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Overview of India: Geography and History

India is the seventh largest country by area and the second most populous country in the world. It has over 1.2 billion people and is the largest democracy globally. India has experienced many empires and periods of rule throughout its history, and was under British company rule and crown rule before gaining independence in 1947 under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership. Today, India has the seventh largest economy in the world and following economic reforms in 1991 has become one of the fastest growing major economies, though it still faces challenges of poverty, corruption, and public health issues. As a nuclear power and regional influence, India has the third largest military and is a federal constitutional republic consisting of 29 states and 7 union territories with a diverse population and

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40 views1 page

Overview of India: Geography and History

India is the seventh largest country by area and the second most populous country in the world. It has over 1.2 billion people and is the largest democracy globally. India has experienced many empires and periods of rule throughout its history, and was under British company rule and crown rule before gaining independence in 1947 under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership. Today, India has the seventh largest economy in the world and following economic reforms in 1991 has become one of the fastest growing major economies, though it still faces challenges of poverty, corruption, and public health issues. As a nuclear power and regional influence, India has the third largest military and is a federal constitutional republic consisting of 29 states and 7 union territories with a diverse population and

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kris_ice1981
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

India, officially the Republic of India (Bhrat Gaarjya),[e] is a country in South Asia.

It is
the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people),
and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south,
the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders
with Pakistan to the west;[f] China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast; and Myanmar
(Burma) and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and
the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border
with Thailand and Indonesia.
The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation of the 3rd millennium BCE.
In the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed.
Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BCE,
and Buddhism and Jainism arose. Early political consolidations took place under
the Maurya and Gupta empires; the later peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far as
southeast Asia. In the medieval era, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived,
and Sikhism emerged, all adding to the region's diverse culture. Much of the north fell to the Delhi
sultanate; the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th
century in the Mughal empire. In the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East
India Company rule, and in the mid-19th under British crown rule. A nationalist movement emerged
in the late 19th century, which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was noted for non-violent
resistance and led to India's independence in 1947.
In 2015, the Indian economy was the world's seventh largest by nominal GDP and third
largest by purchasing power parity.[14]Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India
became one of the fastest-growing major economies and is considered a newly industrialised
country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition,
and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and regional power, it has the third
largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations. India is
a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system and consists of 29 states
and 7 union territories. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multi-ethnic society and is also home to a
diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

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