2010 Edition

Background

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated onto the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century. By the 19th century, Great Britain had become the dominant political power on the subcontinent. The British Indian Army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually brought about independence in 1947. Communal violence led to the subcontinent's bloody partition, which resulted in the creation of two separate states, India and Pakistan. The two countries have fought three wars since independence, the last of which in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. India's nuclear weapons tests in 1998 caused Pakistan to conduct its own tests that same year. In November 2008, terrorists allegedly originating from Pakistan conducted a series of coordinated attacks in Mumbai, India's financial capital. Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, rapid economic development is fueling India's rise on the world stage. In January 2011, India assumed a nonpermanent seat in the UN Security Council for the 2011-12 term.

Area

land

2,973,193 sq km

total

3,287,263 sq km

water

314,070 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly more than one-third the size of the US

Climate

varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

Coastline

7,000 km

Elevation extremes

highest point

Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing; desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and growing population is overstraining natural resources

Environment - international agreements

party to

Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

per capita

585 cu m/yr (2000)

total

645.84 cu km/yr (8%/5%/86%)

Geographic coordinates

20 00 N, 77 00 E

Geography - note

dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes; Kanchenjunga, third tallest mountain in the world, lies on the border with Nepal

Irrigated land

558,080 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries

border countries

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

total

14,103 km

Land use

arable land

48.83%

other

48.37% (2005)

permanent crops

2.8%

Location

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

contiguous zone

24 nm

continental shelf

200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural hazards

droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms; earthquakes

volcanism

Barren Island (elev. 354 m, 1,161 ft) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years

Natural resources

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land

Terrain

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

Total renewable water resources

1,907.8 cu km (1999)

Age structure

0-14 years: 30.5% (male 187,197,389/female 165,285,592) 15-64 years: 64.3% (male 384,131,994/female 359,795,835) 65 years and over: 5.2% (male 28,816,115/female 31,670,841) (2010 est.)

Birth rate

21.34 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Death rate

7.53 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

Education expenditures

3.2% of GDP (2006)

Ethnic groups

Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.3% (2007 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

310,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

2.4 million (2007 est.)

Infant mortality rate

female

50.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2010 est.)

male

47.7 deaths/1,000 live births

total

49.13 deaths/1,000 live births

Languages

Hindi 41%, 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%, other 5.9% note: English enjoys the status of subsidiary official language but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the most widely spoken language and primary tongue of 41% of the people; there are 14 other official

languages

Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language (2001 census)

Life expectancy at birth

female

67.57 years (2010 est.)

male

65.46 years

total population

66.46 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write

female

47.8% (2001 census)

male

73.4%

total population

61%

Major infectious diseases

animal contact disease

rabies

degree of risk

high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases

chikungunya, dengue fever, Japanese encephalitis, and malaria

water contact disease

leptospirosis note: highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)

Median age

female

26.6 years (2010 est.)

male

25.4 years

total

25.9 years

Nationality

adjective

Indian

noun

Indian(s)

Net migration rate

-0.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

Population

1,173,108,018 (July 2010 est.)

Population growth rate

1.376% (2010 est.)

Religions

Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1% (2001 census)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

female

10 years (2007)

male

11 years

total

10 years

Sex ratio

at birth

1.12 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female

total population

1.08 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.65 children born/woman (2010 est.)

Urbanization

rate of urbanization

2.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

urban population

29% of total population (2008)

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

geographic coordinates

28 36 N, 77 12 E

name

New Delhi

time difference

UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

26 January 1950; amended many times

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of India

conventional short form

India

local long form

Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya

local short form

India/Bharat

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Timothy J. ROEMER

consulate(s) general

Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad; Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay)

embassy

Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021

FAX

[91] (11) 2419-0017

mailing address

use embassy street address

telephone

[91] (011) 2419-8000

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; note - Consular Wing located at 2536 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Meera SHANKAR

consulate(s) general

Chicago, Houston, New York, San Francisco

FAX

[1] (202) 265-4351

telephone

[1] (202) 939-7000

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website )

chief of state

President Pratibha Devisingh PATIL (since 25 July 2007); Vice President Mohammad Hamid ANSARI (since 11 August 2007)

election results

Pratibha PATIL elected president; percent of vote - Pratibha PATIL 65.8%, Bhairon Singh SHEKHAWAT - 34.2%

elections

president elected by an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held in July 2007 (next to be held in July 2012); vice president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term; election last held in August 2007 (next to be held August 2012); prime minister chosen by parliamentary members of the majority party following legislative elections; election last held April - May 2009 (next to be held no later than May 2014)

head of government

Prime Minister Manmohan SINGH (since 22 May 2004)

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of saffron (subdued orange) (top), white, and green, with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; saffron represents courage, sacrifice, and the spirit of renunciation; white signifies purity and truth; green stands for faith and fertility; the blue chakra symbolizes the wheel of life in movement and death in stagnation note: similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band

