1992 Edition

Climate

tropical

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Coastline

35.2 km

7,000 km

Comparative area

undetermined

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Contiguous zone

12 nm

24 nm

Continental shelf

200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation

edge of continental margin or 200 nm

Disputes

claimed by Madagascar

boundaries with Bangladesh, China, and Pakistan; water sharing problems with downstream riparians, Bangladesh over the Ganges and Pakistan over the Indus

Environment

surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones

droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; air and water pollution; desertification

Exclusive economic zone

200 nm

200 nm

Land area

undetermined

2,973,190 km2

Land boundaries

none

14,103 km; Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China 3,380, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km

Land use

arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other (rock) 100%

arable land 55%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and woodland 23%; other 17%; includes irrigated 13%

Natural resources

none

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, crude oil, limestone

Note

navigational hazard since it is usually under water during high tide; located in southern Mozambique Channel about halfway between Africa and Madagascar

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes

Terrain

a volcanic rock 2.4 m high

upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Territorial sea

12 nm

12 nm

Total area

NA

3,287,590 km2

Birth rate

30 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate

11 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Ethnic divisions

Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%

Infant mortality rate

81 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Labor force

284,400,000; 67% agriculture (FY85)

Languages

Hindi, English, and 14 other official languages - Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; 24 languages spoken by a million or more persons each; numerous other languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindustani, a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu, is spoken widely throughout northern India

Life expectancy at birth

57 years male, 58 years female (1992)

Literacy

48% (male 62%, female 34%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Nationality

noun - Indian(s); adjective - Indian

Net migration rate

0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Organized labor

less than 5% of the labor force

Population

uninhabited

886,362,180 (July 1992), growth rate 1.9% (1992)

Religions

Hindu 82.6%, Muslim 11.4%, Christian 2.4%, Sikh 2.0%, Buddhist 0.7%, Jains 0.5%, other 0.4%

Total fertility rate

3.7 children born/woman (1992)

Administrative divisions

25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal

Capital

none; administered by France from Reunion

New Delhi

Chief of State

President Ramaswamy Iyer VENKATARAMAN (since 25 July 1987); Vice President Dr. Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 3 September 1987)

Communists

466,000 members claimed by CPI, 361,000 members claimed by CPI/M; Communist extremist groups, about 15,000 members

Constitution

26 January 1950

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Abid HUSSEIN; Chancery at 2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-7000; there are Indian Consulates General in Chicago, New York, and San Francisco US: Ambassador William CLARK, Jr.; Embassy at Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi; telephone [91] (11) 600651; FAX [91] (11) 687-2028, 687-2391; there are US Consulates General in Bombay, Calcutta, and Madras

Executive branch

president, vice president, prime minister, Council of Ministers

Flag

three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band

Head of Government

Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June 1991)

Independence

15 August 1947 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament (Sansad) consists of an upper house or Council of States (Rajya Sabha) and a lower house or People's Assembly (Lok Sabha)

Long-form name

none

Republic of India

Member of

AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950)

Other political or pressure groups

various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy; numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Adam Sena, Ananda Marg, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

People's Assembly

last held 21 May, 12 and 15 June 1991 (next to be held by November 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (545 total), 520 elected - Congress (I) Party 231, Bharatiya Janata Party 119, Janata Dal Party 59, CPI/M 35, CPI 14, Telugu Desam 13, AIADMK 11, Samajwadi Janata Party 5, Shiv Sena 4, RSP 4, BSP 1, Congress (S) Party 1, other 23; note - second and third rounds of voting were delayed because of the assassination of Congress President Rajiv GANDHI on 21 May 1991

Political parties and leaders

Congress (I) Party, P. V. Narasimha RAO, president; Bharatiya Janata Party, L. K. ADVANI; Janata Dal Party, V. P. SINGH; Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M), Harkishan Singh SURJEET; Communist Party of India (CPI), C. Rajeswara RAO; Telugu Desam (a regional party in Andhra Pradesh), N. T. Rama RAO; All-India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK; a regional party in Tamil Nadu), JAYALALITHA; Samajwadi Janata Party, CHANDRA SHEKHAR; Shiv Sena, Bal THACKERAY; Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip CHOWDHURY; Bahujana Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi RAM; Congress (S) Party, leader NA; Communist Party of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML), Satyanarayan SINGH; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (a regional party in Tamil Nadu), M. KARUNANIDHI; Akali Dal factions representing Sikh religious community in the Punjab; National Conference (NC; a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir), Farooq ABDULLAH; Asom Gana Parishad (a regional party in Assam), Prafulla MAHANTA

