North America
& Caribbean |
South America
|
Africa
|
Asia
|
Europe
|
Australia &
Oceania |
Country Rankings
|
Beyond
Earth |
mail
ContactUs
|
info
AboutUs
|
Flag
National anthem
Coat of arms
Country location map
Country static map
Country dynamic (scrollable) map
Current weather & time
-
infoGeneral informationkeyboard_arrow_up
- Country common name: India
- Country official name: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya
- Continent: Asia
- 3-Letter abbreviation: IND
- 2-Letter abbreviation: IN
- Capital: New Dehli
- Major cities: 30.291 million NEW DELHI (capital), 20.411 million Mumbai, 14.850 million Kolkata, 1.237 million Bangalore, 10.971 million Chennai,10.004 million Hyderabad
- Currency: Rupee (click for current conversion rates)
- Languages: Hindi 43.6%, Bengali 8%, Marathi 6.9%, Telugu 6.7%, Tamil 5.7%, Gujarati 4.6%, Urdu 4.2%, Kannada 3.6%, Odia 3.1%, Malayalam 2.9%, Punjabi 2.7%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.1%, other 5.6%
- Motto: "Truth Alone Triumphs" (Sanskrit: "Satyameva Jayate")
- National holiday(s): Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
flagGovernmentkeyboard_arrow_up- Chief of state: President Ram Nath KOVIND (since 25 July 2017); Vice President M. Venkaiah NAIDU (since 11 August 2017)
- Head of government: Prime Minister Narendra MODI (since 26 May 2014)
- Government type: federal parliamentary republic
insert_photoCountry notes & photographskeyboard_arrow_up{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"India"},{"insert":" (Hindi: "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"BhÄrat"},{"insert":"), officially the "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Republic of India"},{"insert":" (Hindi: "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"BhÄrat GaṇarÄjya"},{"insert":"), is a country in South Asia. It is the second-most populous country, the seventh-largest country by land area, 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; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.\nModern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa no later than 55,000 years ago. Their long occupation, initially in varying forms of isolation as hunter-gatherers, has made the region highly diverse, second only to Africa in human genetic diversity. Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin 9,000 years ago, evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE, an archaic form of Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, had diffused into India from the northwest, unfolding as the language of the Rigveda, and recording the dawning of Hinduism in India. The Dravidian languages of India were supplanted in the northern and western regions. By 400 BCE, stratification and exclusion by caste had emerged within Hinduism, and Buddhism and Jainism had arisen, proclaiming social orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit Maurya and Gupta Empires based in the Ganges Basin. Their collective era was suffused with wide-ranging creativity, but also marked by the declining status of women, and the incorporation of untouchability into an organized system of belief. In South India, the Middle kingdoms exported Dravidian-languages scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms of Southeast Asia.\n\nIn the early medieval era, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism put down roots on India's southern and western coasts. Muslim armies from Central Asia intermittently overran India's northern plains, eventually establishing the Delhi Sultanate, and drawing northern India into the cosmopolitan networks of medieval Islam. In the 15th century, the Vijayanagara Empire created a long-lasting composite Hindu culture in south India. In the Punjab, Sikhism emerged, rejecting institutionalized religion. The Mughal Empire, in 1526, ushered in two centuries of relative peace, leaving a legacy of luminous architecture. Gradually expanding rule of the British East India Company followed, turning India into a colonial economy, but also consolidating its sovereignty. British Crown rule began in "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"1858"},{"insert":". The rights promised to Indians were granted slowly, but technological changes were introduced, and ideas of education, modernity and the public life took root. A pioneering and influential nationalist movement emerged, which was noted for nonviolent resistance and became the major factor in ending British rule. In "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"1947"},{"insert":" the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two independent dominions, a "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Hindu-majority Dominion of India"},{"insert":" and a "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Muslim-majority Dominion of Pakistan"},{"insert":", amid large-scale loss of life and an unprecedented migration.\n\nIndia has been a "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"secular federal republic"},{"insert":" since "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"1950"},{"insert":", governed in a democratic parliamentary system. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society. India's population grew from 361 million in 1951 to 1,211 million in 2011. During the same time, its nominal per capita income increased from US$64 annually to US$1,498, and its literacy rate from 16.6% to 74%. From being a comparatively destitute country in 1951, India has become a fast-growing major economy, a hub for information technology services, with an expanding middle class. It has a space program which includes several planned or completed extraterrestrial missions. Indian movies, music, and spiritual teachings play an increasing role in global culture. India has substantially reduced its rate of poverty, though at the cost of increasing economic inequality. India is a nuclear-weapon state, which ranks high in military expenditure. It has disputes over Kashmir with its neighbors, Pakistan and China, unresolved since the mid-20th century. Among the socio-economic challenges India faces are gender inequality, child malnutrition, and rising levels of air pollution. India's land is mega-diverse, with four biodiversity hot-spots. Its forest cover comprises 21.4% of its area. India's wildlife, which has traditionally been viewed with tolerance in India's culture, is supported among these forests, and elsewhere, in protected habitats.\n"}]}terrainGeographic informationkeyboard_arrow_up- Surface area (in km²): 3,287,263
- Highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,586 m
- Neighboring countries: Bangladesh 4142 km, Bhutan 659 km, Burma 1468 km, China 2659 km, Nepal 1770 km, Pakistan 3190 km
- Neighboring seas and oceans: Arabian Sea
- Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
radioRadio stationskeyboard_arrow_upsupervised_user_circlePopulationkeyboard_arrow_up- Population: 1,326,093,247
- Population density (inhabitants per km²): 403.4
- Average age (in years): 28.7
- Life expectancy at birth (in years): 69.7
- Ethnicity: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%
- Gross domestic product (GDP) per inhabitant (in US dollars): 7,200
- Cultural practices: Wearing shoes indoors and pointing at people is considered rude.