Government type

federal republic

Independence

15 August 1947 (from the UK)

International organization participation

ADB, AfDB (nonregional member), ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIMSTEC, BIS, C, CD, CERN (observer), CICA, CP, EAS, FAO, FATF, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS (observer), MIGA, MONUSCO, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, PIF (partner), SAARC, SACEP, SCO (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (one chief justice and 25 associate justices are appointed by the president and remain in office until they reach the age of 65 or are removed for "proved misbehavior")

Legal system

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; separate personal law codes apply to Christians, Hindus, and Muslims

Legislative branch

bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250 members up to 12 of whom are appointed by the president, the remainder are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies; members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha (545 seats; 543 members elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms)

election results

People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - INC 206, BJP 116, SP 23, BSP 21, JD (U) 20, AITC 19, DMK 18, CPI-M 16, BJD 14, SS 11, AIADMK 9, NCP 9, other 61, vacant 2; note - seats by party as November 2009 - INC 207, BJP 116, SP 22, BSP 21, JD (U) 20, AITC 19, DMK 18, CPI-M 16, BJD 14, SS 11, AIADMK 9, NCP 9, other 61, vacant 2

elections

People's Assembly - last held in five phases on 16, 22-23, 30 April and 7, 13 May 2009 (next must be held by May 2014)

National anthem

lyrics/music

Rabindranath TAGORE note: adopted 1950; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote Bangladesh's national anthem

name

"Jana-Gana-Mana" (Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People)

National holiday

Republic Day, 26 January (1950)

Political parties and leaders

All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or AIADMK [J. JAYALALITHAA]; All India Trinamool Congress or AITC [Mamata BANERJEE]; Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP [Nitin GADKARI]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist Party of India or CPI [B. BARDHAN]; Communist Party of India-Marxist or CPI-M [Prakash KARAT]; Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or DMK [Kalaignar M.KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National Congress or INC [Sonia GANDHI]; Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) [Sharad YADAV]; Left Front (an alliance of Indian leftist parties); Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR]; Rashtriya Lok Dal or RLD [Ajit SINGH]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV]; Shiromani Akali Dal or SAD [Parkash Singh BADAL]; Shiv Sena or SS [Bal THACKERAY]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu NAIDU]; note - India has dozens of national and regional political parties; only parties or coalitions with four or more seats in the People's Assembly are listed

Political pressure groups and leaders

All Parties Hurriyat Conference in the Kashmir Valley (separatist group); Bajrang Dal (religious organization); National Socialist Council of Nagaland in the northeast (separatist group); Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh [Mohan BHAGWAT] (religious organization); Vishwa Hindu Parishad [Ashok SINGHAL] (religious organization)

other

numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations; various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Agriculture - products

rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, lentils, onions, potatoes; dairy products, sheep, goats, poultry; fish

Central bank discount rate

6% (31 December 2009) 6% (31 December 2008)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

12.19% (31 December 2009 est.) 13.31% (31 December 2008 est.)

Current account balance

-$26.91 billion (2010 est.) -$26.63 billion (2009 est.)

Debt - external

$237.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $221.3 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

36.8 (2004) 37.8 (1997)

Economy - overview

India is developing into an open-market economy, yet traces of its past autarkic policies remain. Economic liberalization, including industrial deregulation, privatization of state-owned enterprises, and reduced controls on foreign trade and investment, began in the early 1990s and has served to accelerate the country's growth, which has averaged more than 7% per year since 1997. India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Slightly more than half of the work force is in agriculture, but services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for more than half of India's output, with only one-third of its labor force. India has capitalized on its large educated English-speaking population to become a major exporter of information technology services and software workers. In 2010, the Indian economy rebounded robustly from the global financial crisis - in large part because of strong domestic demand - and growth exceeded 8% year-on-year in real terms. Merchandise exports, which account for about 15% of GDP, returned to pre-financial crisis levels. An industrial expansion and high food prices, resulting from the combined effects of the weak 2009 monsoon and inefficiencies in the government's food distribution system, fueled inflation which peaked at about 11% in the first half fo 2010, but has gradually decreased to single digits following a series of central bank interest rate hikes. New Delhi in 2010 reduced subsidies in fuel and fertilizers, sold a small percentage of its shares in some state-owned enterprises and auctioned off rights to radio bandwidth for 3G telecommunications in part to lower the government's deficit. The Indian Government seeks to reduce its deficit to 5.5% of GDP in FY 2010-11, down from 6.8% in the previous fiscal year. India's long term challenges include widespread poverty, inadequate physical and social infrastructure, limited non-agricultural employment opportunities, insufficient access to quality basic and higher education, and accommodiating rual-to-urban migration.

