South Asia :: INDIA

- ## Introduction :: INDIA

- Background:
  The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947. Large-scale communal violence took place before and after the subcontinent partition into two separate states - India and Pakistan. The neighboring nations have fought three wars since independence, the last of which was in 1971 and resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 emboldened Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India's emergence as a regional and global power.

- ## Geography :: INDIA

- Location:
  Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
  Geographic coordinates:
  20 00 N, 77 00 E
  Map references:
  Asia
  Area:
  total: 3,287,263 sq km
  land: 2,973,193 sq km
  water: 314,070 sq km
  Area - comparative:
  slightly more than one-third the size of the US
  Land boundaries:
  total: 13,888 km
  border countries (6): Bangladesh 4,142 km, Bhutan 659 km, Burma 1,468 km, China 2,659 km, Nepal 1,770 km, Pakistan 3,190 km
  Coastline:
  7,000 km
  Maritime claims:
  territorial sea: 12 nm
  contiguous zone: 24 nm
  exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
  continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
  Climate:
  varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
  Terrain:
  upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
  Elevation extremes:
  lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
  highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
  Natural resources:
  coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land
  Land use:
  agricultural land: 60.5%
  arable land 52.8%; permanent crops 4.2%; permanent pasture 3.5%
  forest: 23.1%
  other: 16.4% (2011 est.)
  Irrigated land:
  663,340 sq km (2008)
  Total renewable water resources:
  1,911 cu km (2011)
  Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
  total: 761 cu km/yr (7%/2%/90%)
  per capita: 613 cu m/yr (2010)
  Natural hazards:
  droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes
  volcanism: Barren Island (elev. 354 m) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years
  Environment - current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources
  Environment - international agreements:
  party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
  signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
  Geography - note:
  dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal

- ## People and Society :: INDIA

- Nationality:
  noun: Indian(s)
  adjective: Indian
  Ethnic groups:
  Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
  Languages:
  Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
  note: English enjoys the status of subsidiary official language but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the most widely spoken language and primary tongue of 41% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language (2001 census)
  Religions:
  Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
  Population:
  1,236,344,631 (July 2014 est.)
  Age structure:
  0-14 years: 28.5% (male 187,016,401/female 165,048,695)
  15-24 years: 18.1% (male 118,696,540/female 105,342,764)
  25-54 years: 40.6% (male 258,202,535/female 243,293,143)
  55-64 years: 7% (male 43,625,668/female 43,175,111)
  65 years and over: 5.8% (male 34,133,175/female 37,810,599) (2014 est.)
  Dependency ratios:
  total dependency ratio: 51.8%
  youth dependency ratio: 43.6%
  elderly dependency ratio: 8.1%
  potential support ratio: 12.3% (2014 est.)
  Median age:
  total: 27 years
  male: 26.4 years
  female: 27.7 years (2014 est.)
  Population growth rate:
  1.25% (2014 est.)
  Birth rate:
  19.89 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)
  Death rate:
  7.35 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)
  Net migration rate:
  -0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)
  Urbanization:
  urban population: 32.4% of total population (2014)
  rate of urbanization: 2.38% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
  Major urban areas - population:
  NEW DELHI (capital) 24.953 million; Mumbai 20.741 million; Kolkata 11.766 million; Bangalore 9.718 million; Chennai 9.62 million; Hyderabad 8.67 million (2014)
  Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
  0-14 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
  15-24 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
  25-54 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  55-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
  total population: 1.08 male(s)/female (2014 est.)
  Mother's mean age at first birth:
  19.9 (2005/06 est.)
  Maternal mortality rate:
  190 deaths/100,000 live births (2013 est.)
  Infant mortality rate:
  total: 43.19 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 41.9 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 44.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)
  Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 67.8 years
  male: 66.68 years
  female: 69.06 years (2014 est.)
  Total fertility rate:
  2.51 children born/woman (2014 est.)
  Contraceptive prevalence rate:
  54.8% (2007/08)
  Health expenditures:
  4% of GDP (2013)
  Physicians density:
  0.7 physicians/1,000 population (2012)
  Hospital bed density:
  0.7 beds/1,000 population (2011)
  Drinking water source:
  improved:
  urban: 96.7% of population
  rural: 90.7% of population
  total: 92.6% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 3.3% of population
  rural: 9.3% of population
  total: 7.4% of population (2012 est.)
  Sanitation facility access:
  improved:
  urban: 60.2% of population
  rural: 24.7% of population
  total: 36% of population
  unimproved:
  urban: 39.8% of population
  rural: 75.3% of population
  total: 64% of population (2012 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  0.26% (2013 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  2,079,700 (2013 est.)
  HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  127,200 (2013 est.)
  Major infectious diseases:
  degree of risk: very high
  food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
  vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria
  water contact disease: leptospirosis
  animal contact disease: rabies
  note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2013)
  Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
  4.7% (2014)
  Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
  43.5% (2006)
  Education expenditures:
  3.8% of GDP (2012)
  Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 71.2%
  male: 81.3%
  female: 60.6% (2015 est.)
  School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
  total: 12 years
  male: 12 years
  female: 11 years (2011)
  Child labor - children ages 5-14:
  total number: 26,965,074
  percentage: 12% (2006 est.)
  Unemployment, youth ages 15-24:
  total: 10.7%
  male: 10.4%
  female: 11.6% (2012 est.)

