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Official Name: Known officially as the Republic of India, or commonly India.
Capital: The Capital city of India is New Delhi which is situated within the metropolis of Delhi. It occupies a total area of 42.7 km2. New Delhi serves as the seat of the Government of India and the Government of the National Capital.
Location: India is located in Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan.
Size: The total land area of India is 3.29 million square kilometers and this ranks 14th globally. It is comparative in size to Argentina.
Climate: The climate of India defies easy generalisation, comprising a wide range of weather conditions across a large geographic scale and varied topography. India hosts six major climatic subtypes, ranging from desert in the west, to alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, to humid tropical regions supporting rainforests in the southwest and the island territories. Many regions have starkly different microclimates. The nation has four seasons: winter (January and February), summer (March to May), monsoon (rainy) season (June to September), and a post-monsoon period (October to December).
Population: India has an estimated population of 1.17 billion people, ranks 2nd globally after China. The population growth rate is about 1.55%.
Life expectancy at birth: The average life expectancy at birth for India is 69.89 years, ranking at 145th globally. Females have a longer average life span at 72.6 years, while Males average at 67.5 years from birth.
Prevalence of HIV/AIDS: The prevalence of HIV/AIDS in India is approximately 0.3%, placing 89th globally. This means that around 2.4million people are living with the disease in the country.
Major illnesses: The risk of major infectious disease in India is high. Food or waterborne diseases such as bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E and Typhoid fever have been reported. Other major diseases also include Vectorborne diseases such as Chikungunya, Dengue fever, Japanese Encephalitis and Malaria or water contact disease like Leptospirosis. There is also risk with animal contact disease like Rabies. Highly pathogenic H5N1 Avian Influenza has been identified in India, it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among citizens who have close contact with birds.
Ethnic Groups: India is comprised of Hindu (80.5%), Muslim (13.4%), Christian (2.3%), Sikh (1.9%), other (1.8%) and unspecified (0.1%).
Languages: The official language in India is Hindu, with 41% of the population speaking the language. Other languages include 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% and other 5.9%.
Religion:Hinduism accounts for 80.5% of the population in India. Other regions include Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8% and unspecified 0.1%.
Government: The Government of India operates within the framework of a federal parliamentary representative democratic republic. It was established by the Constitution of India and is the governing authority of a federal union of 28 states, 6 union territories and 1 National Capital Territory. The Government of India consists of legislative, executive and judicial branches.
Head of State: The Head of State is President of India Pratibha Patil who is elected by members of the Parliament of India as well as the state of legislatures. The role serves for a term of five years.
Head of Government: The Head of Government is Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh who is appointed by the President to assist in the administration of the affairs of the executive in India.
Military: The India Military is divided into four branches. Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force and Coast Guard. You can enter for voluntary military service at the age of 16. Women officers are allowed in non-combat roles only.
Economy: The economy of India is the 12th largest economy in the world by market exchange rates and the 4th largest by purchasing power parity (PPP) basis. India was under socialist-based policies for an entire generation from the 1950s until the 1980s. The economy was characterised by extensive regulation, protectionism, and public ownership, leading to pervasive corruption and slow growth. Since 1991, continuing economic liberalisation has moved the economy towards a market-based system.
India's large service industry accounts for 54% of the country's GDP while the industrial and agricultural sector contribute 29% and 17% respectively. Agriculture is the predominant occupation in India, accounting for about 60% of employment. The service sector makes up a further 28% and industrial sector around 12%. Major industries include textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, information technology enabled services and software.
GDP: India has a purchasing power parity of US$3.27 trillion, ranking at 5th in the world. The official growth rate is about 6.6%, which ranks 41st globally.
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