Electricity - consumption

568 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - exports

810 million kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - imports

5.27 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity - production

723.8 billion kWh (2009 est.)

Exchange rates

Indian rupees (INR) per US dollar - 46.163 (2010), 48.405 (2009), 43.319 (2008), 41.487 (2007), 45.3 (2006)

Exports

$201 billion (2010 est.) $168.2 billion (2009 est.)

Exports - commodities

petroleum products, precious stones, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, vehicles, apparel

Exports - partners

UAE 12.87%, US 12.59%, China 5.59% (2009)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

16.1%

industry

28.6%

services

55.3% (2010 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$3,400 (2010 est.) $3,200 (2009 est.) $3,000 (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

8.3% (2010 est.) 7.4% (2009 est.) 7.4% (2008 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$1.43 trillion (2010 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$4.046 trillion (2010 est.) $3.736 trillion (2009 est.) $3.478 trillion (2008 est.) note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3.6% highest 10%: 31.1% (2005)

Imports

$327 billion (2010 est.) $274.3 billion (2009 est.)

Imports - commodities

crude oil, precious stones, machinery, fertilizer, iron and steel, chemicals

Imports - partners

China 10.94%, US 7.16%, Saudi Arabia 5.36%, UAE 5.18%, Australia 5.02%, Germany 4.86%, Singapore 4.02% (2009)

Industrial production growth rate

9.7% (2010 est.)

Industries

textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

11.7% (2010 est.) 10.9% (2009 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

32% of GDP (2010 est.)

Labor force

478.3 million (2010 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

52%

industry

14%

services

34% (2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$1.179 trillion (31 December 2009) $645.5 billion (31 December 2008) $1.819 trillion (31 December 2007)

Natural gas - consumption

51.27 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2008 est.)

Natural gas - imports

12.62 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - production

38.65 billion cu m (2009 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

1.075 trillion cu m (1 January 2010 est.)

Oil - consumption

2.98 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - exports

738,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - imports

2.9 million bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - production

878,700 bbl/day (2009 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

5.8 billion bbl (1 January 2010 est.)

Population below poverty line

25% (2007 est.)

Public debt

55.9% of GDP (2010 est.) 57.3% of GDP (2009 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$284.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $274.7 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$1.29 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) $1.04 trillion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$89.04 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $76.62 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$191.1 billion (31 December 2010 est.) $157.9 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$1.164 trillion (31 December 2010 est.) $938.8 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$328.4 billion (31 December 2010 est) $268.4 billion (31 December 2009 est)

Unemployment rate

10.8% (2010 est.) 10.7% (2009 est.)

Broadcast media

Doordarshan, India's public TV network, operates about 20 national, regional, and local services; large number of privately-owned TV stations are distributed by cable and satellite service providers; government controls AM radio with All India Radio operating domestic and external networks; news broadcasts via radio are limited to the All India Radio Network; since 2000, privately-owned FM stations are permitted but limited to broadcasting entertainment and educational content (2007)

Internet country code

.in

Internet hosts

4.536 million (2010)

Internet users

61.338 million (2009)

Telephone system

domestic

mobile cellular service introduced in 1994 and organized nationwide into four metropolitan areas and 19 telecom circles each with multiple private service providers and one or more state-owned service providers; in recent years significant trunk capacity added in the form of fiber-optic cable and one of the world's largest domestic satellite systems, the Indian National Satellite system (INSAT), with 6 satellites supporting 33,000 very small aperture terminals (VSAT)

general assessment

supported by recent deregulation and liberalization of telecommunications laws and policies, India has emerged as one of the fastest growing telecom markets in the world; total telephone subscribership base reached 700 million, an overall teledensity of 60%, and subscribership is currently growing more than 15 million per month; urban teledensity has reached 100% and rural teledensity is about 20% and steadily growing

international

country code - 91; a number of major international submarine cable systems, including Sea-Me-We-3 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai (Bombay), Sea-Me-We-4 with a landing site at Chennai, Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with a landing site at Mumbai (Bombay), South Africa - Far East (SAFE) with a landing site at Cochin, the i2i cable network linking to Singapore with landing sites at Mumbai (Bombay) and Chennai (Madras), and Tata Indicom linking Singapore and Chennai (Madras), provide a significant increase in the bandwidth available for both voice and data traffic; satellite earth stations - 8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); 9 gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gandhinagar, Hyderabad, and Ernakulam (2010)

Telephones - main lines in use

35.77 million (2010)

Telephones - mobile cellular

670 million (2010)

Airports

352 (2010)

Airports - with paved runways

total

249 over 3,047 m: 21 2,438 to 3,047 m: 57 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 81 under 914 m: 15 (2010)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

103 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 43 under 914 m: 48 (2010)

Heliports

40 (2010)