- ## Government :: INDIA

- Country name:
  conventional long form: Republic of India
  conventional short form: India
  local long form: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya
  local short form: India/Bharat
  Government type:
  federal republic
  Capital:
  name: New Delhi
  geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E
  time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
  Administrative divisions:
  29 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal
  note: although its status is that of a union territory, the official name of Delhi is National Capital Territory of Delhi
  Independence:
  15 August 1947 (from the UK)
  National holiday:
  Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
  Constitution:
  previous 1935 (preindependence); latest draft completed 4 November 1949, adopted 26 November 1949, effective 26 January 1950; amended many times, last in 2013 (2013)
  Legal system:
  common law system based on the English model; separate personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus; judicial review of legislative acts
  International law organization participation:
  accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
  Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
  Executive branch:
  chief of state: President Pranab MUKHERJEE (since 22 July 2012); Vice President Mohammad Hamid ANSARI (since 11 August 2007)
  head of government: Prime Minister Narendra MODI (since 26 May 2014)
  cabinet: Union Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
  elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held in July 2012 (next to be held in July 2017); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held in August 2012 (next to be held in August 2017); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections
  election results: Pranab MUKHERJEE elected president; percent of vote - Pranab MUKHERJEE 69.31%, Purno SANGMA - 30.69%
  Legislative branch:
  description: bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (245 seats; 233 members indirectly elected by state and territorial assemblies by proportional representation vote, and 12 members appointed by the president; members serve 6-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote and 2 appointed by the president; members serve 5-year terms)
  elections: People's Assembly - last held April-May 2014 in 10 phases; (next must be held by May 2019)
  election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA, ; seats by party - BJP 281, INC 44, AIADMK 37, AITC 34, BJD 20, SS 18, TDP 16, TRS 11, CPI(M) 9, YSRC 9, LJP 6, NCP 6, SP 5, AAP 4, RJD 4, SAD 4, independents 3, other 31; note - the number of BJP seats is one short of the total because the party appointed the House Speaker whose position is officially considered neutral and reserved for tie-breaking votes
  Judicial branch:
  highest court(s): Supreme Court (the chief justice and 25 associate justices); note - parliament approved an additional 5 judges in 2008
  judge selection and term of office: justices appointed by the president to serve until age 65
  subordinate courts: High Courts; District Courts; Labour Court
  note: in mid-2011, India’s Cabinet approved the "National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reform" to eliminate judicial corruption and reduce the backlog of cases
  Political parties and leaders:
  Aam Aadmi Party or AAP [Arvind KEJRIWAL]
  All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [J. JAYALALITHAA]
  All India Trinamool Congress or AITC [Mamata BANERJEE]
  Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]
  Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Amit SHAH]
  Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]
  Communist Party of India or CPI [Suravaram Sudhakar REDDY, Secretary-General]
  Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI(M) [Prakash KARAT]
  Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or DMK [M.KARUNANIDHI]
  Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia GANDHI]
  Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]
  Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) [Ram Vilas PASWAN]
  Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]
  Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Lalu Prasad YADAV]
  Rashtriya Lok Dal or RLD [Ajit SINGH]
  Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]
  Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]
  Shiv Sena or SS [Uddhav THACKERAY]
  Telegana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) [K. Chandrashekar RAO]
  Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU]
  YSR Congress(YSRC) [Jaganmohan REDDY]
  note: India has dozens of national and regional political parties
  Political pressure groups and leaders:
  All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist group)
  Bajrang Dal (religious organization)
  India Against Corruption [Anna HAZARE]
  Jamiat Ulema-e Hind [Mahmood MADANI] (religious organization)
  Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [Mohan BHAGWAT] (nationalist organization)
  Vishwa Hindu Parishad [Ashok SINGHAL] (religious organization)
  other: hundreds of social reform, anti-corruption, and environmental groups at state and local level; numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy
  International organization participation:
  ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), Arctic Council (observer), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, BRICS, C, CD, CERN (observer), CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-5, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), LAS (observer), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, Pacific Alliance (observer), PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNITAR, UNMISS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
  Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Arun Kumar SINGH (since 18 May 2015)
  chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000
  FAX: [1] (202) 265-4351
  consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco
  Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Rahul VERMA (since 16 January 2015)
  embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
  mailing address: use embassy street address
  telephone: [91] (11) 2419-8000
  FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017
  consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)
  Flag description:
  three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green, with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white signifies purity and truth; green stands for faith and fertility; the blue chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation
  note: similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band
  National symbol(s):
  the Lion Capital of Ashoka, which depicts four Asiatic lions standing back to back mounted on a circular abacus, is the official emblem; Bengal tiger; lotus flower; national colors: saffron, white, green
  National anthem:
  name: "Jana-Gana-Mana" (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People)
  lyrics/music: Rabindranath TAGORE
  note: adopted 1950; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem

