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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: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 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:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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
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, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum,
limestone
Land use:
arable land: 56%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 16% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 480,000 sq km (1993
est.)
Natural hazards: droughts, flash
floods, severe thunderstorms common; earthquakes
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
Environment—international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: dominates South
Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes
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Population: 984,003,683 (July 1998
est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34% (male 174,578,403; female 164,755,937)
15-64 years: 61% (male 310,995,355; female 288,344,336)
65 years and over: 5% (male 23,051,278; female 22,278,374)
(July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.71% (1998
est.)
Birth rate: 25.91 births/1,000
population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.69 deaths/1,000
population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.08 migrant(s)/1,000
population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 63.14
deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.9 years
male: 62.11 years
female: 63.73 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.24 children
born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian
Ethnic groups: 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%
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
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 52%
male: 65.5%
female: 37.7% (1995 est.)
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Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India
Data code: IN
Government type: federal republic
National 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 Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN (since
NA July 1997); Vice President Krishnan KANT (since NA September
1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Atal Bihari VAJPAYEE
(since 19 March 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers 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; vice president
elected by both houses of Parliament; prime minister elected by
parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative
elections
election results: Kicheril Raman NARAYANAN elected
president; percent of electoral college vote—NA; Krishnan KANT
elected vice president; percent of Parliament vote - NA; Atal
Bihari VAJPAYEE elected prime minister; percent of vote—NA
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
which 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 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly—last held 16 February
through 7 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003)
election results: People's Assembly—percent of vote by
party—NA; seats by party - NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court,
judges are appointed by the president and remain in office until
they reach the age of 65
Political parties and leaders:
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Kushabhau THAKRE, president, L. K.
ADVANI, A. B. VAJPAYEE; Congress (I) Party, Sonia GANDHI,
president; Janata Dal Party, Sharad YADAV, president, I. K. GUJRAL;
Janata Dal (Ajit), Ajit SINGH; Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Laloo
Prasad YADAV; Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M), Harkishan
Singh SURJEET; Tamil Maanila Congress, G. K. MOOPANAR; Dravida
Munnetra Kazagham (a regional party in Tamil Nadu), M. KARUNANIDHI;
Samajwadi Party (SP), Mulayam Singh YADAV (president), Om Prakash
CHAUTALA, Devi LAL; Telugu Desam (Naidu) (a regional party in
Andhra Pradesh), Chandrababu NAIDU; Communist Party of India
(CPI), Indrajit GUPTA; Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip
CHOWDHURY; Asom Gana Parishad, Prafulla Kumar MAHANTA; Congress (Tiwari),
Arjun SINGH and N. D. TIWARI; All India Forward Bloc (AIFB), Prem
Dutta PALIWAL (chairman), Chitta BASU (general secretary); Muslim
League, G. M. BANATWALA; Madhya Pradesh Vikas Congress, Madhavro
SCINDIA; Karnataka Congress Party, S. BANGARAPPA; Shiv Sena, Bal
THACKERAY; Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi RAM; Communist Party
of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML), Vinod MISHRA; 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; Samata Party
(formerly Janata Dal members), George FERNANDES; Indian National
League, Suliaman SAIT; Kerala Congress (Mani faction), K. M. MANI
Political pressure groups and leaders:
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
International organization participation:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS (pending member), C, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUA,
NAM, OAS (observer), PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNOMIL, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Naresh CHANDRA
chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008; note—Embassy located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000
FAX: [1] (202) 483-3972
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San
Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard CELESTE
embassy: Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [91] (11) 688-9033, 611-3033
FAX: [91] (11) 419-0017
consulate(s) general: Calcutta, Chennai (Madras), Mumbai
(Bombay)
Flag description: 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
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Economy—overview: India's economy
encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture,
handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of
support services. 67% of India's labor force of nearly 400 million
work in agriculture, which contributes 30% of the country's GDP.
Production, trade, and investment reforms since 1991 have provided
new opportunities for Indian businesspersons and an estimated 300
million middle class consumers. New Delhi has avoided debt
rescheduling, attracted foreign investment, and revived confidence
in India's economic prospects since 1991. Many of the country's
fundamentals - including savings rates (26% of GDP) and reserves
(now about $24 billion) - are healthy. Inflation eased to 7% in
1997, and interest rates dropped to between 10% and 13%. Even so,
the Indian Government needs to restore the early momentum of
reform, especially by continuing reductions in the extensive
remaining government regulations. Moreover, economic policy
changes have not yet significantly increased jobs or reduced the
risk that international financial strains will reemerge within the
next few years. Nearly 40% of the Indian population remains too
poor to afford an adequate diet. India's exports, currency, and
foreign institutional investment were affected by the East Asian
crisis in late 1997 and early 1998, but capital account controls,
a low ratio of short-term debt to reserves, and enhanced
supervision of the financial sector helped insulate it from near
term balance-of-payments problems. Export growth, has been
slipping in 1996-97, averaging only about 4% to 5%—a large drop
from the more than 20% increases it was experiencing over the
prior three years—mainly because of the fall in Asian currencies
relative to the rupee. Energy, telecommunications, and
transportation shortages and the legacy of inefficient factories
constrain industrial growth which expanded only 6.7% in
1997—down from more than 11% in 1996. Growth of the agricultural
sector is still fairly slow rebounding to only 5.7% in 1997 from a
fall of 0.1% in 1996. Agricultural investment has slowed, while
costly subsidies on fertilizer, food distribution, and rural
electricity remain. Nevertheless, even if a series of weak
coalition governments continue to rule in New Delhi over the next
few years and are unable to push reforms aggressively, parts of
the economy that have already benefited from deregulation will
continue to grow. Indian think tanks project GDP growth of at
least 5.5% in 1998.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.534
trillion (1997 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 5% (1997
est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power
parity—$1,600 (1997 est.)
