COMMUNICATION(S) POINT as your Homepage
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Background:
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Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian
subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian
inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of
the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA
- united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta
dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science,
art, and culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and
Turkic in the 12th were followed by those of European traders,
beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had
assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed
forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars.
Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and
Jawaharlal NEHRU brought 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. India's
nuclear weapons testing in 1998 caused Pakistan to conduct its own
tests that same year. Despite impressive gains in economic investment
and output, India faces pressing problems such as significant
overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and
ethnic and religious strife. |
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Location:
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Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
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Geographic coordinates:
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20 00 N, 77 00 E
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Map references:
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Asia
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Area:
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total: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly more than one-third the size of the US
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Land boundaries:
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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
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Coastline:
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7,000 km
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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Climate:
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varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
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Terrain:
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upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
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Natural resources:
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coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica,
bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum,
limestone, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable land: 48.83%
permanent crops: 2.8%
other: 48.37% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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558,080 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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1,907.8 cu km (1999)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 645.84 cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%)
per capita: 585 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding
from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes |
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Environment - current issues:
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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 |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources,
Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Geography - note:
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dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade
routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the
border with Nepal |
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Population:
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1,147,995,904 (July 2008 est.)
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 31.5% (male 189,238,487/female 172,168,306)
15-64 years: 63.3% (male 374,157,581/female 352,868,003)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 28,285,796/female 31,277,725) (2008 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 25.1 years
male: 24.7 years
female: 25.5 years (2008 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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1.578% (2008 est.)
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Birth rate:
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22.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Death rate:
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6.4 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Net migration rate:
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-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.12 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 32.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 36.94 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 27.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 69.25 years
male: 66.87 years
female: 71.9 years (2008 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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2.76 children born/woman (2008 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.9% (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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5.1 million (2001 est.)
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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310,000 (2001 est.)
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Major infectious diseases:
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degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria
animal contact disease: rabies
note:
highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this
country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible
among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2008) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Indian(s)
adjective: Indian
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Ethnic groups:
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Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
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Religions:
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Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)
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Languages:
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Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%,
Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%,
Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
note: 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 41%
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 (2001 census) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61%
male: 73.4%
female: 47.8% (2001 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 9 years (2005)
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Education expenditures:
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3.2% of GDP (2005)
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of India
conventional short form: India
local long form: Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya
local short form: India/Bharat
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Government type:
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federal republic
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Capital:
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name: New Delhi
geographic coordinates: 28 36 N, 77 12 E
time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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Administrative divisions:
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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, Puducherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan,
Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, West Bengal |
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Independence:
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15 August 1947 (from UK)
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National holiday:
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Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
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Constitution:
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26 January 1950; amended many times
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Legal system:
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based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; separate
personal law codes apply to Muslims, Christians, and Hindus |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Pratibha PATIL (since 25 July 2007); Vice President Hamid ANSARI (since 11 August 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
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 (no term limits); election last held in July 2007 (next
to be held in July 2012); vice president elected by both houses of
Parliament for a five-year term; election last held in August 2007
(next to be held August 2012); prime minister chosen by parliamentary
members of the majority party following legislative elections; election
last held April - May 2004 (next to be held no later than May 2009)
election results: Pratibha PATIL elected president; percent of vote - 65.8%; Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT - 34.2%
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Legislative branch:
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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
whom 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 20 April through 10 May 2004 (next must be held by May 2009)
election results:
People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party (as
of July 2008 confidence vote) - INC 153, BJP 122, CPI (M) 42, SP 33,
RJD 24, BSP 17, DMK 16, NCP 11, SS 11, BJD 10, CPI 10, SAD 7, JD (U) 6,
PMK 6, JMM 5, LJSP 4, TDP 3, MDMK 2, TRS 2, independent 6, other 27,
vacant 2; note - 20 members expelled from their party for failing to
vote against the government; 6 members expelled from their party for
failing to vote to support the government |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are
appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the
age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior") |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP
[Rajnath SINGH]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist
Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of
India-Marxist or CPI-M [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or
DMK [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia GANDHI];
Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]; Jharkhand Mukti Morcha or
JMM [Shibu SOREN]; Left Front (an alliance of Indian leftist parties);
Lok Jan Shakti Party or LJSP [Ram Vilas PASWAN]; Nationalist Congress
Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Pattali Makkal Katchi or PMK [S.
