India: Largest Commonwealth state
THE seventh largest and the second most populated country in the world, India is also the largest among the countries of the Commonwealth. <br><br><b>Location</b><br>India is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Sri Lanka, maldives and Indonesia in the south, Pakistan and the Arabian Sea in the west, Ba
THE seventh largest and the second most populated country in the world, India is also the largest among the countries of the Commonwealth.
Location
India 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.
The country is divided into states and forms the bigger part of the Indian sub-continent.
Religion and culture
India is a blend of religion and culture. The caste system, religion and traditional Indian family values are strictly observed. Four of the world’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India. Likewise, chess, the ancient disciplines of Yoga and martial arts also have their origins in India. Although India’s culture is a mix of ancient and modern, the old culture and traditions are part and parcel of the average Indian’s everyday life.
About 81% of Indians are Hindus. Islam is also widely observed (13.4%). The world’s second largest Muslim population is found in India. Other religions are Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, all of which have a mark on India’s culture.
It is a highly musical society. Watching a group of Indian classical dancers as they rhythmically swing their bodies to the beats of Indian classical music is a memorable experience.
The diverse classical music and dance forms are complimented by equally diverse regionalised popular music.
India also boasts the most prolific film industry in the world.
The cinema industry is a mix of Hindi movies - produced by the Mumbai-based Bollywood – and Tamil,Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Marathi movies. Most movies promote Indian cultural and religious values.
History
The name India is derived from the word Indus, a historic word for the Indus River. Ancient Greeks referred to Ancient Indians as Indoi, which means the people of the Indus.
The earliest traces of human life in India are found at the Stone Age Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh. The first known permanent settlements in India are traced 9,000 years back.
By 3,300 BC, these settlements had developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation. The Vedic civilisation developed later on and set the foundations on which Hinduism and other cultural practices of the early Indian society were built.
The Aryan tribes arrived from the northwest arrived about 1500 B.C. They mixed with the Dravidian inhabitants who had arrived earlier on and created what came to be known as the classical Indian culture.
Before the arrival of European traders in India, the country was ruled by many kings who established numerous dynasties throughout the country.
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-nineteenth Century.
To gain her independence from the British, India was led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who used social protest through nonviolent resistance to fight colonialism. India was granted independence on 15 August 1947.
Economy
India claims the fourth largest purchasing power and the 12th largest economy by exchange rates in the world. After independence, most of India’s private sector, foreign trade and foreign direct investment were strictly controlled by the government.
In 1991, however, markets were gradually opened up through economic reforms and less government controls on publicly owned facilities, foreign trade and investment.
India’s agricultural crops include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane and potatoes. The agricultural practices include traditional village farming and modern agriculture.
The main industries are automobiles, cement, chemicals, consumer, electronics, food processing, machinery, mining, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, steal, transport equipment and textile. India boasts the fourth largest coal reserves in the world.
Her other natural resources are iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone and arable land.
India also exports education services, research and technological services to several countries, including Uganda.
Although India has 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 people, who are divided into different social, economic groups and regions.
Did you know?
-Although English is used for national, political, and commercial communication, Hindi is the national language and primary tongue for 30% of the population.
-here 14 official languages, which include Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit.
Compiled by Elizabeth Namazzi
Location
India 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.
The country is divided into states and forms the bigger part of the Indian sub-continent.
Religion and culture
India is a blend of religion and culture. The caste system, religion and traditional Indian family values are strictly observed. Four of the world’s major religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated in India. Likewise, chess, the ancient disciplines of Yoga and martial arts also have their origins in India. Although India’s culture is a mix of ancient and modern, the old culture and traditions are part and parcel of the average Indian’s everyday life.
About 81% of Indians are Hindus. Islam is also widely observed (13.4%). The world’s second largest Muslim population is found in India. Other religions are Judaism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism, all of which have a mark on India’s culture.
It is a highly musical society. Watching a group of Indian classical dancers as they rhythmically swing their bodies to the beats of Indian classical music is a memorable experience.
The diverse classical music and dance forms are complimented by equally diverse regionalised popular music.
India also boasts the most prolific film industry in the world.
The cinema industry is a mix of Hindi movies - produced by the Mumbai-based Bollywood – and Tamil,Bengali, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada and Marathi movies. Most movies promote Indian cultural and religious values.
History
The name India is derived from the word Indus, a historic word for the Indus River. Ancient Greeks referred to Ancient Indians as Indoi, which means the people of the Indus.
The earliest traces of human life in India are found at the Stone Age Rock Shelters of Bhimbetka in Madhya Pradesh. The first known permanent settlements in India are traced 9,000 years back.
By 3,300 BC, these settlements had developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation. The Vedic civilisation developed later on and set the foundations on which Hinduism and other cultural practices of the early Indian society were built.
The Aryan tribes arrived from the northwest arrived about 1500 B.C. They mixed with the Dravidian inhabitants who had arrived earlier on and created what came to be known as the classical Indian culture.
Before the arrival of European traders in India, the country was ruled by many kings who established numerous dynasties throughout the country.
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-nineteenth Century.
To gain her independence from the British, India was led by Mahatma Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who used social protest through nonviolent resistance to fight colonialism. India was granted independence on 15 August 1947.
Economy
India claims the fourth largest purchasing power and the 12th largest economy by exchange rates in the world. After independence, most of India’s private sector, foreign trade and foreign direct investment were strictly controlled by the government.
In 1991, however, markets were gradually opened up through economic reforms and less government controls on publicly owned facilities, foreign trade and investment.
India’s agricultural crops include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane and potatoes. The agricultural practices include traditional village farming and modern agriculture.
The main industries are automobiles, cement, chemicals, consumer, electronics, food processing, machinery, mining, petroleum, pharmaceuticals, steal, transport equipment and textile. India boasts the fourth largest coal reserves in the world.
Her other natural resources are iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone and arable land.
India also exports education services, research and technological services to several countries, including Uganda.
Although India has 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 people, who are divided into different social, economic groups and regions.
Did you know?
-Although English is used for national, political, and commercial communication, Hindi is the national language and primary tongue for 30% of the population.
-here 14 official languages, which include Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit.
Compiled by Elizabeth Namazzi