India

At a glance Land People Economy Achievements and challenges Links with Australia   India at a glance Did you know? The Indus valley civilisation emerged about 3000 BC along the Indus river valley in Punjab and Sindh, now in Pakistan. It had planned cities and a complex writing system. Region South Asia Population 1,166,079,217 (July 2009 estimate) Land Geography:  Mountainous, fertile alluvial plains, deserts, plateau, vast coastline Climate: Tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north People Religion: Hindu majority (80.5%), Muslim (13.4%), Christian (2.3%), Sikh (1.9%) Other religions, including Buddhism total 1.9% of the population. Language: Hindi (41%), English, and 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi and Sanskrit Economy   GDP per person (PPP): US$2.900 (2008 estimate) GDP by sector: Agriculture: 17.6%, Industry: 29%, Services: 53.4% Government Federal republic, constitutional democracy Land Physical geography With an area covering 3.2 million square kilometres, India is the seventh largest country in the world. The broad geographic features of India are the Himalayas in the north, the upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in the south, flat to rolling plains along the Ganges and the great deserts in the north-west. Climate India experiences three seasons: summer, rainy or monsoon and winter. Climatic conditions vary from tropical monsoon in south India to cool temperate in the north. Monsoon rains occur throughout the country between June and September and severe hot weather with temperatures above 40°C persists for most of summer. Rainfall varies greatly from the massive 11,430 millimetres per year at Cherrapunji in Assam to below 100 millimetres in the Thar Desert. Environment India has a rich diversity of wild life and natural resources. The Himalayas, the highest and the youngest mountain range on the earth, is home to a vast diversity of flora and fauna. There are over 500 species of mammals including the famous Royal Bengal Tiger, elephants, rhinoceros and antelopes, as well as 2000 species of birds. Population growth and poaching have created strong environmental pressures. India has established a number of national parks and wild life sanctuaries to conserve the wildlife. People Although India occupies only 2.4% of the world's land area, it supports almost 17% of the world's population. Most Indians (71%) live in 600,000 villages in the rural areas. Large cities include New Delhi (12 million), Mumbai (16 million), Chennai (6.5 million), Bangalore (5.5million) and Kolkata (4.7 million). Most Indian cities comprise an old and a new city. During the past few decades migration to cities has increased and Indian cities are growing rapidly, putting great pressure on housing so that a large number of slums have emerged in these urban centres. People Culture and ethnicity The great variety in Indian cultures, religions and ethnic backgrounds is reflected in the different official languages used in various states. India has a long and rich cultural tradition encompassing dance, drama, theatre, literature, fine and folk arts. Religious ideas and motifs are integral part of Indian culture. Bollywood, as the Indian film industry is commonly known, produces films known for lavish dance and song sequences. The complex social structure is based on caste. Castes are mutually exclusive social groups that determine people’s social standing and occupation. There are four broad categories, known as the ‘Varna Hierarchy’ which are further divided into hundreds of sub-castes. At the top of this hierarchy are the Brahmans, the caste responsible for ritual and learning, followed by the Kshatriya, the warrior caste, followed by the Vaishyas, the trading caste, and lastly the Shudras or the labourer caste. Outside this hierarchy are the dalits (sometimes called ‘untouchables’). Dalits are responsible for various menial works considered to be polluting. A person’s position in the caste system is determined by birth. Despite economic modernisation and laws banning untouchability, the caste system still plays a dominant role in Indian social and political life. Religion and beliefs The majority, 80.5%, of the population are Hindus followed by 13% Muslims, 2% Christians, 2% Sikhs and about 1% following Buddhism and Jainism. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism all originated in India. Religion is part of everyday life and even though each has its own beliefs and practices often communities share in the music and dance that mark each other's festivals. Health The government has initiated various programs to improve health but India still suffers from health problems linked to poverty, malnutrition, rapid population growth, environmental pollution and neglect of children and women's well being. Life expectancy is about 70 years. The infant mortality rate is 30 deaths per 1000 births compared to only 7 in Australia. Infectious diseases such as malaria, dengue fever, tuberculosis and measles are common and HIV/AIDS presents a serious health threat with an estimated 2.4 million living with HIV/AIDS in 2007. Food and shelter Indian cuisine is very diverse. Rice is the main staple food, though in the north wheat is also widely used to make many forms of bread. Pulses (peas and beans) and vegetables are the main accompanying foods. A large proportion of Indians are vegetarians. Many Hindus eat meat, but their religion forbids them to eat beef, as cows are considered sacred animals. The use of rich and complex spice