As they settled in the middle Ganges River valley, they adapted to antecedent cultures. This civilization declined around 1500 B.C., probably due to ecological changes.ĭuring the second millennium B.C., pastoral, Aryan-speaking tribes migrated from the northwest into the subcontinent. The people of India have had a continuous civilization since 2500 B.C., when the inhabitants of the Indus River valley developed an urban culture based on commerce and sustained by agricultural trade. Despite economic modernization and laws countering discrimination against the lower end of the class structure, the caste system remains an important source of social identification for most Hindus and a potent factor in the political life of the country. Traditionally, there are four broad categories of castes (varnas), including a category of outcastes, earlier called "untouchables" but now commonly referred to as "dalits." Within these broad categories there are thousands of castes and subcastes, whose relative status varies from region to region. The caste system reflects Indian occupational and religiously defined hierarchies. The population also includes Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, and Parsis. The government has recognized 18 languages as official Hindi is the most widely spoken.Īlthough 81% of the people are Hindu, India also is the home of more than 126 million Muslims-one of the world's largest Muslim populations. Religion, caste, and language are major determinants of social and political organization in India today. Over thousands of years of its history, India has been invaded from the Iranian plateau, Central Asia, Arabia, Afghanistan, and the West Indian people and culture have absorbed and changed these influences to produce a remarkable racial and cultural synthesis. ![]() About 70% of the people live in more than 550,000 villages, and the remainder in more than 200 towns and cities. Almost 33% of Indians are younger than 15 years of age. Major trade partners-U.S., EU, Russia, Japan, Iraq, Iran, central and eastern Europe.Īlthough India occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area, it supports over 15% of the world's population. Imports-$42 billion: petroleum, machinery and transport equipment, edible oils, fertilizer, jewelry, iron and steel. Services and Transportation (49% of GDP) Trade: Exports-$34 billion: agricultural products, engineering goods, precious stones, cotton apparel and fabrics, handicrafts, tea. Industry (29% of GDP): Products-textiles, jute, processed food, steel, machinery, transport equipment, cement, aluminum, fertilizers, mining, petroleum, chemicals, computer software. Natural resources: Coal, iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, chromite, thorium, limestone, barite, titanium ore, diamonds, crude oil.Īgriculture (25% of GDP): Products-wheat, rice, coarse grains, oilseeds, sugar, cotton, jute, tea. Political subdivisions: 28 states,* 7 union territories. Political parties: Bharatiya Janata Party, Congress (I), Janata Dal (United), Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India-Marxist, and numerous regional and small national parties. Legislative-bicameral parliament (Rajya Sabha or Council of States and Lok Sabha or House of the People). Agriculture-63% industry and commerce-22% services and government-11% transport and communications-4%.īranches: Executive-president (chief of state), prime minister (head of government), Council of Ministers (cabinet). Languages: Hindi, English, and 16 other official languages.Įducation: Years compulsory-9 (to age 14). Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5%. Population (2003 est.): 1.05 billion urban 27.8%.Įthnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid 2%, others. Nationality: Noun and adjective-Indian(s). Terrain: Varies from Himalayas to flat river valleys.Ĭlimate: Alpine to temperate to subtropical monsoon. Other major cities-Mumbai, formerly Bombay (16.4 million) Kolkata, formerly Calcutta (13.2 million) Chennai, formerly Madras (6.4 million) Bangalore (5.7 million) Hyderabad (5.5 million) Ahmedabad (5 million) Pune (4 million). mi.) about one-third the size of the U.S.Ĭities: Capital-New Delhi (pop. Western Hemisphere (Latin America, the Caribbean, Canada)įor the most current version of this Note, see Background Notes A-Z.Near East (northern Africa, Middle East).Counterterrorism & Countering Violent Extremism.Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment.Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights.Arms Control and International Security. ![]() Alphabetical List of Bureaus and Offices.
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