LAND Area: 3,165,596 sq km (1,222,243 sq mi) Highest Point: Kanchenjunga 8598 m (28,208 ft) above sea level Lowest Point: Sea level along the coast
CLIMATE Average Temperatures New Delhi January 14° C 57° F July 31° C 89° F Bombay January 24° C 75° F July 27° C 81° F Average Annual Precipitation Delhi 640 mm (25 in) Bombay 1810 mm (71 in)
POPULATION: 931,044,000 (1995 estimate) Population Density: 294 persons/sq km (762 persons/sq mi) (1995 estimate) Urban/Rural Breakdown: 27% Urban; 73% Rural (1995 estimate)
Largest Cities Bombay 9,925,891 Delhi 7,206,704 Calcutta 4,399,819 (1991 census)
Largest Metropolitan Areas Bombay 12,596,243 Calcutta 10,916,272 Delhi 8,375,188 (1991 census)
Ethnic Linguistic Groups 72% Indo-Aryans 25% Dravidians 3% Other
Languages Official Languages Hindi, English
Other Languages 14 languages recognized for official purposes: Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu; many other languages and dialects
Religions 83% Hinduism 11% Islam 2% Christianity 2% Sikhism 2% Other including Buddhism and Jainism
GOVERNMENT Form of Government Federal republic
Head of State President Elected by an electoral college to a five-year term
Head of Government Prime minister Appointed by the president
Legislature Bicameral legislature Lok Sabha (House of the People) 545 members |
Rajya Sabha (Council of States) 245 members
Voting Qualifications Universal suffrage for all citizens age 18 and older
Highest Court Supreme Court
Armed Services Army, Navy, Air Force 1,265,000 troops; voluntary service Political Divisions 25 states and seven territories
EDUCATION Major Universities and Colleges University of Bombay,Bombay University of Calcutta,Calcutta University of Madras,Madras University of Delhi,Delhi
ECONOMY Gross Domestic Product
$272.2 billion (1992)
Chief Economic Products Agriculture Sugarcane, rice, wheat, tea, cotton, jute, vegetables, melons, sorghum, millet, cashews, coffee, spices, livestock
Fishing Shrimps and prawns, croakers, Indian oil sardines, Bombay ducks, anchovies, Indian mackerel, marine catfish
Mining Iron ore, coal, bauxite, manganese, mica, dolomite, copper, petroleum, natural gas, chromium, lead, limestone, phosphate rock, zinc, gold, silver
Manufacturing Textiles, iron and steel, processed agricultural products, machinery, transportation equipment, nonferrous metals, fertilizer, refined petroleum, chemicals, computer software
Employment Breakdown 67% Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing 20% Services 13% Industry
Major Exports Gems and jewelry, engineering goods, garments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, cotton yarn and fabrics, leather and leather goods, marine products, iron ore, tea, vegetables and fruit, petroleum products, handmade carpets
Major Imports Petroleum and petroleum products, nonelectric machinery, precious and semiprecious stones, inorganic chemicals, iron and steel, fertilizers, electrical machinery, resins and plastics
Major Trading Partners United States, Japan, Germany, Commonwealth of Independent States, Great Britain, Belgium and Luxembourg, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia
Currency Rupee |