THE India, whose official name is Republic of India, is a country located in South Asia.
It is the 2nd most populated country on the planet and has the 7th economy in the world, but where enormous social inequalities coexist.
India General Data
- capital: New Delhi
- Population: 1 281 935 911
- Demographic density: 92 inhabitants per km2
- Surface: 3,287,000 km2
- Government Regime: parliamentary republic
- Head of state: Ram Nath Kovind, since 25 July 2017.
- Head of Government: Narendra Modi, since May 26, 2014.
- Language: Hindi and English plus 21 languages recognized by the federal administration. Some examples: Marathi, Nepali, Tamil and Urdu.
- Coin: Indian Rupee
- GDP: 2.264 trillion dollars (2016)
- HDI: 0,624
- Religion: Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Christianity.
flag of india
The flag of India is formed by three horizontal bands in green, white and saffron. In the center, on the white band, in navy blue, is the Wheel of Dharma, symbol of Hinduism.
India map
India borders the following countries:
- Pakistan
- Nepal
- Bangladesh
- China
- Bhutan
- Burma
The country is bathed in the Indian Ocean.
Territorial Division of India
India is divided into 28 states and 7 federal territories:
- Andhra Pradesh
- Arunachal Pradesh
- assam
- bihar
- Chhattisgarh
- goa
- Gujarati
- haryan
- Himachal Pradesh
- Jammu and Kashmir
- Jharkhand
- Karnataka
- Kerala
- Madhya Pradesh
- Maharashtra
- Manipur
- Meghalaya
- miser
- Nagaland
- Orissa
- panjab
- Rajasthan
- Sikim
- Tamil Nadu
- Trip
- Uttar Pradesh
- Uttarakhand
- West Bengal
Federal Territories
- Andaman and Nicobar
- Chandigarh
- Dadra and Nagar Haveli
- Daman and Diu
- lacquer
- Delhi
- Pondicherry
Territorial Dispute
Since the time of independence in 1947, the country has disputed the Kashmir region with China and Pakistan. When the British left the country, they formed two territories according to the religious majority of each. Thus, India was born, with a Hindu majority and Pakistan, where a large part professes Islam.
However, that small part of the territory, rich in water sources and fertile land for agriculture, was claimed by neighboring countries.
culture of india
As a vast country that is home to a multitude of different religions and languages, Indian culture is varied. We still have to add the customs of the European colonizers, especially the British ones, which were incorporated into the Indian's daily life.
Dance
Dance expresses happiness. If a person is happy, he dances. That simple. That's why Bollywood movies always end with choreographed and very upbeat dances.
One of the oldest dance styles in the world is Indian bharatanatyam whose material evidences date back to 3000 BC. Ç. This dance was initially practiced by women who used religious postures during their performances.
Currently, men and women practice Bharatanatyam, however, they never touch each other while performing the steps.
Song
Indian music is the result of a mixture of the chants of Buddhist monks, field workers, and Muslim prayers.
In the midst of this cultural mix, the melodies are full of intervals and ornaments, which are accompanied by drums like the mridangam it's the tabla.
Also noteworthy are musical instruments such as the tambourine it's the sitar, popularized in the West through the performances of Ravi Shankar (1920-2012). This musician made Indian melodies known through his collaborations with Western artists such as the Beatles and the Rolling Stones.
Literature
Initially, Indian literature was linked to religion and oral tradition. Thus, several poems told the lives of the gods and their relationship with human beings.
Among the main examples are the Vedas (3,500 a. C.), the Ramayana and the Mahabharata (4th and 5th centuries d. C.), Kathasaritsagara (9th century).
From the English colonization, especially in the region of Calcutta, the Indians started to have contact with new forms of writing such as the novel. Writing in English, they began to spread Indian history and customs to Westerners.
They quickly gained their place in the western canon. Writers such as Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) and Rudyar Kypling (1865-1936) stand on the border between East and West, the spiritual and the material, the metaphor of the meeting of the two worlds. Kipling created Mogli, the wolf-boy, making him a character in the Western imagination.
Both won the Nobel Prize for Literature when India was under British rule.
Economy
After independence of india, in 1947, the country was classified as an underdeveloped country, but with gigantic potential due to the size of its territory and its population.
In the 21st century, India has opened up to the world and uses this fact to gain more space on the international stage. With Brazil, China, Russia and South Africa, it formed the bloc of BRICS where the most promising economies on the planet are gathered.
In the chart below we can see the growth of the Indian Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the first two decades of the 21st century:
It is the 2nd country, only behind the US, that trains more computer engineers and its film industry, Bollywood, is the largest in the world.
However, the social inequality continues in a frightening way. India has 1.3 billion people and 100 million millionaires.
The per capita income is US$1,709.39, which places it at rank 148 in a list made up of 196 countries.
Disorderly growth harms the environment and has caused many cities to suffer from pollution. A clear example is New Delhi, the most populated city in India, the 5th in the world and the most polluted on the planet. It is permanently shrouded in a haze of pollution.
Tourism
Another important industry for Indians is tourism, which accounts for 6.8% of the country's GDP. Around 10 million tourists visit India every year to see monuments like the Taj Mahal or natural attractions like the Ganges River.
There is also an important contingent attracted by religious tourism who come to meditate in monasteries, participate in celebrations such as Diwali or Holi (Festival of Colors).
history of india
The Indian sub-continent is home to one of the oldest civilizations on the planet. There is evidence of human occupations in 75,000 years before Christ.
The territory was divided into small kingdoms ruled by maharajas who allied or fought according to political and military convenience.
Trade with the West has always existed through caravans that made the silk and spice route. Indian products were very popular in Europe.
In the 16th century, the Portuguese arrived on the Indian coast, negotiated treaties with local leaders and founded the city of Goa. They would remain there for nearly four centuries until the Indian national state was constituted in 1947.
English colonization in India
However, during the 19th century, the British conquered and occupy India. Before long, the territory becomes the "Crown Jewel", one of the main destinations for unemployed Britons and a source of raw material for the English Industrial Revolution.
The marks of colonization are felt with English being the common language used by the federal administration. Likewise, sports such as cricket and horse racing are enjoyed by Indians due to British customs.
On the other hand, the Indians did not accept British domination peacefully. THE Revolt of the Cipaios made it clear that part of the population did not want them there.
After World War I, within the decolonization movement, the British had to negotiate their exit with different political and religious groups.
One of the great leaders of that time was Gandhi who, together with Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964), managed to achieve the country's independence relatively peacefully.
Curiosities
- Despite being banned, India continues with the caste system. Therefore, certain professions can only be exercised by those who were born in a certain caste.
- The cow is a sacred animal for Hinduism because it refers to prosperity and guaranteed work.
read more:
- Asia
- Imperialism in Asia
- Asian countries
- Mother Teresa of Calcutta
- Hinduism
- Buddhism
- Islam