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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search This article is about the Republic of India. For other uses, see India (disambiguation).

Republic of India Bharat Ganrajya

Flag

Emblem

Motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit)

Anthem: Jana Gana Mana

Menu 0:00 National song: Vande Mataram

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Area controlled by India shown in dark green; claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green.

Capital Largest city Official languages

New Delhi
2836.8N 7712.5E

Mumbai (population/area) Hindi English

[show] Recognised regional languages 8th Schedule[show] None[3] National language Indian Demonym Federal parliamentary Government constitutional republic[1] - President Pranab Mukherjee - Vice President Mohammad Hamid Ansari - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh (INC) - Speaker of the House Meira Kumar (INC) - Chief Justice Altamas Kabir[4] Parliament of India Legislature - Upper house Rajya Sabha - Lower house Lok Sabha Independence from the United Kingdom - Dominion 15 August 1947 - Republic 26 January 1950 Area 3,287,263 km2[b] (7th) - Total 1,269,219 sq mi - Water (%) 9.6 Population - 2011 census 1,210,193,422[5] (2nd) - Density 373.6/km2 (31st)

GDP (PPP) - Total - Per capita GDP (nominal) - Total - Per capita Gini (2010) HDI (2012) Currency Time zone - Summer (DST) Date format Drives on the Calling code ISO 3166 code Internet TLD

967.5/sq mi 2012 estimate $4.711 trillion[6] (3rd) $3,851[6] (129th) 2012 estimate $1.947 trillion[7] (10th) $1,592[6] (140th) 33.9[8] medium 79th 0.554[9][10] medium 136th (medium) Indian rupee ( ) (INR) IST (UTC+05:30) not observed (UTC+05:30) dd-mm-yyyy (CE) left +91 IN .in other TLDs[show]

India ( i/ndi/), officially the Republic of India (Bharat Ganrajya)[c], is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;[d] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.[11] Four world religionsHinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi. The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP).[12] Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate public healthcare, and terrorism. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest

standing army in the world and ranks seventh in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and multi-ethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Contents

1 Etymology 2 History o 2.1 Ancient India o 2.2 Medieval India o 2.3 Early modern India o 2.4 Modern India 3 Geography 4 Biodiversity 5 Politics o 5.1 Government o 5.2 Subdivisions 6 Foreign relations and military 7 Economy 8 Demographics 9 Culture o 9.1 Art and architecture o 9.2 Literature o 9.3 Performing Arts o 9.4 Motion Pictures o 9.5 Society o 9.6 Cuisine o 9.7 Science and technology o 9.8 Sport 10 See also 11 Notes 12 Citations 13 References 14 External links

Etymology
Main article: Names of India The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word Hindu. The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation for the Indus River.[13] The ancient Greeks referred to the Indians as Indoi (), which translates as "the people of the Indus".[14] The geographical term Bharat (pronounced [bart] (
listen)),

which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country, is used by many Indian languages in its variations.[15] The eponym of Bharat is Bharata, a theological figure that Hindu scriptures describe as a legendary emperor of ancient India. Hindustan ([ndstan] ( listen)) was originally a Persian word that meant "Land of the Hindus"; prior to 1947, it referred to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan. It is occasionally used to solely denote India in its entirety.[16][17]

History
Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India

Ancient India
The earliest anatomically modern human remains found in South Asia date from approximately 30,000 years ago.[18] Nearly contemporaneous Mesolithic rock art sites have been found in many parts of the Indian subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh.[19] Around 7000 BCE, the first known Neolithic settlements appeared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other sites in western Pakistan.[20] These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,[21] the first urban culture in South Asia;[22] it flourished during 2500 1900 BCE in Pakistan and western India.[23] Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Dholavira, and Kalibangan, and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilization engaged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade.[22] During the period 2000500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age.[24] The Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism,[25] were composed during this period,[26] and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Gangetic Plain.[24] Most historians also consider this period to have encompassed several waves of Indo-Aryan migration into the subcontinent from the north-west.[27][25][28] The caste system, which created a hierarchy of priests, warriors, and free peasants, but which excluded indigenous peoples by labelling their occupations impure, arose during this period.[29] On the Deccan Plateau, archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation.[24] In southern India, a progression to sedentary life is indicated by the large number of megalithic monuments dating from this period,[30] as well as by nearby traces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and craft traditions.[30]

Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, 6th century In the late Vedic period, around the 5th century BCE, the small chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north-western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the mahajanapadas.[31][32] The emerging urbanisation and the orthodoxies of this age also created the religious reform movements of Buddhism and Jainism,[33] both of which became independent religions.[34] Buddhism, based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha attracted followers from all social classes excepting the middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the beginnings of recorded history in India.[33][35][36] Jainism came into prominence around the same time during the life of its exemplar, Mahavira.[37] In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up renunciation as an ideal,[38] and both established long-lasting monasteries.[31] Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states to emerge as the Mauryan Empire.[31] The empire was once thought to have controlled most of the subcontinent excepting the far south, but its core regions are now thought to have been separated by large autonomous areas.[39][40] The Mauryan kings are known as much for their empire-building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka's renunciation of militarism and far-flung advocacy of the Buddhist dhamma.[41][42] The Sangam literature of the Tamil language reveals that, between 200 BCE and 200 CE, the southern peninsula was being ruled by the Cheras, the Cholas, and the Pandyas, dynasties that traded extensively with the Roman Empire and with West and South-East Asia.[43][44] In North India, Hinduism asserted patriarchal control within the family, leading to increased subordination of women.[45][31] By the 4th and 5th centuries, the Gupta Empire had created in the greater Ganges Plain a complex system of administration and taxation that became a model for later Indian kingdoms.[46][47] Under the Guptas, a renewed Hinduism based on devotion rather than the management of ritual began to assert itself.[48] The renewal was reflected in a flowering of sculpture and architecture, which found patrons among an urban elite.[47] Classical Sanskrit literature flowered as well, and Indian science, astronomy, medicine, and mathematics made significant advances.[47]

Medieval India

The granite tower of Brihadeeswarar Temple in Thanjavur was completed in 1010 CE by Raja Raja Chola I. The Indian early medieval age, 600 CE to 1200 CE, is defined by regi