India The Republic of India is a country that occupies a greater part of South Asia . It has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometres, borders Pakistan to the west , the People's Rebublic of China, Bhtan an Nepal to the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, it is adjacent to the island nation of Shrilanka. India is the seventh-largest country by geographical area and has one of the most diverse populations of wildlife, geographical terrain and climate systems found anywhere in the world. Inida is the second most populous country in the world and the world's largest libral Democracy. India has 28 states and 7 territories, and recognizes 22 official languages spoken across its diverse regions, including the national language Hindi and Englisg, which is widely spoken. India's economy is today the fourth-largest in the world in terms of Purachsing Power Parity and the tenth-largest in nominal terms. Once reliant heavily on agriculture, India's economy is one of the fastest-growing in the world, and the nation is home to modern businesses and high-technology industries. India became a declared nuclear weapons state in 1974. |
| Background: The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was partitioned into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output, India faces pressing problems such as the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife. |
India after 1947:  |
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Links: Places: 1.Delhi 2.Mumbai 3.Jaipur 4.Kashmir 5. |