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The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India. Aryan tribes from the northwest infiltrated the Indian subcontinent about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. - which reached its zenith under ASHOKA - united much of South Asia. The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture. Islam spread across the subcontinent over a period of 700 years. In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate. In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty, which ruled India for more than three centuries. European explorers began establishing footholds in India during the 16th century.

Location

Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Natural Resources

coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land

Population - distribution

with the notable exception of the deserts in the northwest, including the Thar Desert, and the mountain fringe in the north, a very high population density exists throughout most of the country; the core of the population is in the north along the banks of the Ganges, with other river valleys and southern coastal areas also having large population concentrations

1173108018
Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
NEW DELHI (capital) 25.703 million; Mumbai 21.043 million; Kolkata 11.766 million; Bangalore 10.087 million; Chennai 9.62 million; Hyderabad 8.944 million (2015)
Conventional long form
Republic of India
Conventional short form
India
Local long form
Republic of India/Bharatiya Ganarajya
Local short form
India/Bharat
federal parliamentary republic
Name
New Delhi
Geographic coordinates
28 36 N, 77 12 E
Time difference
UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; non-party state to the ICCt
India's diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Slightly less than half of the workforce is in agriculture, but services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for nearly two-thirds of India's output but employing less than one-third of its labor force. India has capitalized on its large educated English-speaking population to become a major exporter of information technology services, business outsourcing services, and software workers.
Inflation
4.941%
External debt stocks
US$ 479,558,646,000
Total tax rate (% of commercial profits)
60.6%
Real Interest Rate
5.86%
Manufacturing, value added (% of GDP)
16.514%
Current Account Balance
US$ -22,456,838,010
Labor Force, Total
511,281,907
Employment in Agriculture
49.70%
Employment in Industry
21.50%
Employment in Services
28.70%
Unemployment Rate
3.46%
Imports of goods and services
US$ 467,066,386,979
Exports of goods and services
US$ 434,063,796,386
Total Merchandise Trade
27.53%
FDI, net inflows
US$ 44,009,492,130
Commercial Service Exports
US$ 155,717,122,914
rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, lentils, onions, potatoes; dairy products, sheep, goats, poultry; fish
textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software, pharmaceuticals
Commodities
petroleum products, precious stones, vehicles, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, pharmaceutical products, cereals, apparel
Partners
US 15.2%, UAE 11.4%, Hong Kong 4.6% (1 January - 30 September 2016)
Commodities
crude oil, precious stones, machinery, chemicals, fertilizer, plastics, iron and steel
Partners
China 15.7%, Saudi Arabia 5.4%, Switzerland 5.4%, US 5.3%, UAE 5.2% (1 January - 30 September 2016)
Country Risk Rating
A4
A somewhat shaky political and economic outlook and a relatively volatile business environment can affect corporate payment behavior. Corporate default probability is still acceptable on average.
Business Climate Rating
B
The business environment is mediocre. The availability and the reliability of corporate financial information vary widely. Debt collection can sometimes be difficult. The institutional framework has a few troublesome weaknesses. Intercompany transactions run appreciable risks in the unstable, largely inefficient environments rated B.
  • Diversified growth drivers
  • Solid fundamentals: high levels of savings and investment
  • Effective private sector in services
  • Moderate external debt and satisfactory foreign exchange exchange
  • Lack of infrastructures and shortcomings in the education system
  • Cumbersome bureaucracy and president political deadlocks
  • Net importer of energy resources
  • Rising debt of private companies
  • Weak public finances
  • Persistent uncertainties over the Kashmir issue

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