajit Singh), Ajit SINGH;
  • Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M), Harkishan Singh SURJEET;
  • Communist Party of India (CPI), Indrajit GUPTA;
  • 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), Jayaram JAYALALITHA;
  • Samajwadi Party (SP, formerly Samajwadi Janata Party), Mulayam Singh YADAV (President), Om Prakash CHAUTALA, Devi LAL;
  • 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), Vinod MISHRA;
  • 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

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

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, OAS (observer), ONUSAL, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

chief of mission

Ambassador Siddhartha Shankar RAY

chancery

2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone

(202) 939-7000

consulate(s) general

Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

chief of mission

Ambassador-designate Frank WISNER

embassy

Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[91] (11) 600651

FAX

[91] (11) 687-2028

consulate(s) 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.

26 fields
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,300
(FY94 est.)
Real growth rate
3.8%
(FY94 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 2% (1993 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP
External debt
$90.1billion
(March 1993)

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.

US and other foreign firms are increasing their investment in India. In January 1994, international financial reserves were comfortably high.

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.17 trillion (FY94 est.)

revenues

$29.6 billion

expenditures

$45.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.2 billion (FY93)

Exports

$21.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)

commodities

gems and jewelry, clothing, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures, cotton yarn, and fabric

partners

US 18.9%, Germany 7.8%, Italy 7.8%, (FY93)

Imports

$22 billion (c.i.f., 1993)

commodities

crude oil and petroleum products, gems, fertilizer, chemicals, machinery

partners

US 9.8%, Belgium 8.4%, Germany 7.6% (FY93)

capacity

82,000,000 kW

production

310 billion kWh

consumption per capita

340 kWh (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

  • accounts for about 40% of GDP and employs 65% 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;
  • minor production of illicit opium

recipient

  • 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 - 31.370 (January 1994), 30.493 (1993), 25.918 (1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

15 fields

Networkskm

Railroads
61,850Inland waterways
16,180
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

total

1.97 million km

paved

960,000 km

unpaved

gravel, crushed stone, earth 1.01 million km (1989)

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)

Merchant marine

297 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,236,902 GRT/10,369,948 DWT, bulk 111, cargo 81, chemical tanker 9, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 7, container 7, liquefied gas 6, oil tanker 66, passenger-cargo 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1

total

337

usable

288

with permanent-surface runways

208

with runways over 3,659 m

2

with runways 2,440-3,659 m

59

with runways 1,220-2,439 m

92

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)

Defense Forces

Army, Navy, Air Force, Security or Paramilitary Forces (including | Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, and Coast Guard)

3 fields

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Security or Paramilitary Forces (including Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, and Coast Guard)

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 247,948,906;
  • fit for military service 145,881,705;
  • reach military age (17) annually 9,408,586 (1994 est.)

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $6.0 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY93/94)

Central Intelligence Agency. “India.” The World Factbook 1994. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/india/1994.

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