India

Republic of India

federal republicIndependence 15 August 1947 (from UK)

India as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 82 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

LocationSouthern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of

Populationas each edition published it

936.55 million July 1995 est. · 849.75m in 1990

Population growth% a year

1.77% 1995 est. · 1.86% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 24.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

59.04 years 1995 est. · 58.12 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.4 children per woman 1995 est. · 3.8 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

76.3 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 89 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$1,360 1994 est. · $270 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

5% 1994 est. · 4% in 1993

Geography

Southern 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 sq km (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 to the edge of the 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

Southern 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

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 rapidly growing population is overstraining natural resources
natural hazards:: droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; earthquakes
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, Desertification, Law of the Sea

Note

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes

People

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Population

936,545,814

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 1.77% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

27.78Death

10.07Net migration

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years59.04

58.5 · 59.61

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy52%

64% · 39%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 7 and over can read and write (1991)

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)by occupation: agriculture 65% (1993 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 35% (female 159,921,309; male 168,812,255)
15-64 years:: 61% (female 274,105,407; male 296,145,798)
65 years and over:: 4% (female 18,870,762; male 18,690,283) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

76.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 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; President Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 25 July 1992); Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June 1991)

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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 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

Legal system

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

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 1996);
results - percent of vote by party NA;
seats - (545 total, 543 elected, 2 appointed) Congress (I) Party 245, BJP 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;
note - the distribution of seats as of 18 January 1995 is as
follows:: Congress (I) Party 260, BJP 117, CPI/M 36, Janata Dal Party 24, Samta Party 14, CPI 14, AIADMK 12, Janata Dal (Ajit) 7, Telugu Desam 7, RSP 4, Janata Dal (Ex-Ajit) 3, Samajwadi Party 3, BSP 3, AIFB 3, Shiv Sena 2, Congress (S) Party 1, Kerala Congress (Mani faction) 1, Bihar Peoples Party 1, India National League 1, other 14, vacant 16

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, S.R. BOMMAI;
Janata Dal (Ajit), Ajit SINGH;
Janata Dal (Ex-Ajit), leader NA;
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), Mulayam Singh YADAV (President), Om Prakash CHAUTALA, Devi LAL;
Shiv Sena, Bal THACKERAY;
Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip CHOWDHURY;
Bahujan 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;
Bihar Peoples Party, Lovely ANAND;
Samta Party (formerly Janata Dal members), Natish KUMAR;
Indian National League, Suliaman SAIT;
Kerala Congress (Mani faction), K.M. MANI;
All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), Prem Dutta PALIWAL (Chairman), Chitta BASU (General Secretary)

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

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNOMIL, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM, UNU, 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:: [1] (202) 939-7000
consulate(s) general:: Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Frank G. WISNER
embassy:: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi
mailing address:: use embassy street address
telephone:: [91] (11) 600651

FAX

[91] (11) 6872028; 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.

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GDP per capita, PPP

$1,360

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 7% (1994 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

10%

(1994 est.)

External debt

$89.2billion

(November 1994)

Budget

Revenues

$30.85 billionExpenditures

$48.35 billion

expenditures including capital expenditures of $10.5 billion (FY93/94)

Installed generating capacity, 81,200,000 kW

Electricity production

314 billionElectricity consumption per capita

324 (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. Production, trade, and investment reforms since 1991 have provided new opportunities for Indian businessmen and an estimated 100 million to 200 million middle class consumers.

New Delhi has always paid its foreign debts on schedule and has stimulated exports, attracted foreign investment, and revived confidence in India's economic prospects. Foreign exchange reserves, precariously low three years ago, now total more than $19 billion. Positive factors for the remainder of the 1990s are India's strong entrepreneurial class and the central government's recognition of the continuing need for market-oriented approaches to economic development, for example in upgrading the wholly inadequate communications facilities.

Negative factors include the desperate poverty of hundreds of millions of Indians and the impact of the huge and expanding population on an already overloaded environment.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.2539 trillion (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$24.4 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)

commodities:: clothing, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures, cotton yarn, and fabric
partners:: US, Japan, Germany, UK, Hong Kong

Imports

$25.5 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)

commodities:: crude oil and petroleum products, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals
partners:: US, Germany, Saudi Arabia, UK, Belgium, Japan

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 34% of GDP;
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 an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets;
major transit country for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries;
illicit producer of hashish and methaqualone;
produced 82 metric tons of illicit opium in 1994

Economic aid

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 - 31.374 (January 1995), 31.374 (1994), 30.493 (1993), 25.918 (1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Transportation

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Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 352 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways

1.97 millionRailroads

62,211Inland waterways

16,180

Highways: paved: 960,000 km · unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 1.01 million km (1989) · Railroads: (6,500 km electrified; 12,617 km double track) · broad gauge: 34,544 km 1.676-m gauge · narrow gauge: 23,599 km 1.000-m gauge; 4,068 km 0.762-m and 0.610-m gauge (1994 est.) · Inland waterways: ; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels

Railroads

total:: 62,211 km (6,500 km electrified; 12,617 km double track)
broad gauge:: 34,544 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge:: 23,599 km 1.000-m gauge; 4,068 km 0.762-m and 0.610-m gauge (1994 est.)

Highways

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, Haldia, Kandla, Madras, Mormugao, New Mangalore, Pondicherry, Port Blair (Andaman Islands), Tuticorin, Vishakhapatnam

Merchant marine

total:: 299 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,288,902 GRT/10,454,178 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 114, cargo 78, chemical tanker 9, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 5, container 10, liquefied gas tanker 6, oil tanker 68, passenger-cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

NA telephones;
5 telephones/1,000 persons;
domestic telephone system is poor;
long-distance telephoning has been improved by a domestic satellite system which also carries TV

local:: NA
intercity:: NA
international:: 3 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth stations and submarine cables to Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates