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Updated on September 10, 2012

INDIA - FACT SHEETS

PEOPLE AND THE GOVERNMENT

Population : 1.21 billion (2011)
Indian Diaspora : 25 million
Young Demographic Profile : 75% below 35 years; 50% below 25 years.
Religions : India is the birth place of many religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. The predominant religious faiths present in India are: Hinduism (830 million), Islam (140 million), Sikhism (19 million), Christianity (20 million), Buddhism (8 million), Jainism (4 million).
Literacy : Youth (male 15- 24 yrs.) 87%
Youth (female 15 -24 yrs.) 77%
Languages : 22 National Languages have been listed in the Constitution of India, of which Hindi is the Official Language. Besides these, there are over 844 different dialects spoken in various parts of the country. English is widely spoken and is the language of commerce.
 
Country Name : Republic of India; Bharat Ganrajya
Government Type : Sovereign Socialist Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government.
Administrative Divisions : 28 States and 7 Union Territories.
Independence : 15th August 1947 (from British colonial rule)
Constitution : The Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950.
Executive Branch : The President of India is the Head of the State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of the Government, and runs office with the support of the Council of Ministers who form the Cabinet Ministry.
Judicial Branch : The Supreme Court of India is the apex body of the Indian legal system, followed by other High Courts and subordinate Courts.
Head of State : President Mr. Pranab Mukherjee
Head of Government : Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
GEOGRAPHY
Location : The Indian peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The Country is surrounded by the Bay of Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west, and the Indian Ocean to the south.
Geographical Coordinates : Lying entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, India extends between 8° 4' and 37° 6' latitudes north of the Equator, and 68° 7' and 97° 25' longitudes east of it. The country measures about 3,214 km from north to south and about 2,933 km from east to west.
Indian Standard Time : GMT + 05:30
Area : 3.3 Million sq. km
Telephone Country Code : +91
National Capital : New Delhi (16.3 mn.)
Other Major Cities :

Mumbai (18.4 mn.)
Kolkatta (14.1 mn.)
Chennai (8.7 mn.)
Bengaluru (8.4 mn.)
Hyderabad (7.7 mn.)
Ahmedabad (6.3 mn.)

35 cities with a population over 1 million.

Coastline : The total length of the coastline is 7,516.6 km, encompassing the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Climate :

The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical monsoon one. But, in spite of much of the northern part of India lying beyond the tropical zone, virtually the entire country has a tropical climate marked by relatively high temperatures and dry winters. There are four seasons:

  1. winter (December-February)
  2. summer (March-June)
  3. south-west monsoon season (June-September)
  4. post monsoon season (October-November)
Terrain : The mainland comprises of four regions, namely the great mountain zone, plains of the Ganga and the Indus, the desert region, and the southern peninsula.
Natural Resources : Coal, iron ore, manganese ore, mica, bauxite, petroleum, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, magnesite, limestone, arable land, dolomite, barytes, kaolin, gypsum, apatite, phosphorite, steatite, fluorite, etc.
Neighbouring Countries : Afghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west; China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north; Myanmar to the east; and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
ECONOMIC
Composition of GDP : The Indian economy is based overwhelmingly on services, which account for 59.0% of GDP; industry for 27.0%; agriculture for 13.9%.
Financial Year : April 1 - March 31
GDP (current prices) : US$1.85 trillion (World Bank 2011)
GDP Growth : 6.9% (2011-12 estimates - Union Budget 2012-13)
Foreign Exchange Reserves : US$ 290.17 bn. (August 24 2012)
Main natural resources : Coal, Iron Ore, Bauxite, Manganese and Chromium.
Principal crops : Wheat, Rice, Maize, Sugarcane
Currency : A$ 1= Rs. 58.43 / US$ 1 = Rs.56.61 (Aug. 2012)
Inflation : 6.87% (July 2012)
FDI Investments : US$36.5 bn. (April 2011 – March 2012)
FII Investments : U$7.15 bn (Jan. 1 2011 - 31 Dec 2011)
Leading Investing Countries : Mauritius, Singapore, U.K., Japan, USA,
TRADE

Year

Exports

Imports

Total Trade

2011-2012

303.72 bn.

488.64 bn.

792.36 bn.

2010-2011

251.14 bn.

369.77 bn.

620.91 bn.

(All figures in US$)

Top 10 Export Destinations: UAE, USA, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Netherlands, U.K., Germany, Belgium and Japan.

Top 10 Import Sources: China, UAE, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, USA, Iraq, Germany, Nigeria, Indonesia, Australia.

 

STATISTICS FOR TOP 10 IMPORT SOURCES (2010 – 11; Apr - Dec.)

COUNTRY

EXPORTS VALUE (in US$ bn.)

U.A.E

26.32

U.S.A.

25.32

SINGAPORE

12.68

CHINA

12.94

HONG KONG

9.35

NETHERLANDS

7.17

UNITED KINGDOM

6.48

GERMANY

5.97

BELGIUM

5.33

JAPAN

4.14

STATISTICS FOR TOP 10 IMPORT DESTINATIONS (2011 – 12; Apr - Dec.)

COUNTRY

IMPORTS VALUE (in US$ bn.)

CHINA

44.81

U.A.E.

26.53

SWITZERLAND

23.62

SAUDI ARABIA

23.05

U.S.A.

17.90

IRAQ

14.02

GERMANY

11.84

INDONESIA

11.32

AUSTRALIA

11.09

NIGERIA

10.84