local_diningPopular food & drinkskeyboard_arrow_up{"ops":[{"insert":"The combination of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"rajma "},{"insert":"(kidney beans) and "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"chawal "},{"insert":"(rice), which is also known as "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"rajma chawal"},{"insert":" is the staple food of many north Indians. Rajma forms a semi-thick gravy which can also be served with "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"jeera rice"},{"insert":" or even with choice of Indian breads like "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"roti "},{"insert":"or "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"chapati"},{"insert":". It is a vegetarian dish, with many Indian whole spices added. It is a part of regular diet in India, Nepal and Punjab province of Pakistan. The dish developed after the red kidney bean was brought to the Indian subcontinent from "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Mexico"},{"insert":".\n\n"}]}
{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Raita"},{"insert":" is a side dish in Indian cuisine made of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"dahi "},{"insert":"(yogurt, often referred to as curd) together with "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"raw "},{"insert":"or "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"cooked vegetables"},{"insert":", seldom "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"fruit"},{"insert":", or in the case of "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"boondi raita"},{"insert":", with fried droplets of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"batter "},{"insert":"made from "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"besan "},{"insert":"(chickpea flour, generally labeled as gram flour). The closest approximation in Western cuisine is a side dish or dip, or a cooked salad. It is often referred to as a condiment, but unlike traditional Western condiments like salt, pepper, mustard and horseradish that make dishes more spicy, a dish of dahi or raita has a "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"cooling effect"},{"insert":" to contrast with spicy curries and kebabs that are the main fare of some Asian cuisines. In Indian cuisine, some type of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"flatbread "},{"insert":"may be eaten together with raita, chutneys and pickles.\n"}]}
{"ops":[{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Saag Paneer"},{"insert":" is a classic Indian "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"curry spinach recipe"},{"insert":" with "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"paneer "},{"insert":"cubes. Saag means \"greens\" in Hindi. This North Indian dish is typically made from cooked spinach (though sometimes other green vegetables like mustard greens or chopped broccoli are substituted). The soft spinach is thickened with cream or coconut milk, spices are added and cubes of fried "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"paneer"},{"insert":" cheese are stirred into the stew. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Saag aloo "},{"insert":"(spinach and potato) and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"saag gosht"},{"insert":" (spinach and lamb) are common dishes in Punjabi cuisine, which are also served in restaurants and take-aways in the Western world (where the lamb is sometimes replaced with goat).\n"}]}
{"ops":[{"insert":"Possibly the most popular "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"dessert "},{"insert":"in India,"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" gulab jamum"},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":" "},{"insert":"is super sweet and sticky, and wickedly irresistible! These soft spongy balls are made from a dough of "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"flour "},{"insert":"and "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"milk powder"},{"insert":" (or condensed milk), fried and soaked in "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"syrup"},{"insert":". They're often flavored with "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"cardamon "},{"insert":"and "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"rose"},{"insert":", which gives rise to their name, meaning \""},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"rose berry"},{"insert":"\" in Hindi. Kerala, in south India, has a similar version of gulab jamun called "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"unni appam"},{"insert":". It's made from rice flour, jaggery (unrefined sugar), banana, and coconut.\n"}]}
local_post_officePostage stampskeyboard_arrow_up{"ops":[{"insert":"The "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"First Stamp of Independent India"},{"insert":" was issued on "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"21 November 1947"},{"insert":". It depicts the "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Indian Flag"},{"insert":" with the patriots' slogan, "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"Jai Hind"},{"insert":" (Long Live India), on the top right hand corner. It was valued at three and one-half annas. On 3 June 1947, Viscount Louis Mountbatten, the last British Governor-General of India, announced the partitioning of "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"British India"},{"insert":" into "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"India "},{"insert":"and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Pakistan"},{"insert":". With the speedy passage of the"},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":" Indian Independence Act"},{"insert":" 1947, at 11:57 on 14 August 1947 Pakistan was declared a separate nation. Then at 12:02 A.M., on "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"15 August 1947"},{"insert":" India became a "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"sovereign and democratic nation"},{"insert":". Eventually, 15 August became Independence Day for India marking the end of British India. Also on 15 August, both Pakistan and India had the right to remain in or remove themselves from the British Commonwealth. But in 1949, India took the decision to remain in the commonwealth.\n"}]}
