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India

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Official nameBharat (Hindi); Republic of India (English)
Form of governmentmultiparty federal republic with two legislative houses (Council of States [2451]; House of the People [5452])
Chief of statePresident
Head of governmentPrime Minister
CapitalNew Delhi
Official languagesHindi; English
Official religionnone
Monetary unitIndian rupee (Re, plural Rs)
Population estimate(2007) 1,129,866,000
Total area (sq mi)1,222,559
Total area (sq km)3,166,414

1The Council of States can have a maximum of 250 members; a maximum of 12 of these members may be nominated by the President.

2The House of the People can have a maximum of 552 members; this number includes 2 nonelective seats.

Main

The Taj Mahal in Agra, India, one of the world’s great architectural masterpieces.[Credits : Brand X Pictures/Jupiterimages]country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic consisting of 28 states, each with a substantial degree of control over its own affairs; 6 less fully empowered union territories; and the Delhi national capital territory, which includes New Delhi, India’s capital. With roughly one-sixth of the world’s total population, India is the second most populous country, after China.

It is known from archaeological evidence that a highly sophisticated, urbanized culture—the Indus civilization—dominated the northwestern part of the subcontinent from about 2600 to 2000 bce. From that period on, India functioned as a virtually self-contained political and cultural arena, which gave rise to a distinctive tradition that was associated primarily with Hinduism, the roots of which can largely be traced to the Indus civilization. Other religions, notably Buddhism and Jainism, originated in India—though their presence there is now quite small—and throughout the centuries residents of the subcontinent developed a rich intellectual life in such fields as mathematics, astronomy, and architecture. Much of early Indian work in the sciences influenced ancient Egyptian and Greek culture.

Rajput fort overlooking (foreground) Jaisalmer, Rajasthan, India.[Credits : © John Isaac]Throughout its history, India was intermittently disturbed by incursions from beyond its northern mountain wall. Especially important was the coming of Islam, brought from the northwest by Arab, Turkish, Persian, and other raiders beginning early in the 8th century ce. Eventually, some of these raiders stayed; by the 13th century much of the subcontinent was under Muslim rule, and the number of Muslims steadily increased. Only after the arrival of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama in 1498 and the subsequent establishment of European maritime supremacy in the region did India become exposed to major external influences arriving by sea, a process that culminated in the decline of the ruling Muslim elite and absorption of the subcontinent within the British Empire.

Direct administration by the British, which began in 1858, effected a political and economic unification of the subcontinent. When British rule came to an end in 1947, the subcontinent was partitioned along religious lines into two separate countries—India, with a majority of Hindus, and Pakistan, with a majority of Muslims; the eastern portion of Pakistan later split off to form Bangladesh. Many British institutions stayed in place (such as the parliamentary system of government); English continued to be a widely used lingua franca; and India remained within the Commonwealth. Hindi became the official language (and a number of other local languages achieved official status), while a vibrant English-language intelligentsia thrived.

India remains one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Apart from its many religions and sects, India is home to innumerable castes and tribes, as well as to more than a dozen major and hundreds of minor linguistic groups from several language families unrelated to one another. Religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, still account for a significant proportion of the population; collectively, their numbers exceed the populations of all countries except China. Earnest attempts have been made to instill a spirit of nationhood in so varied a population, but tensions between neighbouring groups have remained and at times have resulted in outbreaks of violence. Yet social legislation has done much to alleviate the disabilities previously suffered by formerly “untouchable” castes, tribal populations, women, and other traditionally disadvantaged segments of society. At independence, India was blessed with several leaders of world stature, most notably Mohandas K. Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who were able to galvanize the masses at home and bring prestige to India abroad. The country has played an increasing role in global affairs.

Gateway to India monument near the entrance to Mumbai (Bombay) Harbour, western India, on the east …[Credits : © Cris Haigh—Stone/Getty Images] Contemporary India’s increasing physical prosperity and cultural dynamism—despite continued domestic challenges and economic inequality—are seen in its well-developed infrastructure and a highly diversified industrial base, in its pool of scientific and engineering personnel (one of the largest in the world), in the pace of its agricultural expansion, and in its rich and vibrant cultural exports of music, literature, and cinema. Though the country’s population remains largely rural, India has three of the most populous and cosmopolitan cities in the world—Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), and Delhi. Three other Indian cities—Bangalore (Bengaluru), Chennai (Madras), and Hyderabad—are among the world’s fastest-growing high-technology centres, and most of the world’s major information technology and software companies now have offices in India.

The history section of the articles Pakistan and Bangladesh discuss those countries since their creation.

