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Communications

Airports [time series]

345 total, 288 usable; 198 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 57 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 88 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air [time series]

93 major transport aircraft

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

1,633,300 km total (1986); 515,300 km secondary and 1,118,000 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth

Waterways (Inland waterways) [time series]

16,180 km; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels

Merchant marine [time series]

308 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,087,451 GRT/10,150,460 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 8 passenger-cargo, 100 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 8 container, 54 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 9 combination ore/oil, 115 bulk, 2 combination bulk

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil, 3,497 km; refined products, 1,703 km; natural gas, 902 km (1989)

Ports [time series]

Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Kandla, Madras, New Mangalore, Port Blair (Andaman Islands)

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

61,850 km total (1986); 33,553 km 1.676-meter broad gauge, 24,051 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,246 km narrow gauge (0.762 meter and 0.610 meter); 12,617 km is double track; 6,500 km is electrified

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

poor domestic telephone service, international radio communications adequate; 4,700,000 telephones; stations--96 AM, 4 FM, 274 TV (government controlled); domestic satellite system for communications and TV; 3 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; submarine cables to Malaysia and United Arab Emirates

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Border Security Forces, Coast Guard, Assam Rifles

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$9.2 billion, 3.5% of GNP (FY91)

Manpower availability [time series]

males 15-49, 232,793,714; 137,259,444 fit for military service; about 9,431,908 reach military age (17) annually

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

accounts for about 30% of GNP and employs 67% of labor force; self-sufficient in food grains; principal crops--rice, wheat, oilseeds, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; livestock--cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and poultry; fish catch of about 3 million metric tons ranks among the world's top 10 fishing nations

Budget [time series]

revenues $34 billion; expenditures $54 billion, including capital expenditures of $13.3 billion (FY91)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Indian rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Indian rupee (Re) = 100 paise

Economic aid [time series]

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-88), $20.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $315 million; USSR (1970-89), $11.6 billion; Eastern Europe (1970-89), $105 million

Electricity [time series]

70,000,000 kW capacity; 245,000 million kWh produced, 290 kWh per capita (1990)

Exchange rates [time series]

Indian rupees (Rs) per US$1--18.329 (January 1990), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989), 13.917 (1988), 12.962 (1987), 12.611 (1986), 12.369 (1985)

Exports [time series]

$17.0 billion (f.o.b., FY90); commodities--gems and jewelry, engineering goods, clothing, textiles, chemicals, tea, coffee, fish products; partners--EC 25%, US 19%, USSR and Eastern Europe 17%, Japan 10%

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

$69.8 billion (1990 est.)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April-31 March

GNP [time series]

$254 billion, per capita $300; real growth rate 4.5% (1990 est.)

Illicit drugs [time series]

licit producer of opium poppy for the pharmaceutical trade, but some opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; major transit country for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries

Imports [time series]

$24.8 billion (c.i.f., FY90); commodities--petroleum, capital goods, uncut gems and jewelry, chemicals, iron and steel, edible oils; partners--EC 33%, Middle East 19%, Japan 10%, US 9%, USSR and Eastern Europe 8%

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 8.4% (1990); accounts for about 25% of GDP

Industries [time series]

textiles, food processing, steel, machinery, transportation equipment, cement, jute manufactures, mining, petroleum, power, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

10.0% (1990)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

India's economy is a mixture of traditional village farming and handicrafts, modern agriculture, old and new branches of industry, and a multitude of support services. It presents both the entrepreneurial skills and drives of the capitalist system and widespread government intervention of the socialist mold. Growth of 4% to 5% annually in the 1980s has softened the impact of population growth on unemployment, social tranquility, and the environment. Agricultural output has continued to expand, reflecting the greater use of modern farming techniques and improved seed that have helped to make India self-sufficient in food grains and a net agricultural exporter. However, tens of millions of villagers, particularly in the south, have not benefited from the green revolution and live in abject poverty. Industry has benefited from a partial liberalization of controls. The growth rate of the service sector has also been strong. India, however, has been challenged more recently by much lower foreign exchange reserves, higher inflation, and a large debt service burden.

Unemployment rate [time series]

20% (1990 est.)