Merchant marine

by type

bulk carrier 94, cargo 78, chemical tanker 23, container 15, liquefied gas 11, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 12, petroleum tanker 87

foreign-owned

8 (China 1, Hong Kong 1, Jersey 1, Malaysia 1, UAE 4)

registered in other countries

56 (Cyprus 2, Dominica 2, Liberia 1, Malta 4, Marshall Islands 8, Nigeria 1, Panama 17, Singapore 19, unknown 2) (2010)

total

324

Pipelines

condensate/gas 2 km; gas 7,542 km; liquid petroleum gas 2,163 km; oil 7,659 km; refined products 7,201 km (2009)

Ports and terminals

Chennai, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Sikka, Vishakhapatnam

Railways

broad gauge

52,808 km 1.676-m gauge (18,172 km electrified)

narrow gauge

8,473 km 1.000-m gauge; 2,734 km 0.762-m gauge and 0.610-m gauge (2009)

total

64,015 km

Roadways

total

3,320,410 km (includes 200 km of expressways) (2009)

Waterways

14,500 km note: 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2008)

Manpower available for military service

males age 16-49: 313,905,989 females age 16-49: 291,755,100 (2010 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 16-49: 244,727,406 females age 16-49: 235,662,750 (2010 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

female

10,639,158 (2010 est.)

male

12,011,217

Military branches

Army, Navy (includes naval air arm), Air Force (Bharatiya Vayu Sena), Coast Guard (2009)

Military expenditures

2.5% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation

17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no conscription; women may join as officers, but for noncombat roles only (2010)

Disputes - international

since China and India launched a security and foreign policy dialogue in 2005, consolidated discussions related to the dispute over most of their rugged, militarized boundary, regional nuclear proliferation, Indian claims that China transferred missiles to Pakistan, and other matters continue; various talks and confidence-building measures have cautiously begun to defuse tensions over Kashmir, particularly since the October 2005 earthquake in the region; Kashmir nevertheless remains the site of the world's largest and most militarized territorial dispute with portions under the de facto administration of China (Aksai Chin), India (Jammu and Kashmir), and Pakistan (Azad Kashmir and Northern Areas); India and Pakistan have maintained the 2004 cease fire in Kashmir and initiated discussions on defusing the armed stand-off in the Siachen glacier region; Pakistan protests India's fencing the highly militarized Line of Control and construction of the Baglihar Dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir, which is part of the larger dispute on water sharing of the Indus River and its tributaries; UN Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) has maintained a small group of peacekeepers since 1949; India does not recognize Pakistan's ceding historic Kashmir lands to China in 1964; to defuse tensions and prepare for discussions on a maritime boundary, India and Pakistan seek technical resolution of the disputed boundary in Sir Creek estuary at the mouth of the Rann of Kutch in the Arabian Sea; Pakistani maps continue to show its Junagadh claim in Indian Gujarat State; discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, to exchange territory for 51 Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, to allocate divided villages, and to stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's attempts to fence off high-traffic sections of the border; India seeks cooperation from Bhutan and Burma to keep Indian Nagaland and Assam separatists from hiding in remote areas along the borders; Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to examine contested boundary sections, including the 400 square kilometer dispute over the source of the Kalapani River; India maintains a strict border regime to keep out Maoist insurgents and control illegal cross-border activities from Nepal

Illicit drugs

world's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries and throughout Southwest Asia; illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system; licit ketamine and precursor production page last updated on January 20, 2011 ======================================================================

Refugees and internally displaced persons

IDPs

at least 600,000 (about half are Kashmiri Pandits from Jammu and Kashmir) (2007)

refugees (country of origin)

77,200 (Tibet/China); 69,609 (Sri Lanka); 9,472 (Afghanistan)

Trafficking in persons

current situation

India is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation; internal forced labor may constitute India's largest trafficking problem; men, women, and children are held in debt bondage and face forced labor working in brick kilns, rice mills, agriculture, and embroidery factories; women and girls are trafficked within the country for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced marriage; children are subjected to forced labor as factory workers, domestic servants, beggars, and agriculture workers, and have been used as armed combatants by some terrorist and insurgent groups; India is also a destination for women and girls from Nepal and Bangladesh trafficked for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; Indian women are trafficked to the Middle East for commercial sexual exploitation; men and women from Bangladesh and Nepal are trafficked through India for forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation in the Middle East

tier rating

Tier 2 Watch List - India is on the Tier 2 Watch List for a fifth consecutive year for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking in 2007; despite the reported extent of the trafficking crisis in India, government authorities made uneven efforts to prosecute traffickers and protect trafficking victims; government authorities continued to rescue victims of commercial sexual exploitation and forced child labor and child armed combatants, and began to show progress in law enforcement against these forms of trafficking; a critical challenge overall is the lack of punishment for traffickers, effectively resulting in impunity for acts of human trafficking; India has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)