2003 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 32.2% (male 173,973,350; female 163,979,116) 15-64 years: 63% (male 342,620,712; female 319,259,867) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 25,281,756; female 24,585,317) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

334 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 47 914 to 1,523 m: 73

total

232

under 914 m

20 (2002) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 78

Airports - with unpaved runways

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

Area

land

0.2 sq km

land

2,973,190 sq km

total

0.2 sq km

total

3,287,590 sq km

water

0 sq km

water

314,400 sq km

Area - comparative

about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Background

This atoll is a volcanic rock surrounded by reefs and is awash at high tide. A French possession since 1897, it was placed under the administration of a commissioner residing in Reunion in 1968. Geography Bassas da India

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. Geography India

Birth rate

23.28 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures

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

revenues

$48.3 billion

Capital

New Delhi

Climate

tropical

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Coastline

35.2 km

7,000 km

Constitution

26 January 1950

Country name

conventional long form

none

conventional long form

Republic of India

conventional short form

Bassas da India

conventional short form

India

Currency

Indian rupee (INR)

Currency code

INR

Death rate

8.49 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$100.6 billion (2001 est.)

Dependency status

possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Robert D. BLACKWILL

embassy

Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[91] (11) 419-8000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Lalit MANSINGH

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco

Disputes - international

claimed by Madagascar This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

much of the rugged, militarized boundary with China is in dispute, but the two sides have participated in more than 13 rounds of joint working group sessions on this issue; India objects to Pakistan ceding lands to China in 1965 boundary agreement that India believes are part of disputed Kashmir; with Pakistan, armed stand-off over the status and sovereignty of Kashmir continues; disputes with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing and the terminus of the Rann of Kutch, which prevents maritime boundary delimitation; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to work on resolution of disputed boundary sections; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty Island in the Bay of Bengal prevents maritime boundary delimitation

Distribution of family income - Gini index

37.8 (1997)

Economic aid - recipient

$2.9 billion (FY 98/99)

Economy - overview

no economic activity Transportation Bassas da India

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 information technology sector leads the strong growth pattern. The World Bank and others worry about the continuing public-sector budget deficit, running at approximately 10% of GDP in 1997-2002. In 2003 the state-owned Indian Bank substantially reduced non-performing loans, attracted new customers, and turned a profit. Deep-rooted problems remain, notably conflicts among political and cultural groups.

Electricity - consumption

497.2 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

321 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

1.54 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

533.3 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

81.7%

hydro

14.5%

nuclear

3.4%

other

0.3% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

unnamed location 2.4 m

highest point

Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

NA

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

Environment - international agreements

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, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

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

Exchange rates

Indian rupees per US dollar - 48.61 (2002), 47.19 (2001), 44.94 (2000), 43.06 (1999), 41.26 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister

chief of state

President Abdul KALAM (since 26 July 2002); Vice President Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT (since 12 August 2002)

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%

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)

Exports

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

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 22.5%, UK 5.1%, UAE 5.1%, Hong Kong 4.5%, Germany 4.3%, China 4.1% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 483-3972

[91] (11) 419-0017

chancery

2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Embassy located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

consulate(s) general

Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)

telephone

[1] (202) 939-7000

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications India

Flag description

the flag of France is used Economy Bassas da India

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 Economy India

GDP

purchasing power parity - $2.664 trillion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

25%

industry

25%

services

50% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $2,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

4.3% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

21 30 S, 39 50 E

20 00 N, 77 00 E

Geography - note

the islands emerge from a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano People Bassas da India

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes People India

Government type

federal republic

Heliports

19 (2002) Military India

Highways

paved

1,517,077 km

total

3,319,644 km

unpaved

1,802,567 km (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

310,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

3.97 million (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

33.5% (1997)

lowest 10%

3.5%

Illicit drugs

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 This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

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

Imports - commodities

crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals

Imports - partners

US 7.1%, Belgium 6.7%, China 4.6%, Singapore 4.6%, UK 4.6% (2002)

Independence

15 August 1947 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

6% (2002 est.)

Industries

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

Infant mortality rate

female

58.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)

male

60.23 deaths/1,000 live births

total

59.59 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.4% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

AfDB, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, C, 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, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Internet country code

.in

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

43 (2000)

Internet users

7 million (2002) Transportation India

Irrigated land

0 sq km (1998 est.)

590,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

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

Labor force

406 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation

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

Land boundaries

0 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

total

14,103 km

Land use

arable land

0%

arable land

54.35%

other

100% (all rock) (1998 est.)

other

42.99% (1998 est.)

permanent crops

0%

permanent crops

2.66%

Languages

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

Legal system

the laws of France, where applicable, apply

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

Legislative branch

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)

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

elections

People's Assembly - last held 5 September through 3 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

Life expectancy at birth

female

64.37 years (2003 est.)

male

62.92 years

total population

63.62 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

48.3% (2003 est.) Government India

male

70.2%

total population

59.5%

Location

Southern Africa, islands in the southern Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from Madagascar to Mozambique

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

Map references

Africa

Asia

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 NM

continental shelf

200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 NM

exclusive economic zone

200 NM

territorial sea

12 NM

territorial sea

12 NM

Median age

female

24.2 years (2002)

male

24.1 years

total

24.1 years

Merchant marine

convenience

China 1, UAE 10, UK 1 (2002 est.)

note

includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of

ships by type

bulk 100, cargo 82, chemical tanker 15, combination bulk 2, combination ore/oil 2, container 10, liquefied gas 10, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 75, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 1

total

305 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 5,753,279 GRT/9,621,911 DWT

Military - note

defense is the responsibility of France Transnational Issues Bassas da India

Military branches

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

$11.52 billion (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.3% (FY02) Transnational Issues India

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49

288,251,975 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49

169 million (2003 est.)

Military manpower - military age

17 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males

11,035,174 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Republic Day, 26 January (1950)

Nationality

adjective

Indian

noun

Indian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

22.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - production

22.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

542.4 billion cu m (37257)

Natural hazards

maritime hazard since it is usually under water during high tide and surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones

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

Natural resources

none

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

Net migration rate

-0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

2.13 million bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

732,400 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

4.33 billion bbl (37257)

Pipelines

gas 5,798 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,195 km; oil 5,613 km; refined products 5,567 km (2003)

Political parties and leaders

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 pressure groups and leaders

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

Population

uninhabited (July 2003 est.) Government Bassas da India

1,049,700,118 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

25% (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

1.47% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

none; offshore anchorage only Military Bassas da India

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

Radio broadcast stations

AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)

Radios

116 million (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

45,142 km 1.676-m gauge

narrow gauge

15,013 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,363 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2002)

total

63,518 km (15,009 km electrified)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

1.07 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

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

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

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 - main lines in use

27.7 million (October 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.93 million (November 2000)

Television broadcast stations

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

Televisions

63 million (1997)

Terrain

volcanic rock

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

Total fertility rate

2.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate

8.8% (2002)

Waterways

none

16,180 km

note

3,631 km navigable by large vessels