India the second most populous country
May 21, 2007
THE seventh largest and the second most populated country in the world, India is a highly musical society. Watching a group of Indian classical dancers swing their bodies rhythmically to the beats of Indian music is a memorable experience.
THE seventh largest and the second most populated country in the world, India is a highly musical society. Watching a group of Indian classical dancers swing their bodies rhythmically to the beats of Indian music is a memorable experience.
The country boasts of the most prolific film industry in the world and is a blend of religion and culture. Four of the world’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India.
The first known permanent settlements in India are traced 9,000 years back. By 3,300 BC. These had developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Before the arrival of European traders in India, the country was ruled by kings. Europeans from France, United Kingdom, Portugal and Netherlands arrived in the 16th Century. They gradually established colonies that eventually saw India become a British colony in mid 19th Century.
To gain independence from the British, India, with the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, employed social protest through non-violent resistance. She was granted independence in 1947.
Economically, India claims the fourth largest purchasing power and the 12th largest economy in the world. After independence, most of India’s private sector, foreign trade and foreign direct investment were controlled by the government. However, in 1991, markets were gradually opened up through economic reforms.
Major crops grown in India include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane and potatoes.
The main industries are automobiles, cement, chemicals, consumer, electronics, food processing, machinery, mining, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, steal, transport equipment and textile. She also exports education services, research and technological services to several countries, including Uganda.
Although India boasts of one of the fastest growing economies in the world, abject poverty is still widespread in the country with most of the population still illiterate. The main reason for this is that its growth is unevenly distributed among her 1.1 billion people, who are divided into different social, economic groups and regions.
The capital of India is New Delhi. The country is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia in the south, Pakistan and the Arabian Sea in the west, Bangladedh, Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal in the east and China, Nepal and Bhutan in the north-east. India is divided into states and forms the bigger part of the Indian sub-continent.
Compiled by
Elizabeth Namazzi
The country boasts of the most prolific film industry in the world and is a blend of religion and culture. Four of the world’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India.
The first known permanent settlements in India are traced 9,000 years back. By 3,300 BC. These had developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation.
Before the arrival of European traders in India, the country was ruled by kings. Europeans from France, United Kingdom, Portugal and Netherlands arrived in the 16th Century. They gradually established colonies that eventually saw India become a British colony in mid 19th Century.
To gain independence from the British, India, with the guidance of Mahatma Gandhi, employed social protest through non-violent resistance. She was granted independence in 1947.
Economically, India claims the fourth largest purchasing power and the 12th largest economy in the world. After independence, most of India’s private sector, foreign trade and foreign direct investment were controlled by the government. However, in 1991, markets were gradually opened up through economic reforms.
Major crops grown in India include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane and potatoes.
The main industries are automobiles, cement, chemicals, consumer, electronics, food processing, machinery, mining, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, steal, transport equipment and textile. She also exports education services, research and technological services to several countries, including Uganda.
Although India boasts of one of the fastest growing economies in the world, abject poverty is still widespread in the country with most of the population still illiterate. The main reason for this is that its growth is unevenly distributed among her 1.1 billion people, who are divided into different social, economic groups and regions.
The capital of India is New Delhi. The country is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia in the south, Pakistan and the Arabian Sea in the west, Bangladedh, Myanmar and the Bay of Bengal in the east and China, Nepal and Bhutan in the north-east. India is divided into states and forms the bigger part of the Indian sub-continent.
Compiled by
Elizabeth Namazzi