mixtures has made Indian food famous. There are many sweets, and in northern India especially these are often based on dairy products. Housing styles vary from region to region depending upon what materials are available and local cultural traditions. Bricks, stones, tiles, cement and steel are commonly used, along with less durable materials such as wood, bamboo and thatching. Over 84% of towns and villages have electricity and there are more than 37 million phone lines and 80 million internet users. Economy Wealth and Poverty India has a growing urban middle class as well as traditional wealthy classes of landowners, merchants and aristocrats. However most Indians live modestly, and almost a third of the population, living both in urban and rural areas, are under the poverty line. Over three quarters of the population live on less than US$2 a day. Though the Indian economy is growing rapidly, an uneven distribution system means the gap between rich and poor communities is growing. Poverty and illiteracy have become concentrated in India's larger and poorer states. It is estimated that a women’s income is around a quarter of what men earn. Education and work Though primary education is compulsory in India, only 66% of adults are literate with big differences between males and females (male: 76.9% and female: 54.5%). Despite increases in government spending (11% of total expenditure), school dropouts, especially girls, are frequent. The southern state of Kerala has the highest literacy rate (over 90%). A considerable growth in higher education has helped India to build a diverse and large professional workforce. Over half of the population relies on agriculture for their living, but industry and the service sector generate most of the country’s income. Industries and products Since gaining independence from British rule in 1947, India has developed a strong industrial base. Major industries are textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum and machinery. India has also developed high technology capacity in areas such as aviation and communications. During recent years the Indian software industry has strongly established itself on the global scene. The government-run Indian Railways is the one of the world’s biggest employers, with 1.6 million workers. Key agricultural products are rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, onions, dairy products, sheep, goats, poultry and fish. Trade The United States of America and China are India’s biggest trading partners. Other major partners include United Arab Emirates, Singapore, Germany and Australia. Indian exports mainly consist of petroleum projects, textiles, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, chemicals and leather manufactures. Indian imports include crude oil, fertilisers, machinery, gems, fertilizer and chemicals. The major Australian export items to India are coal, gold, copper ore and fertilisers, while Australia imports electric parts, pearls, gems and medicines from India. Achievements and challenges India endures frequent natural disasters, and the high population density means that large numbers of people are affected. However the country has well developed systems for responding to disasters when they occur. Major concerns include flooding during the monsoon season, cyclones in the Bay of Bengal which devastate the eastern coastal areas, and damaging earthquakes in the central northern area. Deforestation, river and air pollution and land degradation due to large scale mining and rapidly expanding urban areas are major pressures on the environment. There are active environmental lobby groups and India has established a number of national parks and wild life sanctuaries. While India has substantially improved the numbers of students in schools and decreased the numbers of people living in poverty, there has been slow improvement in the health of the population and over population places great strain on the country’s resources. Tensions between religious communities and caste-based social conflicts within India arise from time to time. There are border tensions with China and with Pakistan over the disputed territory of Kashmir, which were exacerbated in the late 1990s due to nuclear weapons testing by both India and Pakistan. However, India’s diplomatic relations with both China and Pakistan have made positive improvements in recent years. Links with Australia The first Indian migration to Australia dates back to the early nineteenth century. The 2006 Census showed 147,000 Indian-born people live in Australia. New South Wales had the largest number with 57,160 followed by Victoria (52,850), Western Australia (15,160) and Queensland (10,980). Indian-Australians are a thriving community with a high level of education. There are strong trade and tourism links between India and Australia including the use of Australia as a backdrop for Bollywood films. There are many Indian students studying in Australia. Australian humanitarian aid to India focuses on the key areas of HIV/AIDS prevention, climate change (including promoting renewable energy and water management) and effective governance. Main sources: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/index.html http://www.dfat.gov.au/ http://hdr.undp.org/ http://www.censusindia.gov.in

Watch 3 Geobeats Videos about India then try a sentence matching quiz. Turban Museum, Jaipur Phyang Festival, Ladakh Humayun's Tomb, New Delhi

Women representatives in local government meet to discuss ways of improving their communities.