Official Name: Republic of India

National Anthem

Jana gana mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore(Click Here to Read)

National Emblem

A uni-dimensional adaptation of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashok, the emblem depicts three lions (from the four which stand back-to-back looking to north, south, east and west on the original capital), and part of the frieze on the abacus i.e. the Wheel of the Law (Dharma) in the centre flanked by a horse and a bull. The bell-shaped lotus which supports the original capital has been omitted and instead, inscribed below the abacus are the words "Satyameva Jayate" - "Truth Alone Triumphs" in the Devnagari script.

National Flag

India’s flag is a horizontal tricolour with deep saffron above, white in the middle and dark green below, in equal proportion. The saffron signifies the spirit of sacrifice, the white represents purity and the green fertility. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel with 24 spokes, signifying progress. The width to length ratio of the flag is two to three.

National Calendar

Based on the Saka Era with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days, the national calendar has a permanent correspondence with the Gregorian calendar with 1st Chaitra falling on 22nd March (21st March in leap years).

Structure of the state

Union of 28 states and 7 Union territories with the Central Government based in New Delhi.

Political System

Multi-party parliamentary democracy, based on universal adult franchise, largest democracy in the world

Parliament

Bicameral legislature, with the Upper House known as the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lower House known as the Lok Sabha (Council of the People).

Last Elections

April-May 2009

Current Government

Formed by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Indian National Congress party.

Head of State

President Shri Pranab Mukherjee  (http://presidentofindia.nic.in)

Head of Government

Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh (http://pmindia.nic.in)

Indian Standard Time

(Indian Standard Time) IST is equal to GMT + 5 hours and 30 minutes. With reference to Sudan, IST is minus 2 and 1/2 hour.

Area

3.29 million square kilometres

Climate

Varied continental climate. Spring from March-April, summer from May-October, winter from November-February. Tropical monsoon from June-August, and post-monsoon or north-east monsoon season (Oct-Dec). Most of the rainfall is brought by the south-west monsoon. Owing to the geographical diversity of India, regional climatic conditions in the extreme north, east and west can be different.

Neighbours

India shares borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan to the north-west, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east. Sri Lanka is separated from the southernmost tip of India by the narrow Palk Straits and the Gulf of Mannar.

Major cities/towns

Almost forty percent of India’s 1.027 billion people live in urban centers, the four largest being Delhi (12 million), Mumbai (16 million), Kolkata (13.2 million), and Chennai (6.4 million). Other cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, etc are rapidly developing into major centres of commerce and industry.

Population

1.027 billion (2001 census);
Current growth rate 1.2% per annum
Lifespan: Male 62.3 years, female 65.3 years
Death rate: 8.5 per 1000

Languages

Hindi is the official language, but English is also widely used. In addition, 22 languages are recognized by the Constitution of India. There are about 1,500 dialects.

Literacy

70%

Religions

India is a secular country with no state religion. Major religions include Hinduism (82%), Islam (12-15%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%) and Jainism (0.4%)

Currency

Rupee (1 Rupee = 100 paise). In May 2010, one US dollar equals approximately 45 rupees.

Fiscal Year

1st April to 31st March.

GDP (2009): US$ 1.2 trillion

GDP (PPP): US$ 6 trillion (third largest in world)

Per capita GDP: US$ 5,500

GDP Growth rate (2009): 6.5%

Food production: 230 million tonnes annually (world’s largest producer of tea, milk, sugar, rice, butter and wheat - Indian food grains exported to over 50 countries)

National flower: Lotus

National bird: Peacock

National animal: Tiger