GDP—composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 28%
services: 42% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate—consumer price index:
7% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 390 million (1997 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 67%, services 18%, industry 15%
(1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $39 billion
expenditures: $61 billion, including capital expenditures
of $10 billion (FY97/98 est.)
Industries: textiles, chemicals, food
processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining,
petroleum, machinery
Industrial production growth rate:
6.7% (1997 est.)
Electricity—capacity: 83.288
million kW (1996)
Electricity—production: 398.28
billion kWh (1995)
Electricity—consumption per capita:
427 kWh (1995)
Agriculture—products: rice, wheat,
oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water
buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish catch of about 3 million
metric tons ranks India among the world's top 10 fishing nations
Exports:
total value: $33.9 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
commodities: gems and jewelry, clothing, engineering goods,
chemicals, leather manufactures, cotton yarn, and fabric
partners: US, Hong Kong, UK, Germany
Imports:
total value: $39.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, machinery,
gems, fertilizer, chemicals
partners: US, Belgium, Germany, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UK,
Japan
Debt—external: $90.7 billion (1997)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $1.237 billion (1993); US ODA bilateral
commitments $171 million; US Ex-Im bilateral commitments $680
million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA bilateral commitments
$2.48 billion; OPEC bilateral aid $200 million; World Bank (IBRD)
multilateral commitments $2.8 billion; Asian Development Bank (AsDB)
multilateral commitments $760 million; International Finance
Corporation (IFC) multilateral commitments $200 million; other
multilateral commitments $554 million (1995-96)
Currency: 1 Indian rupee (Re) = 100
paise
Exchange rates: Indian rupees (Rs)
per US$1—39.358 (January 1998), 36.313 (1997), 35.433 (1996),
32.427 (1995), 31.374 (1994), 30.493 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March
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Telephones: 12 million (1996)
Telephone system: probably the least
adequate telephone system of any of the industrializing countries;
three of every four villages have no telephone service; only 5% of
India's villages have long-distance service; poor telephone
service significantly impedes commercial and industrial growth and
penalizes India in global markets; slow improvement is taking
place with the recent admission of private and private-public
investors, but demand for communication services is also growing
rapidly
domestic: local service is provided mostly by open wire and
obsolete electromechanical and manual switchboard systems; within
the last 10 years a substantial amount of digital switch gear has
been introduced for local service; long-distance traffic is
carried mostly by open wire, coaxial cable, and low-capacity
microwave radio relay; since 1985, however, significant trunk
capacity has been added in the form of fiber-optic cable and a
domestic satellite system with over 100 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations—8 Intelsat
(Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean Region); submarine
cables to Malaysia and UAE
Radio broadcast stations: AM 96, FM
4, shortwave 0
Radios: 70 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 274
(government controlled)
Televisions: 33 million (1992 est.)
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Railways:
total: 62,660 km (12,296 km electrified; 12,617 km double
track)
broad gauge: 39,612 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 19,210 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,838 km 0.762-m and
0.610-m gauge (1995 est.)
Highways:
total: 2.06 million km
paved: 1,034,120 km
unpaved: 1,025,880 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 16,180 km; 3,631 km
navigable by large vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 3,005 km;
petroleum products 2,687 km; natural gas 1,700 km (1995)
Ports and harbors: Calcutta, Chennai
(Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Mumbai (Bombay),
Vishakhapatnam
Merchant marine:
total: 299 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,605,619 GRT/10,988,439
DWT
ships by type: bulk 126, cargo 58, chemical tanker 9,
combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 11, liquefied
gas tanker 9, oil tanker 75, passenger-cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 1, short-sea passenger 1 (1997 est.)
Airports: 343 (1997 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:
total: 237
over 3,047 m: 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 47
1,524 to 2,437 m: 87
914 to 1,523 m: 72
under 914 m: 19 (1997 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:
total: 106
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 47
under 914 m: 51 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 16 (1997 est.)
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Military branches: Army, Navy, Air
Force, various security or paramilitary forces (includes Border
Security Force, Assam Rifles, and Coast Guard)
Military manpower—military age: 17
years of age
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15-49: 263,765,005 (1998 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military
service:
males: 154,925,081 (1998 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age
annually:
males: 10,566,718 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure:
$8 billion (FY95/96)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP:
2.7% (FY95/96)
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Disputes—international: boundary
with China in dispute; status of Kashmir with Pakistan;
water-sharing problems with Pakistan over the Indus River (Wular
Barrage); a portion of the boundary with Bangladesh is indefinite
Illicit drugs: world's largest licit
producer of opium 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; cultivated 2,050 hectares of opium in
1997, a 34% decrease from 1996, with a potential production of 30
metric tons, a 36% decrease from 1996
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