India - The Largest Democracy In The World

Although India, officially the Republic of India, isadjacent to the island nations of Sri Lanka,
the seventh-largest country by geographical areaMaldives and Indonesia.
or the second most populous country in theClimate in India varies from tropical in the south
world, the most prestigious fact for this largeto more temperate in the Himalayan north, with
South-Asian country is being the most populouselevated regions in the north receiving sustained
democracy in the world.snowfall in winters. India's climate is strongly
The Indus Valley civilization, where it is originatedinfluenced by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert.
from, is one of the oldest in the world, datesThe Himalayas, along with the Hindu Kush
back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from themountains in Pakistan, provide a barrier to the
northwest infiltrated onto Indian lands about 1500cold winds from Central Asia. This keeps most of
B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidianthe Indian subcontinent warmer than most
inhabitants created the classical Indian culture.locations in similar latitudes. The Thar Desert is
Those of European traders, beginning in the lateresponsible for attracting the moisture laden
15th century, followed Arab incursions starting insouthwest monsoon winds that provide most of
the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th. By theIndia's rainfall between June and September.
19th century, Britain had assumed political controlIndia is the second-most populous country in the
of virtually all-Indian lands. In the early twentiethworld with an estimated 1.1 billion people in 2006.
century, a nationwide struggle for independenceLanguage, caste and religion are determinants of
was launched by the Indian National Congress,social and political organisation within the highly
largely led by Mahatma Gandhi and during Seconddiverse population. Although 80.5% of the people
World War by Indian National Army led by Netajiare Hindus, India is also home to the third-largest
Subhas Chandra Bose. Millions of protestors wouldpopulation of Muslims in the world (13.4%), after
engage in mass campaigns of civil disobedienceIndonesia and Pakistan. Other religious groups
with a commitment to ahimsa or non-violence.include Sikhs (2%), Christians (2.04%), Buddhists
Finally, on 15 August, 1947, India gained(0.76%), Jains (0.40%), Jews, Zoroastrians,
independence from British rule. Three years later,Ahmadis, and Bahá'ís. The national
on 26 January, 1950, India chose to be a republic,average literacy rate is around 64.4%(with
and a new Constitution came into effect.males-75.6% and females-54.2%).
India is divided into twenty-eight states, andIndia has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and
seven union territories (or territories owned byhas managed to preserve its established traditions
the Central Government). All states and the unionthroughout history whilst absorbing customs,
territories of Delhi and Pondicherry have electedtraditions and ideas from both invaders and
governments. The remaining five union territoriesimmigrants. Many cultural practices, languages,
have centrally-appointed administrators. Thecustoms and monuments are examples of this
states and territories are further divided into 602co-mingling over centuries. Famous monuments,
districts.such as the Taj Mahal and other examples of
India's northern and northeastern states areIslamic-inspired architecture have been inherited
partially situated in the Himalayan Mountain Range.from the Mughal dynasty. These are the result of
The rest of northern, central and eastern Indiaa syncretic tradition that combined elements from
consists of the fertile Indo-Gangetic plain. In theall parts of the country.
west, lies the Thar Desert. The southern IndianThe nation also produces the world's largest
Peninsula is almost entirely composed of thenumber of motion pictures every year. The most
Deccan plateau, which is flanked by two hillyrecognisable face is that of cinema production
coastal ranges, the Western Ghats and Easternbased in Mumbai, which produces mainly
Ghats. India is home to several major rivers,commercial Hindi films, often referred to as
including the Ganga, Brahmaputra, Yamuna,"Bollywood". There are also strong cinema
Godavari, Kaveri, Narmada, and Krishna. India hasindustries based on the Malayalam, Kannada, Tamil
three archipelagos - Lakshadweep off theand Telugu languages. There were five Miss World
southwest coast, the Andaman and Nicobarwinners from India. This is the highest number of
Islands volcanic island chain to the southeast, andwinners in Miss World as of 2005.
the Sunderbans in the Gangetic delta in WestThe cuisine of India is diverse, as ingredients,
Bengal. India has a coastline of over sevenspices and cooking methods vary from region to
thousand kilometres, and borders Pakistan to theregion. Rice and wheat are the staple foods in the
west, Nepal, the People's Republic of China andcountry. The country is notable for its wide
Bhutan to the north-east, and Bangladesh andvariety of vegetarian and non-vegetarian cuisine.
Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, it isSpicy food and sweets are popular in India.