India
The world's most populous democracy, a land of ancient civilizations and modern diversity.
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the world's seventh-largest country by area and the largest by population. 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 near Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
- Languages
- English, Hindi
- Official Languages
- Hindi and English (with 22 scheduled languages recognized by the Constitution)
Lore & Background
Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent from Africa by 55,000 years ago. Settled life emerged on the western margins of the Indus basin 9,000 years ago, evolving into the Indus Valley Civilisation by the third millennium BCE. By 1200 BCE, an archaic form of Sanskrit had diffused into India from the northwest. By 400 BCE, social differentiation by caste had consolidated within Hinduism. The Maurya and Gupta Empires gave rise to cultural and scientific creativity but also saw erosion of women's rights and institutionalisation of untouchability. Muslim armies from Central Asia established the Delhi Sultanate; the Mughal Empire brought economic expansion. British Crown rule began in 1858. A nationalist movement emerged, noted for nonviolent resistance after 1920. In 1947, the British Indian Empire was partitioned into India and Pakistan. Since 1950, India has been a federal republic with a democratic parliamentary system.
In Their Own Story
The morning mist clings to the Ganges as a boatman rows through Varanasi, his silhouette framed against the rising sun. The air hums with the chanting of priests and the scent of marigolds, a sensory symphony that has played out for millennia. Nearby, a young software engineer checks her phone, bridging an ancient ritual with the digital age, embodying the nation's timeless yet ever-evolving spirit.
Reader's Guide
India is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society. Its population grew from 361 million in 1951 to over 1.4 billion in 2023. Its fast-growing economy is a hub for information technology. It is a nuclear-weapon state with high military expenditure. Socio-economic challenges include gender inequality, child malnutrition, and rising air pollution. India's megadiverse land features four biodiversity hotspots.
Did You Know?
- India is the world's most populous country as of 2023.
- The name 'India' derives from the River Indus, via Sanskrit Sindhu and Old Persian Hindu.
- The term 'Bharat' is mentioned in Indian epic poetry and the Constitution of India.
- India's earliest modern human inhabitants arrived from Africa by 55,000 years ago.
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