India (South Asia)

India (South Asia)
Conventional long name	Republic of India
Common name	India
Capital	New Delhi
Largest city	Mumbai
Official languages	Hindi English
Population	1.4 billion
Area km2	3,287,263
Government type	Federal parliamentary republic
President	Droupadi Murmu
Prime minister	Narendra Modi
Currency	Indian rupee

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India (South Asia) India is a sovereign state in South Asia with a millennia-spanning civilizational history centered on the Indus Valley Civilization, the Maurya Empire, the Gupta Empire and successive regional powers such as the Chola dynasty and the Mughal Empire. It underwent colonial rule under the British Raj and achieved independence through movements led by figures associated with the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League, culminating in the Indian independence movement and the Partition of British India.

Etymology and Names

The English name derives from the Indus River (Sanskrit: Sindhu) as used by Herodotus and later by classical sources like Pliny the Elder. Indigenous names include Bharat, rooted in the legendary monarch Bharata of the Mahabharata, and Hindustan, attested in medieval Persian sources tied to the Delhi Sultanate and Mughal Empire. Colonial-era documents from the East India Company and the Act of Settlement era standardized "India" in international diplomacy, while constitutional texts such as the Constitution of India formally recognize "Bharat".

Prehistoric and ancient periods feature the Indus Valley Civilization and Vedic texts associated with the Rigveda and the rise of urban polity in the Maurya Empire under Chandragupta Maurya and Ashoka. Classical eras saw the Gupta Empire and regional kingdoms like the Pandyas, the Vijayanagara Empire, and the Chola dynasty shaping art and maritime trade with the Srivijaya and the Tang dynasty. Medieval centuries brought the Delhi Sultanate and the Mughal Empire with emperors such as Akbar and Shah Jahan patronizing architecture exemplified by the Taj Mahal. European presence began with the Portuguese Empire at Goa and expanded through the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company, leading to the Indian Rebellion of 1857 and the establishment of the British Raj. Nationalist movements led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru culminated in independence, the Partition of British India into Pakistan and India, and the subsequent reorganization of states under the States Reorganisation Act. Post-independence developments include wars with Pakistan and China (Sino-Indian War), the nuclear tests at Pokhran, and economic reforms beginning in 1991 under P. V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh.

The subcontinental landmass spans the Himalayas, the Thar Desert, the Deccan Plateau, and the extensive Indo-Gangetic Plain traversed by the Ganges River, Brahmaputra River, and Godavari River. Coastal regions face the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal with island territories including the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep. Climatic regimes range from alpine weather in Ladakh and Sikkim to tropical monsoon conditions across Kerala and West Bengal, shaped by the Southwest Monsoon and the Northeast Monsoon, and subject to cyclones affecting the Odisha and Andhra Pradesh coasts.

India is a federal parliamentary republic operating under the Constitution of India with a ceremonial head of state, the President of India, and an executive headed by the Prime Minister of India. The bicameral legislature comprises the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, with major political parties including the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Indian National Congress, and regional parties such as the All India Trinamool Congress and the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam. Judicial authority rests with the Supreme Court of India, and electoral processes are administered by the Election Commission of India. Federal relations involve states like Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Tamil Nadu, each with legislative assemblies shaped by the States Reorganisation Act and constitutional provisions including the Directive Principles of State Policy.

The economy is a mixed system with historic sectors such as agriculture in Punjab, Haryana, and Andhra Pradesh alongside services hubs like Bengaluru (information technology) and financial centers like Mumbai hosting the Bombay Stock Exchange and the Reserve Bank of India. Industrial clusters in Gujarat and Tamil Nadu support manufacturing and ports such as Mumbai Port Trust and Kolkata Port. Economic liberalization in 1991 under P. V. Narasimha Rao and Manmohan Singh accelerated growth, encouraging foreign direct investment and the rise of corporations such as Tata Group, Reliance Industries, and Infosys. Key challenges include income inequality, rural poverty in regions like Odisha and Chhattisgarh, and infrastructure needs addressed through initiatives like Make in India and Digital India.

India is the second most populous country, with a complex demographic mosaic including ethnic groups such as the Indo-Aryans, Dravidians, and numerous tribal peoples recognized in the Scheduled Tribes lists. Major religions include Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism, with pilgrimage sites like Varanasi, Amritsar, and Ajmer Sharif. Social institutions reflect traditions from texts like the Manusmriti and reform movements led by figures such as B. R. Ambedkar and Raja Ram Mohan Roy, influencing laws including the Indian Penal Code and affirmative policies like reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.

Cultural output spans classical performing arts like Kathak, Bharatanatyam, and Odissi and film industries centered in Bollywood (based in Mumbai), Tollywood (based in Hyderabad), and Kollywood (based in Chennai). Literary traditions include Sanskrit epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata, medieval poetry by Kabir and Tulsidas, and modern authors such as Rabindranath Tagore and R. K. Narayan. The linguistic landscape features the 22 constitutionally recognized languages in the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of India including Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, and Tamil, plus dozens of regional and tribal languages recognized by institutions like the Sahitya Akademi.

Transport networks include the Indian Railways, extensive national highways, major airports like Indira Gandhi International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, and seaports such as Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust. Energy production mixes coal-fired plants in Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh with growing renewable projects in Gujarat and Rajasthan, and nuclear facilities overseen by the Nuclear Power Corporation of India. Environmental concerns involve air pollution in Delhi, water stress along the Ganges River and Yamuna River, deforestation in the Western Ghats and Northeast India, and conservation efforts in protected areas like Kaziranga National Park and Sundarbans National Park.

Category:Countries of Asia