Land

Settlement in the Kullu Valley, central Himachal Pradesh, India.[Credits : The Holton Collection/SuperStock]India’s frontier, which is roughly one-third coastline, abuts six countries. It is bounded to the northwest by Pakistan, to the north by Nepal, China, and Bhutan; and to the east by Myanmar (Burma). Bangladesh to the east is surrounded by India to the north, east, and west. The island country of Sri Lanka is situated some 40 miles (65 km) off the southeast coast of India across the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar.

The land of India—together with Bangladesh and most of Pakistan—forms a well-defined subcontinent, set off from the rest of Asia by the imposing northern mountain rampart of the Himalayas and by adjoining mountain ranges to the west and east. In area, India ranks as the seventh largest country in the world.

Much of India’s territory lies within a large peninsula, surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east; Cape Comorin, the southernmost point of the Indian mainland, marks the dividing line between these two bodies of water. India has two union territories composed entirely of islands: Lakshadweep, in the Arabian Sea, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which lie between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

Citations

MLA Style:

"India." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 18 May. 2008 <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285248/India>.

APA Style:

India. (2008). In Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved May 18, 2008, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/285248/India

India

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More from Britannica on "India"
India

country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic consisting of 28 states, each with a substantial degree of control over its own affairs; 6 less fully empowered union territories; and the Delhi national capital territory, which includes New Delhi, India’s capital. With roughly one-sixth of the world’s total population, India is the second most populous country, after China.

It is known from archaeological evidence that a highly sophisticated, urbanized culture—the Indus civilization—dominated the northwestern part of the subcontinent from about 2600 to 2000 bce. From that period on, India functioned as a virtually self-contained political and cultural arena, which gave rise to a distinctive tradition that was associated primarily with Hinduism, the roots of which can largely be traced to the Indus civilization. Other religions, notably Buddhism and Jainism, originated in India—though their presence there is now quite small—and throughout the centuries residents of the subcontinent developed a rich...

Etāwah (India)

town, west-central Uttar Pradesh state, northern India. It lies along the Yamuna River, southeast of Āgra. The town is crossed by numerous ravines, one of which separates the old city (south) from the new city (north); bridges and embankments connect the two. Etāwah contains a 16th-century mosque, the Jāmiʿ Mosque, built on high ground from the ruins of old Hindu buildings. There is also a ruined 15th-century fort, surrounded by Hindu temples. The town has important cotton- and silk-weaving industries, contains oilseed mills, and is a distribution centre for ghee (clarified butter).

Etāwah is situated in a stretch of alluvial plain drained by the Yamuna and its tributaries and irrigated by a branch of the Ganges Canal system. Crops include wheat, corn (maize), barley, and millet. The locality has many large ravines, and soil erosion is a problem along the rivers. Reclamation and forestation projects have helped to reclaim some of the land. Pop. (1981) town, 212,174.

Chittoor (India)

city, southern Andhra Pradesh state, southern India. Situated 80 miles (130 km) west-northwest of the city of Madras, the city is a road and trade centre; rice and oilseed milling are the main industries. The bulk of Indian steatite (soapstone) comes from the nearby hills.

The surrounding area is composed mainly of the Chittoor Basin along the course of the Penner River in the vicinity of the mountains of Cuddapah. Natural resources are poor, and the only agricultural products of note are sorghum, peanuts (groundnuts), and bajra (pearl millet). Pop. (1991 prelim.) city, 133,233.

Lakkundi (India)

Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.

  • Jaina temple South Asian arts

    ...an increasing individuality that culminates in the distinctive style of the 12th century and later. The Kalleśvara temple at Kukkanūr (late 10th century) and a large Jaina temple at Lakkundi (c. 1050–1100) clearly demonstrate the transition. The superstructures, though basically of the South Indian type, have offsets and recesses that tend to emphasize a vertical,...

Chhatarpur (India)

town, north central Madhya Pradesh state, central India. The town is a major road junction and is a trade centre for agricultural products and cloth fabrics. Founded in 1707 by Chhatrasal, a Bundelā king who successfully resisted the Mughal authority, it was the capital of the former princely state of Chhatarpur of the British Central India Agency. Constituted a municipality in 1908, Chhatarpur has a museum, a modern officers’ colony, and three colleges and a law school affiliated with Awadesh Pratāp Singh University.

The surrounding region is a fertile plain lying between the Dhasān and Ken rivers and is dotted with wooded hills rising to 1,500 feet (450 m) in the south. Rice, sorghum, wheat, barley, and legumes are the major crops. The region contains many ancient monuments, including Khajurāho and Rājgarh fort and palace. Pop. (1981) town, 51,959.

This topic is discussed at the following external Web sites.

The Official Site of Chattarpur
IndianNGOs - CHHATARPUR DISTRICT
The Official Site of Chhatarpur Nagar Palika

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