Facts at a Glance :

Full country name :Republic of India
Area :3,287,590 sq km (1,229,737 sq mi)
Population :1 billion
Capital city :New Delhi
People :72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% other

Language :Hindi Religion : 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other

Government :Federal Republic
GDP :US$1.7 trillion
GDP per head :US$1,720
Annual growth :5.4%
Inflation :14%

Major industries :Textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry, fish

Major trading partners :US, Hong Kong, UK, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Saudi Arabia Culture : Religion seeps into every facet of Indian life. Despite being a secular democracy, India is one of the few countries on earth in which the social and religious structures that define the nation's identity remain intact, and have continued to do so for at least 4000 years despite invasions, persecution, European colonialism and political upheaval.