- ## Economy :: INDIA

- Economy - overview:
  India is developing into an open-market economy, yet traces of its past autarkic policies remain. Economic liberalization measures, including industrial deregulation, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, began in the early 1990s and served to accelerate the country's growth, which averaged under 7% per year from 1997 to 2011. India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Slightly less than half of the work force is in agriculture, but, services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for nearly two-thirds of India's output with less than one-third of its labor force. India has capitalized on its large educated English-speaking population to become a major exporter of information technology services, business outsourcing services, and software workers. India's economic growth began slowing in 2011 because of a decline in investment caused by high interest rates, rising inflation, and investor pessimism about the government's commitment to further economic reforms and about the global situation. The outlook for India's long-term growth is moderately positive due to a young population and corresponding low dependency ratio, healthy savings and investment rates, and increasing integration into the global economy. However, India has many challenges that it has yet to fully address, including poverty, corruption, violence and discrimination against women and girls, an inefficient power generation and distribution system, ineffective enforcement of intellectual property rights, decades-long civil litigation dockets, inadequate transport and agricultural infrastructure, limited non-agricultural employment opportunities, high spending and poorly-targeted subsidies, inadequate availability of quality basic and higher education, and accommodating rural-to-urban migration. Growth in 2014 fell to a decade low, as India's economic leaders struggled to improve the country's wide fiscal and current account deficits. Rising macroeconomic imbalances in India and improving economic conditions in Western countries, led investors to shift capital away from India, prompting a sharp depreciation of the rupee. However, investors' perceptions of India improved in early 2014, due to a reduction of the current account deficit and expectations of post-election economic reform, resulting in a surge of inbound capital flows and stabilization of the rupee.
  GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $7.277 trillion (2014 est.)
  $6.889 trillion (2013 est.)
  $6.56 trillion (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2014 US dollars
  GDP (official exchange rate):
  $2.048 trillion (2014 est.)
  GDP - real growth rate:
  5.6% (2014 est.)
  5% (2013 est.)
  4.7% (2012 est.)
  GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $5,800 (2014 est.)
  $5,500 (2013 est.)
  $5,300 (2012 est.)
  note: data are in 2013 US dollars
  country comparison to the world: 160
  Gross national saving:
  30.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
  29.7% of GDP (2013 est.)
  30% of GDP (2012 est.)
  GDP - composition, by end use:
  household consumption: 57%
  government consumption: 12%
  investment in fixed capital: 27.4%
  investment in inventories: 6.6%
  exports of goods and services: 26.1%
  imports of goods and services: -29.1%
  (2014 est.)
  GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
  agriculture: 17.9%
  industry: 24.2%
  services: 57.9% (2014 est.)
  Agriculture - products:
  rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, lentils, onions, potatoes; dairy products, sheep, goats, poultry; fish
  Industries:
  textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals
  Industrial production growth rate:
  3.8% (2014 est.)
  Labor force:
  502.2 million (2014 est.)
  Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture: 49%
  industry: 20%
  services: 31% (2012 est.)
  Unemployment rate:
  8.6% (2014 est.)
  9.1% (2013 est.)
  Population below poverty line:
  29.8% (2010 est.)
  Household income or consumption by percentage share:
  lowest 10%: 3.6%
  highest 10%: 31.1% (2005)
  Distribution of family income - Gini index:
  33.6 (2012)
  37.8 (1997)
  Budget:
  revenues: $185.7 billion
  expenditures: $288.8 billion (2014 est.)
  Taxes and other revenues:
  9.1% of GDP (2014 est.)
  Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
  -5% of GDP (2014 est.)
  Public debt:
  51.3% of GDP (2014 est.)
  51.4% of GDP (2013 est.)
  note: data cover central government debt, and exclude debt instruments issued (or owned) by government entities other than the treasury; the data include treasury debt held by foreign entities; the data exclude debt issued by subnational entities, as well as intra-governmental debt; intra-governmental debt consists of treasury borrowings from surpluses in the social funds, such as for retirement, medical care, and unemployment; debt instruments for the social funds are not sold at public auctions
  Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March
  Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5% (2014 est.)
  10% (2013 est.)
  Central bank discount rate:
  7.75% (31 December 2014)
  7.75% (31 December 2013)
  note: this is the Indian central bank's policy rate - the repurchase rate
  Commercial bank prime lending rate:
  10.3% (31 December 2014 est.)
  10.33% (31 December 2013 est.)
  Stock of narrow money:
  $364 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $308.9 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  Stock of broad money:
  $1.664 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $1.419 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  Stock of domestic credit:
  $1.654 trillion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $1.414 trillion (31 December 2013 est.)
  Market value of publicly traded shares:
  $1.263 trillion (31 December 2012 est.)
  $1.015 trillion (31 December 2011)
  $1.616 trillion (31 December 2010 est.)
  Current account balance:
  $-42.99 billion (2014 est.)
  $-49.23 billion (2013 est.)
  Exports:
  $342.5 billion (2014 est.)
  $319.7 billion (2013 est.)
  Exports - commodities:
  petroleum products, precious stones, vehicles, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, , pharmaceutical products, cereals, apparel
  Exports - partners:
  US 12.4%, UAE 10.2%, China 4.7%, Singapore 4.3%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2013)
  Imports:
  $508.1 billion (2014 est.)
  $482.3 billion (2013 est.)
  Imports - commodities:
  crude oil, precious stones, machinery, chemicals, fertilizer, plastics, iron and steel
  Imports - partners:
  China 11%, Saudi Arabia 7.8%, UAE 7.1%, Switzerland 5.5%, US 4.8%, Iraq 4.3% (2013)
  Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $309.2 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $296.2 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  Debt - external:
  $425.3 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $386.7 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
  $261.7 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $226.7 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
  $129.8 billion (31 December 2014 est.)
  $119.8 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
  Exchange rates:
  Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar -
  60.3 (2014 est.)
  58.6 (2013 est.)
  53.44 (2012 est.)
  46.67 (2011 est.)
  45.73 (2010 est.)