Geography

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Coastline [time series]

7,000 km Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm

Area - comparative (Comparative area) [time series]

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Disputes - international (Disputes) [time series]

boundaries with Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan; water sharing problems with downstream riparians, Bangladesh over the Ganges and Pakistan over the Indus

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; air and water pollution; desertification

Land boundaries [time series]

14,103 km total; Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km

Land use [time series]

arable land 55%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 23%; other 17%; includes irrigated 13%

Natural resources [time series]

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, crude oil, limestone

Note [time series]

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes

Terrain [time series]

upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Area (Total area) [time series]

3,287,590 km2; land area: 2,973,190 km2

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

Capital [time series]

New Delhi

Political parties (Communists) [time series]

466,000 members claimed by CPI, 361,000 members claimed by CPI/M; Communist extremist groups, about 15,000 members

Constitution [time series]

26 January 1950

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation) [time series]

Ambassador Abid HUSSEIN; Chancery at 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-7000; there are Indian Consulates General in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador William CLARK, Jr.; Embassy at Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi; telephone [91] (11) 600651; there are US Consulates General in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras

Executive branch [time series]

president, vice president, prime minister, Council of Ministers

Flag [time series]

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger which has a small orange disk centered in the white band

Independence [time series]

15 August 1947 (from UK)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court Chief of State--President Ramaswamy Iyer VENKATARAMAN (since 25 July 1987); Vice President Dr. Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 3 September 1987); Head of Government--Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June 1991) Congress (I) Party, P. V. Narasimha RAO, president; Bharatiya Janata Party, L. K. ADVANI; Janata Dal Party, V. P. SINGH; Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M), E. M. S. NAMBOODIRIPAD; Communist Party of India (CPI), C. Rajeswara RAO; Telugu Desam (a regional party in Andhra Pradesh), N. T. Rama RAO; All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK; a regional party in Tamil Nadu), JAYALALITHA; Samajwadi Janata Party, CHANDRA SHEKHAR; Shiv Sena, Bal THACKERAY; Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip CHOWDHURY; Bahujana Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi RAM; Congress (S) Party, leader NA; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML), Satyanarayan SINGH; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (a regional party in Tamil Nadu), M. KARUNANIDHI; Akali Dal factions representing Sikh religious community in the Punjab; National Conference (NC; a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir), Farooq ABDULLAH; Asom Gana Parishad (a regional party in Assam), Prafulla MAHANTA

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch [time series]

bicameral Parliament (Sansad) consists of an upper house or Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and a lower house or House of the People (Lok Sabha)

Country name (Long-form name) [time series]

Republic of India

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-6, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday [time series]

Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950)

Political parties (Other political or pressure groups) [time series]

various separatist groups seeking greater communal autonomy; numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Adam Sena, Anand Marg, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Suffrage [time series]

universal at age 18 People's Assembly--last held 21 May, 12 and 15 June 1991 (next to be held by November 1996); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(545 total), 509 elected--Congress (I) Party 225, Bharatiya Janata Party 117, Janata Dal Party 55, Communist Party of India (Marxist) 35, Communist Party of India 13, Telugu Desam 12, AIADMK 11, Samajwadi Janata Party 5, Shiv Sena 4, RSP 4, BSP 1, Congress (S) Party 1, other 26; note--second and third rounds of voting were delayed because of the assassination of Congress President Rajiv GANDHI on 21 May 1991

Government type (Type) [time series]

federal republic

People

Birth rate [time series]

29 births/1,000 population (1991)

Death rate [time series]

10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%

Infant mortality rate [time series]

87 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

Labor force [time series]

284,400,000; 67% agriculture (FY85)

Languages (Language) [time series]

Hindi, English, and 14 other official languages--Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; 24 languages spoken by a million or more persons each; numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindustani, a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu, is spoken widely throughout northern India

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

57 years male, 59 years female (1991)

Literacy [time series]

48% (male 62%, female 34%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun--Indian(s); adjective--Indian

Net migration rate [time series]

0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

Organized labor [time series]

less than 5% of the labor force

Population [time series]

866,351,738 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991)

Religions (Religion) [time series]

Hindu 82.6%, Muslim 11.4%, Christian 2.4%, Sikh 2.0%, Buddhist 0.7%, Jains 0.5%, other 0.4%

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.7 children born/woman (1991)