{"ops":[{"insert":"A "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"memorial stamp"},{"insert":" to "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Mahatma Gandh"},{"insert":"i was issued "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"15 August 1948"},{"insert":" on the first anniversary of Independence. Exactly one year later a definitive series appeared, depicting India's broad cultural heritage, mostly Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Sikh and Jain temples, sculptures, monuments and fortresses. A subsequent issue commemorated the inauguration of the Republic of India on 26 January 1950. "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi"},{"insert":" (/ˈɡɑËndi, ˈɡændi/ ("},{"attributes":{"alt":"About this sound","height":"11","width":"11","bold":true,"link":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mahatma_Gandhi_name_pronounciation.ogg"},"insert":{"image":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8a/Loudspeaker.svg/11px-Loudspeaker.svg.png"}},{"attributes":{"link":"https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/Mahatma_Gandhi_name_pronounciation.ogg"},"insert":"listen"},{"insert":"); 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), mostly venerated as "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"MahÄtmÄ"},{"insert":", was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist and political ethicist, who employed nonviolent resistance to lead the successful campaign for India's independence from British rule, and in turn inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. The honorific title "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"MahÄtmÄ"},{"insert":", first applied to him in 1914 in South Africa, is now used throughout the world.\n"}]}
{"ops":[{"insert":"This "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"2010"},{"insert":" commemorative stamps features the "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Bible Society of India. "},{"insert":"This society is a Christian body that is authorized to translate, produce, distribute and market the Bible and is a member of the United Bible Societies.\nThe motto of the Society is to "},{"attributes":{"italic":true},"insert":"translate the word of God in languages, which people can understand"},{"insert":", and produce the scriptures (normally in book form) at a price people could afford to buy. The Bible Society works together with many organizations in India to translate the Bible into various languages of India. The Bible is now available in "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"65 Indian languages"},{"insert":", the New Testament in "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"70"},{"insert":" additional languages, and Scripture portions in "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"48 "},{"insert":"languages.\n"}]}
{"ops":[{"insert":"India and "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Germany "},{"insert":"established diplomatic relations in "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"1951"},{"insert":". This made India one of the first countries to grant the Federal Republic of Germany diplomatic recognition following the Second World War. Over the last seven decades, India has become one of "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Germany’s most important partners"},{"insert":" in the Indo-Pacific region. In "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"2021 India's Department of Post "},{"insert":"issued a commemorative stamp marking this important international relationship. The two countries are united not only by shared interests, which often lead to joint action, but also by their democratic character. On 18 May 2000, India and Germany signed the "},{"attributes":{"bold":true},"insert":"Agenda for the Indo-German Partnership in the 21st Century"},{"insert":". This laid the foundation for greater bilateral cooperation in a rapidly changing international environment. More recently, the bilateral Indo-German intergovernmental consultations have become a key forum for dialogue. These meetings of the two countries’ Cabinets have been held every two years since 2011.\n"}]}
tap_and_playTelephone & Internet communicationkeyboard_arrow_up- Country international telephone code: +91
- Local emergency telephone number(s): Ambulance: 102; Fire: 101; Police: 100, 103 (traffic accident)
- Internet code: .in
- Number of Internet users: 374,328,160
- Percentage of Internet-connected population: 28.2%
gradeAlso useful to knowkeyboard_arrow_up- Vaccinations: An International Certificate of Vaccination for yellow fever is required for travelers arriving from countries with a risk of yellow fever transmission and for travelers having transited through the airport of a country with risk of yellow fever transmission. For recommendations please refer to the World Health Organization (WHO), or the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) websites.
- Potable/drinkable water: Yes. Yet, it is safe and common to opt for bottled water.
- International driving permit: Suggested
- Road driving side: Left
-
Electricity/Voltage/Plug type(s):
230 V / 50 Hz / plug type(s): C, D, M
keyboard_arrow_leftkeyboard_arrow_right10