RAMADOSS]; Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Samajwadi
Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash
Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS [Bal THACKERAY]; note - India has dozens
of national and regional political parties; only parties or coalitions
with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist
group); Bajrang Dal (religious organization); National Socialist
Council of Nagaland in the northeast (separatist group); Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (religious organization); Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(religious organization
other: numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic
organizations; various separatist groups seeking greater communal
and/or regional autonomy |
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International organization participation:
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ADB, AfDB (nonregional members), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner),
BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CERN (observer), CP, EAS, FAO, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS (observer),
MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC,
SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNITAR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Ranendra Ronen SEN
chancery:
2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Consular
Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-7000
FAX: [1] (202) 265-4351
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador David C. MULFORD
embassy: Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [91] (011) 2419-8000
FAX: [91] (11) 2419-0017
consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)
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Flag description:
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three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued 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 |
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Economy - overview:
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India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern
agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a
multitude of services. Services are the major source of economic
growth, accounting for more than half of India's output with less than
one third of its labor force. About three-fifths of the work force is
in agriculture, leading the United Progressive Alliance (UPA)
government to articulate an economic reform program that includes
developing basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor
and boost economic performance. The government has reduced controls on
foreign trade and investment. Higher limits on foreign direct
investment were permitted in a few key sectors, such as
telecommunications. However, tariff spikes in sensitive categories,
including agriculture, and incremental progress on economic reforms
still hinder foreign access to India's vast and growing market.
Privatization of government-owned industries remains stalled and
continues to generate political debate; populist pressure from within
the UPA government and from its Left Front allies continues to restrain
needed initiatives. The economy has posted an average growth rate of
more than 7% in the decade since 1997, reducing poverty by about 10
percentage points. India achieved 8.5% GDP growth in 2006, 9.0% in
2007, and 7.3% in 2008, significantly expanding production of
manufactures. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of
well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major
exporter of software services and software workers. Economic expansion
has helped New Delhi continue to make progress in reducing its federal
fiscal deficit. However, strong growth combined with easy consumer
credit and a real estate boom fueled inflation concerns in 2006-08,
leading to a series of central bank interest rate hikes that have
slowed credit growth and eased inflation concerns. The huge and growing
population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental
problem. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$3.319 trillion (2008 est.)
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GDP (official exchange rate):
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$1.237 trillion (2008 est.)
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GDP - real growth rate:
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7.3% (2008 est.)
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GDP - per capita (PPP):
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$2,900 (2008 est.)
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 17.2%
industry: 29.1%
services: 53.7% (2008 est.)
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Labor force:
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523.5 million (2008 est.)
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 60%
industry: 12%
services: 28% (2003)
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Unemployment rate:
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6.8% (2008 est.)
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Population below poverty line:
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25% (2007 est.)
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 3.6%
highest 10%: 31.1% (2004)
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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36.8 (2004)
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Investment (gross fixed):
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34.6% of GDP (2008 est.)
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Budget:
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revenues: $153.5 billion
expenditures: $205.3 billion (2008 est.)
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Fiscal year:
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1 April - 31 March
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Public debt:
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59% of GDP (federal and state debt combined) (2008 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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7.8% (2008 est.)
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Central bank discount rate:
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6% (31 December 2007)
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Commercial bank prime lending rate:
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13.02% (31 December 2007)
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Stock of money:
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$250.9 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of quasi money:
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$647.3 billion (31 December 2007)
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Stock of domestic credit:
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$769.3 billion (31 December 2007)
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Market value of publicly traded shares:
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$1.819 trillion (31 December 2007)
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Industries:
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textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software
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Electricity - production:
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665.3 billion kWh (2007 est.)
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Electricity - consumption:
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517.2 billion kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - exports:
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378 million kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - imports:
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3.189 billion kWh (2006 est.)
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 81.7%
hydro: 14.5%
nuclear: 3.4%
other: 0.3% (2001)
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Oil - production:
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880,500 bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - consumption:
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2.722 million bbl/day (2007 est.)
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Oil - exports:
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450,700 bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - imports:
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2.159 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
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Oil - proved reserves:
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5.625 billion bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
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Natural gas - production:
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31.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - consumption:
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41.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - exports:
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0 cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - imports:
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10 billion cu m (2007 est.)
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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1.075 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
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Current account balance:
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-$38.39 billion (2008 est.)
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Exports:
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$175.7 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Exports - commodities:
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petroleum products, textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures
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Exports - partners:
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US 15%, China 8.7%, UAE 8.7%, UK 4.4% (2007)
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Imports:
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$287.5 billion f.o.b. (2008 est.)
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Imports - commodities:
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crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals
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Imports - partners:
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China 10.6%, US 7.8%, Germany 4.4%, Singapore 4.4% (2007)
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$1.724 billion (2005)
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$274.2 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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Debt - external:
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$163.8 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
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$142.9 billion (2008 est.)
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Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
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$54.21 billion (2008 est.)
