India – Country Information

Full Country Name: Republic of India
Area: 3.28 million sq km
Population: 1 billion
Capital City: New Delhi
People: 72% indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% other
Language: Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Kashmiri, English
Religion: 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4 other
Government: Federal republic
Head of State: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Head of Government: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh
GDP: US$2.2 trillion
GDP per capita: US$2,200
Annual Growth: 5.4%
Inflation: 5.4%
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
Time Zone: Indian Standard Time is 5 1/2 hours behind Australia EST
Dialling Code: 91
Electricity: 240V, 50Hz (need adaptors for India – most plugs have 2 or 3 round pins)
Weights & Measures: Metric

A FEW INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA…

- India is the largest democracy in the world, the 6th largest country in the world and one of the most ancient and living civilizations (at least 10,000 years old).

- Chess was invented in India

– The game of “snakes and ladders” was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev, played with dice and cowrie shells. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices (good deeps take us to heaven, and evil to a cycle of re-births).

- India has the most post offices in the world!!