Suffrage

universal at age 18

Type

French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic Jacques DEWATRE (since July 1991), resident in Reunion

federal republic

Agriculture

accounts for about 30% of GDP and employs 67% of labor force; self-sufficient in food grains; principal crops - rice, wheat, oilseeds, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; livestock - cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats and poultry; fish catch of about 3 million metric tons ranks India among the world's top 10 fishing nations

Budget

revenues $38.5 billion; expenditures $53.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.1 billion (FY92)

Currency

Indian rupee (plural - rupees); 1 Indian rupee (Re) = 100 paise

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $31.7 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $315 million; USSR (1970-89), $11.6 billion; Eastern Europe (1970-89), $105 million

Electricity

80,000,000 kW capacity; 290,000 million kWh produced, 330 kWh per capita (1991)

Exchange rates

Indian rupees (Rs) per US$1 - 25.917 (January 1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989), 13.917 (1988), 12.962 (1987)

Exports

$20.2 billion (f.o.b., FY91) commodities: gems and jewelry, engineering goods, clothing, textiles, chemicals, tea, coffee, fish products partners: EC 25%, US 16%, USSR and Eastern Europe 19%, Japan 10% (1989)

External debt

$72.0 billion (1991 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $328 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 2.5% (FY92 est.)

Illicit drugs

licit producer of opium poppy for the pharmaceutical trade, but some opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; major transit country for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit producer of hashish

Imports

$25.2 billion (c.i.f., FY91) commodities: petroleum products, capital goods, uncut gems, gems, jewelry, chemicals, iron and steel, edible oils partners: EC 33%, Middle East 19%, US 12%, Japan 8%, USSR and Eastern Europe 8% (1989)

Industrial production

growth rate 8.4% (1990); accounts for about 25% of GDP

Industries

textiles, food processing, steel, machinery, transportation equipment, cement, jute manufactures, mining, petroleum, power, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, electronics

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

12.0% (1991)

Overview

no economic activity

India's economy is a mixture of traditional village farming and handicrafts, modern agriculture, old and new branches of industry, and a multitude of support services. It presents both the entrepreneurial skills and drives of the capitalist system and widespread government intervention of the socialist mold. Growth of 4-5% annually in the 1980s has softened the impact of population growth on unemployment, social tranquility, and the environment. Agricultural output has continued to expand, reflecting the greater use of modern farming techniques and improved seed that have helped to make India self-sufficient in food grains and a net agricultural exporter. However, tens of millions of villagers, particularly in the south, have not benefited from the green revolution and live in abject poverty, and great numbers of urban residents lack the basic essentials of life. Industry has benefited from a partial liberalization of controls. The growth rate of the service sector has also been strong. India, however, has been challenged more recently by much lower foreign exchange reserves, higher inflation, and a large debt service burden.

Unemployment rate

20% (1991 est.)

Airports

341 total, 288 usable; 203 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 59 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 87 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

93 major transport aircraft

Highways

1,970,000 km total (1989); 960,000 km surfaced and 1,010,000 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth

Inland waterways

16,180 km; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels

Merchant marine

299 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,991,278 GRT/9,935,463 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 7 passenger-cargo, 91 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 8 container, 54 oil tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 8 combination ore/oil, 111 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 6 liquefied gas

Pipelines

crude oil 3,497 km; petroleum products 1,703 km; natural gas 902 km (1989)

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only

Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Kandla, Madras, New Mangalore, Port Blair (Andaman Islands)

Railroads

61,850 km total (1986); 33,553 km 1.676-meter broad gauge, 24,051 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,246 km narrow gauge (0.762 meter and 0.610 meter); 12,617 km is double track; 6,500 km is electrified

Telecommunications

poor domestic telephone service, international radio communications adequate; 4,700,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 96 AM, 4 FM, 274 TV (government controlled); domestic satellite system for communications and TV; 3 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; submarine cables to Malaysia and United Arab Emirates

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Security or Paramilitary Forces, Border Security Force, Coast Guard, Assam Rifles

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GNP (FY91)

Manpower availability

males 15-49, 237,803,153; 140,140,736 fit for military service; about 9,474,290 reach military age (17) annually

Note

defense is the responsibility of France