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Currency (code):
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Indian rupee (INR)
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Currency code:
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INR
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Exchange rates:
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Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar - 43.319 (2008 est.), 41.487 (2007),
45.3 (2006), 44.101 (2005), 45.317 (2004), 46.583 (2003) |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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38.76 million (2008)
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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296.08 million (2008)
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Telephone system:
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general assessment:
recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and
policies have prompted rapid growth; local and long distance service
provided throughout all regions of the country, with services primarily
concentrated in the urban areas; steady improvement is taking place
with the recent admission of private and private-public investors, but
combined fixed and mobile telephone density remains low at about 30 for
each 100 persons nationwide and much lower for persons in rural areas;
rapid growth in cellular service with modest declines in fixed lines
domestic: mobile cellular service introduced in 1994
and organized nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom
circles each with about three private service providers and one
state-owned service provider; in recent years significant trunk
capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's
largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite
system (INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture
terminals (VSAT)
international: country code - 91; a number of major
international submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with
landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing
site at Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a
landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a
landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore with
landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom
linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase
in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic; satellite
earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean
region); 9 gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi,
Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar,
Hyderabad, and Ernakulam (2008) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)
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Radios:
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116 million (1997)
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Television broadcast stations:
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562 (1997)
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Televisions:
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63 million (1997)
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Internet country code:
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.in
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Internet hosts:
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2.707 million (2008)
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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43 (2000)
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Internet users:
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80 million (2007)
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Airports:
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346 (2007)
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 250
over 3,047 m: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 52
1,524 to 2,437 m: 75
914 to 1,523 m: 84
under 914 m: 21 (2007)
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 96
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 47 (2007)
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Heliports:
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30 (2007)
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Pipelines:
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condensate/gas 9 km; gas 7,488 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,861 km; oil 7,883 km; refined products 6,422 km (2007)
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Railways:
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total: 63,221 km
broad gauge: 46,807 km 1.676-m gauge (17,343 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 13,290 km 1.000-m gauge (165 km electrified); 3,124 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2006)
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Roadways:
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total: 3,316,452 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2006)
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Waterways:
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14,500 km
note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2008)
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Merchant marine:
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total: 501
by type:
bulk carrier 102, cargo 241, carrier 1, chemical tanker 19, container
13, liquefied gas 18, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 11, petroleum tanker
92, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 12 (China 1, Germany 2, Hong Kong 1, UAE 6, UK 2)
registered in other countries:
61 (Barbados 1, Comoros 2, Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Liberia 2, Malta 2,
Marshall Islands 1, Panama 27, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1, Saint Vincent
and the Grenadines 7, Singapore 13, unknown 1) (2008) |
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Ports and terminals:
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Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mormugao, Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam
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Military branches:
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Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force (Bharatiya Vayu Sena), Coast Guard (2008)
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Military service age and obligation:
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16 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women officers allowed in noncombat roles only (2008)
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Manpower available for military service:
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males age 16-49: 301,094,084
females age 16-49: 283,047,141 (2008 est.)
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males age 16-49: 231,161,111
females age 16-49: 236,633,962 (2008 est.)
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Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
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male: 11,592,516
female: 10,636,857 (2008 est.)
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Military expenditures:
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2.5% of GDP (2006)
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| Transnational Issues |
India |
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Disputes - international:
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since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue
in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of
their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation,
Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other
matters continue; various talks and confidence-building measures have
cautiously begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since
the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains
the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial
dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai
Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and
Northern Areas); India and Pakistan have maintained the 2004 cease fire
in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in
the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the
highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam
on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger
dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; UN
Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained
a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize
Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; to defuse
tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and
Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir
Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea;
Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat
State; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small
section of river boundary, to exchange territory for 51 Bangladeshi
exclaves in India and 111 Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, to allocate
divided villages, and to stop illegal cross-border trade, migration,
violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border;
Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections
of the border; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South
Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary
delimitation; India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep
Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists from hiding in remote areas along
the borders; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine
contested boundary sections, including the 400 square kilometer dispute
over the source of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border
regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border
activities from Nepal |
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Refugees and internally displaced persons:
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refugees (country of origin): 77,200 (Tibet/China); 69,609 (Sri Lanka); 9,472 (Afghanistan)
IDPs: at least 600,000 (about half are Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu and Kashmir) (2007)
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Trafficking in persons:
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current situation:
India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and
children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial
sexual exploitation; internal forced labor may constitute India's
largest trafficking problem; men, women, and children are held in debt
bondage and face forced labor working in brick kilns, rice mills,
agriculture, and embroidery factories; women and girls are trafficked
within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation
and forced marriage; children are subjected to forced labor as factory
workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have
been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups;
India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and
Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual
exploitation; Indian women are trafficked to the Middle East for
commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal
are trafficked through India for forced labor and commercial sexual
exploitation in the Middle East
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - India is on the Tier
2 Watch List for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to provide
evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007;
despite the reported extent of the trafficking crisis in India,
government authorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and
protect trafficking victims; government authorities continued to rescue
victims of commercial sexual exploitation and forced child labor and
child armed combatants, and began to show progress in law enforcement
against these forms of trafficking; a critical challenge overall is the
lack of punishment for traffickers, effectively resulting in impunity
for acts of human trafficking; India has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP
Protocol (2008) |
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Illicit drugs:
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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 and throughout Southwest Asia;
illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money
laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor
production |
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