|
|
 |
Key Facts |
 |
Location
South Asia.
Time
GMT + 5.5
Area
3,166,414 sq km (1,222,582 sq miles)
Population
1.1 billion (Estimate 2007)
Population Density
347 per sq km
Capital
New Delhi. Population: 16.6 million (Estimate 2007)
Geography
India shares borders to the northwest with Pakistan, to
the north with China, Nepal and Bhutan, and to the east
with Bangladesh and Myanmar. To the west lies the
Arabian Sea, to the east the Bay of Bengal and to the
south the Indian Ocean. Sri Lanka lies off the southeast
coast, and the Maldives off the southwest coast. The far
northeastern states and territories are all but
separated from the rest of India by Bangladesh as it
extends northwards from the Bay of Bengal towards
Bhutan. The Himalayan mountain range to the north and
the Indus River (west) and Ganges River (east) form a
physical barrier between India and the rest of Asia
Government
Republic since 1947
Head of State
President Pratibha Patil since July 2007
Head of Government
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh since 2004
Language
The main language is Hindi which is spoken by about 40%
of the population; English is also enshrined in the
constitution for a wide range of official purposes. In
addition, 17 regional languages are recognised by the
constitution. These include Bengali, Gujarati, Oriya and
Punjabi, which are widely used in the north, and Tamil
and Telugu, which are common in the south. Other
regional languages include Kannada, Malayalam and
Marathi. The Muslim population largely speaks Urdu.
Religion
About 82% Hindu, 12% Muslim, with Sikh, Christian, Jain,
Parsi and Buddhist minorities.
Electricity
230-240 volts AC, 50Hz. Some areas have a DC supply.
Plugs used are of the round two- and three-pin type.
|
