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India
 The
Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates
back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded
about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants
created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting
in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by
those of European traders, beginning in the late 15th century.
By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of
virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British
army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance
to British colonialism led by Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal
NEHRU brought independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided
into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state
of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted
in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh.
Despite impressive gains in economic investment and output,
India faces pressing problems such as the ongoing dispute with
Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental
degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife.
Economy
India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming,
modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries,
and a multitude of services. Services are the major source of
economic growth, accounting for half of India's output with
less than one quarter of its labor force. About two-thirds of
the workforce is in agriculture, leading the UPA government
to articulate an economic reform program that includes developing
basic infrastructure to improve the lives of the rural poor
and boost economic performance. Government controls on foreign
trade and investment have been reduced in some areas, but high
tariffs (averaging 20% on non-agricultural items in 2004) and
limits on foreign direct investment are still in place. The
government in 2005 liberalized investment in the civil aviation,
telecom, and construction sectors. Privatization of government-owned
industries essentially came to a halt in 2005, and continues
to generate political debate; continued social, political, and
economic rigidities hold back needed initiatives. The economy
has posted an excellent average growth rate of more than 6.8%
in the decade since 1994, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage
points. India probably achieved greater than 7 percent GDP growth
in 2005, significantly expanding manufacturing. India is capitalizing
on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the
English language to become a major exporter of software services
and software workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank
and others worry about the combined state and federal budget
deficit, running at approximately 9% of GDP. The huge and growing
population is the fundamental social, economic, and environmental
problem.
| Population |
3,001,583 |
| Age structure |
0-14 years: 42.6% (male 652,028/female
626,698)
15-64 years: 54.9% (male 978,183/female 668,814)
65 years and over: 2.5% (male 41,366/female 34,494) (2005
est.)
|
| Median age |
total: 19.13 years
male: 21.88 years
female: 16.45 years (2005 est.) |
| Population growth rate |
3.32% (2005 est.) |
| Net migration rate |
0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population
(2005 est.) |
| GDP (purchasing power parity) |
$3.678 trillion (2005 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate) |
$735.6 billion (2005 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate |
7.1% (2005 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed) |
24.8% of GDP (2005 est) |
|