- ## Energy :: INDIA

- Electricity - production:
  974.9 billion kWh (2011 est.)
  Electricity - consumption:
  757.9 billion kWh (2011 est.)
  Electricity - exports:
  128 million kWh (2011 est.)
  Electricity - imports:
  5.61 billion kWh (2011 est.)
  Electricity - installed generating capacity:
  223.3 million kW (26 February 2014 est.)
  Electricity - from fossil fuels:
  68.7% of total installed capacity (26 February 2014 est.)
  Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
  2% of total installed capacity (26 February 2014 est.)
  Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
  16.9% of total installed capacity (26 February 2014 est.)
  Electricity - from other renewable sources:
  12.4% of total installed capacity (26 February 2014 est.)
  Crude oil - production:
  759,300 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  Crude oil - exports:
  0 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  Crude oil - imports:
  3.812 million bbl/day (2013 est.)
  Crude oil - proved reserves:
  5.591 billion bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
  Refined petroleum products - production:
  4.433 million bbl/day (2013)
  Refined petroleum products - consumption:
  3.158 million bbl/day (2013 est.)
  Refined petroleum products - exports:
  1.38 million bbl/day (2013 est.)
  Refined petroleum products - imports:
  312,000 bbl/day (2013 est.)
  Natural gas - production:
  36 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  Natural gas - consumption:
  53.98 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  Natural gas - exports:
  0 cu m (2013)
  Natural gas - imports:
  17.98 billion cu m (2013 est.)
  Natural gas - proved reserves:
  1.427 trillion cu m (1 January 2014 est.)
  Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
  1.831 billion Mt (2012 est.)

