Today India is a hotbed of technological advances and home to one of the largest technically trained workforce in the world. Alongside this modern India, lies a culturally diverse and historically rich country with its myriad hues and textures, tradition and customs, yogis and thinkers. The cradle of one of the oldest civilizations in the world, India is situated on a peninsula extending into the Indian Ocean, with the Arabian Sea to the West and Bay of Bengal to the east. Separated from the rest of Asia by the snow bound peaks of the Himalayas in the north, India is the seventh largest country in the world. India is also one of the largest English speaking populations in the world.
The economy of India is the fourth largest in the world as measured by purchasing power parity (PPP). When measured in USD exchange-rate terms, it is the tenth largest in the world, with a GDP of US $1.0 trillion as of 2007. India is the second fastest growing major economy in the world, with a GDP growth rate of 9.2% at the end of the second quarter of 2006-2007. The economy is diverse and encompasses agriculture, handicrafts, textile, manufacturing, and a multitude of services. Although two-thirds of the Indian workforce still earns its livelihood directly or indirectly through agriculture, services are a growing sector and are playing an increasingly important role of India's economy. The advent of the digital age, and the large number of young and educated populace fluent in English, is gradually transforming India as an important destination for global companies for the outsourcing of their customer services and technical support. India is a major exporter of highly-skilled workers in software and financial services, and software engineering. Other sectors like manufacturing, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, nanotechnology, telecommunication shipbuilding and aviation are showing strong potential with higher growth rates.
The National Flag is a horizontal tricolor of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. In the centre of the white band is a navy-blue wheel which represents the chakra. Its design is that of the wheel which appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Ashoka.
3.29 million square kilometers, roughly a third of the landmass of the United States!
New Delhi
Political system and Government:
India attained independence from British rule on 15 August 1947. The 1950 Constitution provides for a parliamentary system of Government with a bicameral parliament and three independent branches: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The country has a federal structure with elected Governments in States. There are 28 states and 7 Union Territories (administered directly by the Central Government). There is healthy competition between all the states to attract Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) for speedy economic growth and employment generation.
1,027 million (2001).
1.93 per cent (1991-2001)
60.4 years, male: 61.8 y ears, female: 59 years
Literacy rate: 65.38 percent (Kerala has the highest literacy rate of 90.92 per cent. As per 2001 census all States and Union Territories have achieved a male literacy rate of 60 per cent and most of the States have attained a female literacy rate of over 50 per cent).
Majority are Hindus, though a significant number are Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and others. According to the 2001 census, out of the total population of 1.028 million in the Country, Hindus constituted the majority with 80.5 %, Muslims came second at 13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and others.
Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram.
The climate of India may be broadly described as tropical monsoon type. There are four seasons:
(i) winter (January-February)
(ii) summer (March-May)
(iii) rainy southwestern monsoon (June-September)
(iv) post-monsoon, also known as northeast monsoon in the southern peninsula (October-December).
India's climate is affected by two seasonal winds - the northeast monsoon and the southwest monsoon. The north-east monsoon, commonly known as winter monsoon blows from land to sea, whereas southwest monsoon, known as summer monsoon blows from sea to land after crossing the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea, and the Bay of Bengal. The south-west monsoon brings most of the rainfall during a year in the country.
GMT +5.5 hours
There are 22 national languages that have been recognized by the Constitution of India, of which Hindi is the Official Union Language. Hindi is the language of a large percentage of people (38 per cent), while English is the preferred business language. Besides these, there are 844 different dialects that are practiced in various parts of the Country.
INR = Indian rupee
INR 1 lakh = 1,00,000 (one hundred thousand rupees)
INR 100 lakhs = 1 crore
Indian Rupee (INR), 100 paisa = 1 INR. Currency notes are in INR 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500, and 1,000. It is easy to exchange rupees for foreign exchange. All big cities and most small towns have ATMs which accept Visa, Mastercard and American Express.
Credit cards are accepted at all major stores and hotels and even big restaurants welcome them. Payments for normal expenses need to be made only in Indian rupees, except at some hotels, which accept foreign exchange.
1Information taken from Infosys Technologies Limited, http://www.infosys.com/instepweb/