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Coordinates: 21°N 78°E India From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia India, officially the Republic of India (IAST: Bhārat Republic of India Gaṇarājya),[21][22][c] is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh­largest country by area, the second­most populous Bhārat Gaṇarājya country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south­west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south­east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west;[d] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north­east; and Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. Flag State Emblem Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of Motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit) historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent "Truth Alone Triumphs"[1] was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much Anthem: Jana Gana Mana [23] of its long history. Four religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, "Thou art the rulers of the minds of all people"[2][3] Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium National song CE and also shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually Vande Mataram annexed by and brought under the administration of the British "I Bow to Thee, Mother"[a][1][3] East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non­ violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi. Currently, the Indian economy is the world's seventh­largest by nominal GDP and third­largest by purchasing power parity (PPP).[18] Following market­based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest­growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third­largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. Area controlled by India shown in dark green; India is a federal republic governed under a parliamentary claimed but uncontrolled regions shown in light green. system and consists of 29 states and 7 union territories. India is a Capital New Delhi pluralistic, multilingual, and a multi­ethnic society. It is also 28°36.8′N 77°12.5′E home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats. Largest city Mumbai 18°58′30″N 72°49′33″E Official languages Hindi Contents English[4][5][nb 1] Recognised 1 Etymology 1 Etymology regional languages 8th Schedule 2 History 2.1 Ancient India National language None[9][10] 2.2 Medieval India 2.3 Early modern India Religion 79.8% Hinduism 2.4 Modern India 14.2% Islam 3 Geography 2.3% Christianity 4 Biodiversity 1.7% Sikhism 5 Politics 0.7% Buddhism 0.4% Jainism 5.1 Government [11][12] 5.2 Subdivisions 0.9% others 6 Foreign relations and military Demonym Indian 7 Economy 7.1 Sectors Government Federal parliamentary [1] 7.2 Poverty republic 8 Demographics • President Pranab Mukherjee 9 Culture • Vice­President Mohammad Hamid Ansari 9.1 Art and architecture • Prime Minister Narendra Modi 9.2 Literature • Chief Justice T. S. Thakur[13] 9.3 Performing arts • Speaker of the Sumitra Mahajan 9.4 Motion pictures, television Lower House 9.5 Society Legislature Parliament of India 9.6 Clothing 9.7 Sports • Upper house Rajya Sabha 10 See also • Lower house Lok Sabha 11 Notes Independence from the United Kingdom 12 References • Dominion 15 August 1947 13 Bibliography • Republic 26 January 1950 14 External links Area • Total 3,287,263[14] km2[b] (7th) 1,269,346 sq mi Etymology • Water (%) 9.6 Population The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the • 2016 estimate 1,293,057,000[15] (2nd) [24] Old Persian word Sindhi. The latter term stems from the • 2011 census 1,210,854,977[16][17] Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the historical local appellation (2nd) for the Indus River.[25] The ancient Greeks referred to the • Density 388.0/km2 (31st) Indians as Indoi (Ινδοί), which translates as "The people of the 1,004.8/sq mi Indus".[26] GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate • Total $8.727 trillion[18] (3rd) The geographical term Bharat (Bhārat, pronounced [ˈbʱaːrәt̪]), • Per capita $6,664[18] (122nd) which is recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country,[27] is used by many Indian languages in its GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate variations. It is a modernisation of the historical name • Total $2.384 trillion[18] (7th) Bharatavarsha, which gained increasing currency from the mid­ • Per capita $1,820[18] (141st) 19th century onwards as a native name of India.[21] Scholars Gini (2009) 33.9[19] believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of Bharatas in the medium · 79th second millennium B.C.E.[28] It is also traditionally associated HDI (2014) 0.609[20] medium · 130th Currency Indian rupee (₹) (INR) with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata.[29] Gaṇarājya Time zone IST (UTC+05:30) (literally, people's State) is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for DST is not observed "republic" dating back to the ancient times.[30][31][32] Date format dd­mm­yyyy Hindustan ([ɦɪnd̪ ʊˈst̪aːn]) is an ancient Persian name for India Drives on the left dating to 3 century B.C.E. It was introduced into India by the Calling code +91 Mughals and widely used since then, often being thought of as ISO 3166 code IN the "Land of the Hindus." Its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed northern India and Pakistan or India in Internet TLD .in other TLDs its entirety.[21][33][34] History Ancient India The earliest authenticated human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 years ago.[35] Nearly contemporaneous Mesolithic rock art sites have been found in many parts of the Indian subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh.[36] Around 7000 BCE, the first known Neolithic settlements appeared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other sites in western Pakistan.[37] These gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,[38] the first urban culture in South Asia;[39] it flourished during 2500–1900 BCE in Pakistan and western India.[40] Centred around cities such as Mohenjo­daro, Harappa, Dholavira, and Kalibangan, and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation engaged robustly in crafts production and wide­ranging trade.[39] During the period 2000–500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontinent transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age.[41] The Vedas, the oldest scriptures of Hinduism,[42] were composed during this period,[43] and historians have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upper Gangetic Plain.[41] Most historians also consider this period to have encompassed several waves of Indo­Aryan migration into the subcontinent.[44][42] The caste system arose during this period, creating a hierarchy of priests, warriors, free peasants and traders, and lastly the Map of the Indian subcontinent indigenous peoples who were regarded as impure; and small tribal units during the Vedic period gradually coalesced into monarchical, state­level polities.[45][46] On the Deccan Plateau, archaeological evidence from this period suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation.[41] In southern India, a progression to sedentary life is indicated by the large number of megalithic monuments dating from this period,[47] as well as by nearby traces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and craft traditions.[47] In the late Vedic period, around the 6th century BCE, the small states and chiefdoms of the Ganges Plain and the north­western regions had consolidated into 16 major oligarchies and monarchies that were known as the mahajanapadas.[48][49] The emerging urbanisation gave rise to non­Vedic religious movements, two of which became independent religions. Jainism came into prominence during the life of its exemplar, Mahavira.[50] Buddhism, based on the teachings of Gautama Buddha attracted followers from all social classes excepting the middle class; chronicling the life of the Buddha was central to the beginnings of recorded history in India.[51][52][53] In an age of increasing urban wealth, both religions held up renunciation as an ideal,[54] and both established long­ lasting monastic traditions. Politically, by the 3rd century BCE, the kingdom of Magadha had annexed or reduced other states to emerge as the Mauryan Empire.[55] The empire was once thought to have controlled most of the subcontinent excepting the far south, but its core regions are now thought to have been separated by large autonomous areas.[56][57] The Mauryan kings are known as much for their empire­building and determined management of public life as for Ashoka's renunciation of militarism and far­flung advocacy of the Buddhist dhamma.[58][59] The Sangam literature of the Tamil language reveals that, between 200 BCE and Paintings at the Ajanta Caves 200 CE, the southern peninsula was being ruled by the Cheras, the Cholas, and the in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, Pandyas, dynasties that traded extensively with the Roman Empire and with West 6th century and South­East Asia.[60][61] In North India, Hinduism asserted patriarchal

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