Republic of India

Republic of India
Government of India · Public domain · source
Conventional long name	Republic of India
Native name	भारत गणराज्य
Capital	New Delhi
Largest city	Mumbai
Official languages	Hindi, English
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
President	President of India
Prime minister	Narendra Modi
Area km2	3287263
Population estimate	1400000000
Currency	Indian rupee
Calling code	+91
Time zone	Indian Standard Time

Republic of India is a South Asian country on the Indian subcontinent with a diverse population, extensive cultural heritage, and significant geopolitical influence. It is a federal republic with a parliamentary system and a written constitution that took effect in 1950. India maintains strategic relationships across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas and is a member of multiple international organizations.

Etymology and Symbols

The modern name derives from the Indus River, attested in ancient sources such as the Rigveda and later Greek accounts like Herodotus. National symbols include the Flag of India (tricolor with the Ashoka Chakra), the Emblem of India (adapted from the Lion Capital of Ashoka), the national anthem "Jana Gana Mana" by Rabindranath Tagore, and the national song "Vande Mataram" from the novel Anandamath by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee. Other emblematic items include the Lotus as national flower, the Bengal tiger as national animal, and the Peacock as national bird.

History

The subcontinent hosts ancient civilizations like the Indus Valley Civilization (Harappa, Mohenjo-daro) and Vedic polities recorded in the Mahajanapadas and Rigveda. Medieval eras saw empires such as the Maurya Empire under Ashoka, the Gupta Empire, the Chola dynasty, the Delhi Sultanate, and the Mughal Empire founded by Babur. European contact escalated with the Portuguese India colonies at Goa and later the British East India Company leading to colonial rule known as the British Raj. Resistance included movements led by Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Subhas Chandra Bose, and organizations like the Indian National Congress and the All-India Muslim League. Partition in 1947 produced the independent states of Pakistan and Bangladesh after 1971, followed by the enactment of the Constitution of India in 1950. Post-independence developments involved wars such as the Indo-Pakistani Wars, the Sino-Indian War (1962), and engagements with United Nations peacekeeping and regional groupings like the Non-Aligned Movement and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation.

Government and Politics

The polity is structured under the Constitution of India with institutions including the Parliament of India (Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha), the Supreme Court of India, the Election Commission of India, and the Reserve Bank of India. Major political parties encompass the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Indian National Congress, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), the Trinamool Congress, the Aam Aadmi Party, and regional parties such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam and Telugu Desam Party. Notable leaders in the republic era include Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi. Key legislation and institutions feature acts like the Right to Information Act, the Goods and Services Tax, and commissions such as the Election Commission of India and National Human Rights Commission (India). India participates in multilateral frameworks including the United Nations, the G20, the BRICS, and the World Trade Organization.

Geography and Environment

The territory spans physiographic regions such as the Himalayas, the Indo-Gangetic Plain, the Thar Desert, the Deccan Plateau, and the Western Ghats and Eastern Ghats. Major rivers include the Ganges, Brahmaputra, Indus, Godavari, Krishna, and Mahanadi. States and union territories include Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Odisha, Punjab, Haryana, Assam, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Goa, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttarakhand, Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Ladakh, Puducherry, Chandigarh, Lakshadweep, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Environmental issues involve deforestation, air pollution in cities like Delhi, water stress in regions like Rajasthan, biodiversity hotspots such as the Western Ghats and Sundarbans, and conservation efforts in protected areas including Kaziranga National Park, Jim Corbett National Park, Gir National Park, and Sundarbans National Park.

Economy

Economic history includes precolonial trade networks via ports like Calicut and Surat, colonial-era integration into the British Empire economy, and post-1991 liberalization led by policymakers such as Manmohan Singh under finance ministers like P. Chidambaram. Contemporary sectors include information technology with hubs in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune; manufacturing in Chennai and Ahmedabad; pharmaceuticals in Mumbai and Hyderabad; and agriculture in states like Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh. Financial institutions include the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, and conglomerates like the Tata Group, Reliance Industries, Adani Group, and Mahindra Group. Trade partners include United States, China, United Arab Emirates, European Union, and Japan. Infrastructure projects include the Golden Quadrilateral, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and initiatives such as Make in India, Digital India, and Startup India.

Demographics and Society

Population centers include megacities like Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad. Ethnolinguistic groups involve speakers of Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Odia, and Punjabi. Major religions practiced include Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism, with pilgrimage sites such as Varanasi, Amritsar, Tirupati, Rameswaram, and Vaishno Devi. Social movements and reformers include B.R. Ambedkar, Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Jyotirao Phule, and organizations such as the Dalit Panthers. Public health and welfare systems involve institutions like All India Institute of Medical Sciences, National Rural Health Mission, and initiatives such as the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Migration patterns include internal rural-to-urban migration and international diaspora communities in United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and United Arab Emirates.

Culture and Education

Cultural outputs include classical arts such as Bharatanatyam, Kathak, and Odissi, musical traditions like Hindustani classical music and Carnatic music, and film industries including Bollywood, Tollywood, and Kollywood. Literary figures include Rabindranath Tagore, Munshi Premchand, R. K. Narayan, Salman Rushdie, and Arundhati Roy. Festivals encompass Diwali, Holi, Eid al-Fitr, Christmas, Vaisakhi, and Pongal. Higher education institutions include the Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of Management, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, University of Delhi, and Banaras Hindu University. Scientific contributions and agencies include Indian Space Research Organisation, the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, and missions like Chandrayaan-1 and Mangalyaan (Mars Orbiter Mission). Culinary diversity features regional cuisines such as Punjabi cuisine, Bengali cuisine, South Indian cuisine, and dishes like biryani, dosa, samosa, and dal makhani.

Category:Countries in Asia