- ## Communications :: INDIA

- Telephones - main lines in use:
  31.08 million (2012)
  Telephones - mobile cellular:
  893.862 million (2013)
  Telephone system:
  general assessment: supported by recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies, India has emerged as one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world; total telephone subscribership base exceeded 900 million in 2011, an overall teledensity of roughly 75%, and subscribership is currently growing more than 20 million per month; urban teledensity now exceeds 100% and rural teledensity is steadily growing
  domestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles each with multiple private service providers and one or more state-owned service providers; in recent years significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT)
  international: country code - 91; a number of major international submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site at Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam (2011)
  Broadcast media:
  Doordarshan, India's public TV network, operates about 20 national, regional, and local services; a large and increasing number of privately owned TV stations are distributed by cable and satellite service providers; by 2011, more than 100 million homes had access to cable and satellite TV offering more than 700 TV channels; government controls AM radio with All India Radio operating domestic and external networks; news broadcasts via radio are limited to the All India Radio Network; since 2000, privately-owned FM stations have been permitted and their numbers have increased rapidly (2007)
  Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 149, FM 171, shortwave 54 (2009)
  Television broadcast stations:
  1,400 (2009)
  Internet country code:
  .in
  Internet hosts:
  6.746 million (2012)
  Internet users:
  61.338 million (2009)

- ## Transportation :: INDIA

- Airports:
  346 (2013)
  Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 253
  over 3,047 m: 22
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 59
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 76
  914 to 1,523 m: 82
  under 914 m: 14 (2013)
  Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 93
  over 3,047 m: 1
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
  914 to 1,523 m: 38
  under 914 m:
  45 (2013)
  Heliports:
  45 (2013)
  Pipelines:
  condensate/gas 9 km; gas 13,581 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,054 km; oil 8,943 km; oil/gas/water 20 km; refined products 11,069 km (2013)
  Railways:
  total: 64,600 km
  broad gauge: 55,956 km 1.676-m gauge
  narrow gauge: 6,347 km 1.000-m gauge; 2,297 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2012)
  Roadways:
  total: 4,689,842 km
  note: includes 79,116 km of national highways and expressways, 155,716 km of state highways, and 4,455,010 km of other roads (2013)
  Waterways:
  14,500 km (5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels) (2012)
  Merchant marine:
  total: 340
  by type: bulk carrier 104, cargo 78, chemical tanker 22, container 14, liquefied gas 11, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 15, petroleum tanker 92
  foreign-owned: 10 (China 1, Hong Kong 2, Jersey 2, Malaysia 1, UAE 4)
  registered in other countries: 76 (Cyprus 4, Dominica 2, Liberia 8, Malta 3, Marshall Islands 10, Nigeria 1, Panama 24, Saint Kitts and Nevis 2, Singapore 21, unknown 1) (2010)
  Ports and terminals:
  major seaport(s): Chennai, Jawaharal Nehru Port, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Sikka, Vishakhapatnam
  container port(s) (TEUs): Chennai (1,558,343), Jawaharal Nehru Port (4,307,622)
  LNG terminal(s) (import): Dabhol, Dahej, Hazira

- ## Military :: INDIA

- Military branches:
  Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force, Coast Guard (2011)
  Military service age and obligation:
  16-18 years of age for voluntary military service (Army 17 1/2, Air Force 17, Navy 16 1/2); no conscription; women may join as officers, but for noncombat roles only (2012)
  Manpower available for military service:
  males age 16-49: 319,129,420
  females age 16-49: 296,071,637 (2010 est.)
  Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 16-49: 249,531,562
  females age 16-49: 240,039,958 (2010 est.)
  Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
  male: 12,151,065
  female: 10,745,891 (2010 est.)
  Military expenditures:
  2.4% of GDP (2013)
  2.5% of GDP (2012)
  2.6% of GDP (2011)
  2.7% of GDP (2010)

- ## Transnational Issues :: INDIA

- Disputes - international:
  since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continue; Kashmir remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India and Pakistan resumed bilateral dialogue in February 2011 after a two-year hiatus, have maintained the 2003 cease-fire in Kashmir, and continue to have disputes over water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; Prime Minister Singh's September 2011 visit to Bangladesh resulted in the signing of a Protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, which had called for the settlement of longstanding boundary disputes over undemarcated areas and the exchange of territorial enclaves, but which had never been implemented; Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary sections, including the 400 sq km dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal
  Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 109,018 (Tibet/China); 65,057 (Sri Lanka); 14,301 (Burma); 10,395 (Afghanistan) (2014)
  IDPs: at least 616,140 (armed conflict and intercommunal violence) (2015)
  Illicit drugs:
  world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries and throughout Southwest Asia; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor production