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Communications

Internet users (Internet Service Providers (ISPs)) [time series]

43 (2000)

Internet country code [time series]

.in

Internet users [time series]

7 million (2002)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)

Radios [time series]

116 million (1997)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: mediocre service; local and long distance service provided throughout all regions of the country, with services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; major objective is to continue to expand and modernize long-distance network to keep pace with rapidly growing number of local subscriber lines; steady improvement is taking place with the recent admission of private and private-public investors, but, with telephone density at about two for each 100 persons and a waiting list of over 2 million, demand for main line telephone service will not be satisfied for a very long time domestic: local service is provided by microwave radio relay and coaxial cable, with open wire and obsolete electromechanical and manual switchboard systems still in use in rural areas; starting in the 1980s, a substantial amount of digital switch gear has been introduced for local and long-distance service; long-distance traffic is carried mostly by coaxial cable and low-capacity microwave radio relay; since 1985 significant trunk capacity has been added in the form of fiber-optic cable and a domestic satellite system with 254 earth stations; mobile cellular service is provided in four metropolitan cities international: satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gaidhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam; 4 submarine cables - LOCOM linking Chennai (Madras) to Penang; Indo-UAE-Gulf cable linking Mumbai (Bombay) to Al Fujayrah, UAE; India-SEA-ME-WE-3, SEA-ME-WE-2 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay); Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at Mumbai (Bombay) (2000)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

27.7 million (October 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

2.93 million (November 2000)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

562 (of which 82 stations have 1 kW or greater power and 480 stations have less than 1 kW of power) (1997)

Televisions [time series]

63 million (1997)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish

Budget [time series]

revenues: $48.3 billion expenditures: $78.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $14 $13.5 billion (FY01/02 est.)

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

Indian rupee (INR)

Exchange rates (Currency code) [time series]

INR

Debt - external [time series]

$100.6 billion (end-March 2001) (2001 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

38 (1997)

Economic aid (Economic aid - recipient) [time series]

$2.9 billion (FY98/99)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services. Overpopulation severely handicaps the economy and about a quarter of the population is too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet. Government controls have been reduced on imports and foreign investment, and privatization of domestic output has proceeded slowly. The economy has posted an excellent average growth rate of 6% since 1990, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India has large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language; India is a major exporter of software services and software workers. The poor monsoon of mid-2002 has reduced agricultural output substantially.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

509.89 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports [time series]

321 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports [time series]

1.385 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production [time series]

547.12 billion kWh (FY 2000-01, utilities only) (2000)

Electricity - production by source [time series]

fossil fuel: 83% hydro: 14% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 3%

Exchange rates [time series]

Indian rupees per US dollar - 48.336 (January 2002), 47.186 (2001), 44.942 (2000), 43.055 (1999), 41.259 (1998), 36.313 (1997)

Exports [time series]

$44.5 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities [time series]

textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures

Exports - partners [time series]

US 20.9%, UK 5.2%, Germany 4.3%, Japan 4.0%, Benelux 3.3% (2000)

Fiscal year [time series]

1 April - 31 March

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $2.66 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 25% industry: 25% services: 50% (2002 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita) [time series]

purchasing power parity - $2,540 (2002 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

4.3% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 34% (1997) (1997)

Imports [time series]

$53.8 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities [time series]

crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals

Imports - partners [time series]

UK 6.3%, US 6.0%, Belgium 5.7%, Japan 3.5%, Germany 3.5% (2000)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

4.7% (2002 est.)

Industries [time series]

textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

5.4% (2002 est.)

Labor force [time series]

406 million (1999) (1999)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture 60%, services 23%, industry 17% (1999) (1999)

Population below poverty line [time series]

25% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate [time series]

8.8% (2002)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 3,287,590 sq km land: 2,973,190 sq km water: 314,400 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Climate [time series]

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Coastline [time series]

7,000 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geographic coordinates [time series]

20 00 N, 77 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes

Irrigated land [time series]

590,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

arable land: 54.35% permanent crops: 2.66% other: 42.99% (1998 est.)

Location [time series]

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Map references [time series]

Asia

Maritime claims [time series]

contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

Natural hazards [time series]

droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes

Natural resources [time series]

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

Terrain [time series]

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

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

28 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, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

Capital [time series]

New Delhi

Constitution [time series]

26 January 1950

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: Republic of India conventional short form: India

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. BLACKWILL embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [91] (11) 419-8000 FAX: [91] (11) 419-0017 consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)

Diplomatic representation in the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Lalit MANSINGH consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco FAX: [1] (202) 483-3972 telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000 chancery: 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Embassy located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Executive branch [time series]

chief of state: President Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice President (vacant) 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; election last held NA July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 12 August 2002 (next to be held NA August 2007); prime minister elected by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held NA October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Atal Bihari VAJPAYEE (since 19 March 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister election results: Abdul KALAM elected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT elected vice president; percent of Parliament vote - 59.8; Atal Bihari VAJPAYEE elected prime minister; percent of vote - NA%

Flag (Flag description) [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

Government type [time series]

federal republic

Independence [time series]

15 August 1947 (from UK)

International organization participation [time series]

AfDB, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G- 6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65)

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 or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members, up to 12 of which are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) elections: People's Assembly - last held 5 September through 3 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - BJP alliance 40.8%, Congress (I) alliance 33.8%, other 25.4%; seats by party - BJP alliance 304, Congress (I) alliance 134, other 107

National holiday [time series]

Republic Day, 26 January (1950)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha JAYARAM]; All India Forward Bloc or AIFB, [D. BISWAS (general secretary)]; Asom Gana Parishad [Brindaban GOSWAMI]; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Jana KRISNAMURTHY]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML [Dipankar BHATTACHARYA]; Congress (I) Party [Sonia GANDHI]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a regional party in Tamil Nadu) [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National League [Suliaman SAITH]; Janata Dal (Secular) [H. D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United) or JDU [Sharad YADAV]; Kerala Congress (Mani faction) [K. M. MANI]; Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKO]; Muslim League [G. M. BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Revolutionary Socialist Party or RSP [Abani ROY]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal [G. S. TOHRA]; Shiv Sena [Bal THACKERAY]; Tamil Maanila Congress [G. K. VASAN]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU]; Trinamool Congress [Mamata BANERJEE]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy, including the All Parties Hurriyat Conference

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, goes back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in 12th were followed by European traders beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU led to independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.

Military

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Army, Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force, Strategic Nuclear Command (SNC), Coast Guard, various security or paramilitary forces (including Border Security Force, Assam Rifles, Rashtriya Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Special Frontier Force, Ladakh Scouts, Central Reserve Police Force, Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, Defense Security Corps, and Indian Reserve Battalions)

Military expenditures - dollar figure [time series]

$12,079.7 million (FY01)

Military expenditures (Military expenditures - percent of GDP) [time series]

2.5% (FY01)

Military manpower - availability [time series]

males age 15-49: 285,729,565 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service [time series]

males age 15-49: 167,599,380 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - military age [time series]

17 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually [time series]

males: 10,879,384 (2002 est.)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 32.7% (male 175,858,386; female 165,724,901) 15-64 years: 62.6% (male 338,957,463; female 316,063,497) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 24,975,465; female 24,265,514) (2002 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

23.79 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate [time series]

8.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

0.7% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

310,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

3.7 million (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

61.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Languages [time series]

English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% 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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 63.23 years female: 63.93 years (2002 est.) male: 62.55 years

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 52% male: 65.5% female: 37.7% (1995 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian

Net migration rate [time series]

-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Population [time series]

1,045,845,226 (July 2002 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.51% (2002 est.)

Religions [time series]

Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

2.98 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, demarcate and fence off the entire boundary, exchange 162 minuscule enclaves, and allocate divided villages while skirmishes, illegal trafficking, and violence along the border continue; Bangladesh has protested India's attempts to fence off high traffic sections of the porous boundary; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty Island in the Bay of Bengal; much of the rugged, militarized boundary with China is in dispute but talks to resolve the least contested middle sector resumed in 2001; with Pakistan, armed stand-off over the status and sovereignty of Kashmir continues; dispute with Pakistan over terminus of Rann of Kutch prevents extension of a maritime boundary; water-sharing problems with Pakistan persist over the Indus River (Wular Barrage); Joint Border Committee formed with Nepal in 2001 is intended to resolve 53 disputed sections of boundary covering an area of 720 sq km

Illicit drugs [time series]

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; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system

Transportation

Airports [time series]

335 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 232 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 47 914 to 1,523 m: 73 under 914 m: 20 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 78

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 102 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 under 914 m: 48 (2002) 914 to 1,523 m: 42

Heliports [time series]

19 (2002)

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

total: 3,319,644 km paved: 1,517,077 km unpaved: 1,802,567 km (1996)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 319 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,325,284 GRT/10,581,459 DWT ships by type: bulk 115, cargo 80, chemical tanker 16, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 13, liquefied gas 9, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 74, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 1, United Arab Emirates 10, United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 3,005 km; petroleum products 2,687 km; natural gas 1,700 km (1995)

Ports (Ports and harbors) [time series]

Chennai (Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Vishakhapatnam

Railways [time series]

total: 63,693 km (13,771 km electrified) broad gauge: 45,103 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 15,178 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,105 km 0.762-m gauge; 307 km 0.610-m gauge (2001)

Waterways [time series]

16,180 km note: 3,631 km navigable by large vessels