Official Name: Republic of India

Area: 3.29 million square kilometers

Population: 1.027 billion (2001 census);

    •    Current growth rate: 1.2% per annum
    •    Lifespan: Male 62.3 years, female 65.3 years
    •    Death rate: 8.5 per 1000

Climate:
India has a varied continental climate with spring from March-April, summer from May-October and winter from November-February. Tropical monsoon stretches from June-August and post-monsoon or North-East monsoon season from Oct-Dec. Most of the rainfall is brought by the South-West monsoon. Owing to the geographical diversity, regional climatic conditions in the extreme north, east and west can differ vastly.

Geographical Location

India shares borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan to the north-west, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east. Sri Lanka is separated from the southernmost tip of India by the narrow Palk Straits and the Gulf of Mannar.

Major cities/towns:
Almost forty percent of India’s 1.027 billion people live in urban centers, the four largest being Delhi (12 million), Mumbai (16 million), Kolkata (13.2 million), and Chennai (6.4 million). Other cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, etc are rapidly developing into major centers of commerce and industry.

Indian Standard Time
IST is equal to GMT + 5 hours and 30 minutes.

Languages:
Hindi is the official language, but English is also widely used. In addition, 22 languages are recognized by the Constitution of India. There are more than 1,500 dialects.

Literacy: 70%

Religions:
India is a secular country with no state religion. Major religions include Hinduism (82%), Islam (12-15%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%) and Jainism (0.4%)

Currency:
Rupee (1 Rupee = 100 paise) In May 2009, one US dollar equals approximately 47.30 rupees

Fiscal Year:
1st April to 31st March.

Structure of the state:
Union of 29 states and 6 Union territories with the Central Government based in New Delhi.

Political System:
Multi-party parliamentary democracy, based on universal adult franchise

Parliament
Bicameral legislature, with the Upper House known as the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lower House known as the Lok Sabha (Council of the People).

Last Elections:
April-May 2009
Current Government: Formed by United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Indian National Congress party.

Head of State:
President Hon'ble Smt. Pratibha Patil 
Head of Government: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh 

National Anthem:
Jana gana mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore (click here to read) 

National Emblem:
 

 

A uni-dimensional adaptation of the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashok, the emblem depicts three lions (from the four which stand back-to-back looking to north, south, east and west on the original capital), and part of the frieze on the abacus i.e. the Wheel of the Law (Dharma) in the centre flanked by a horse and a bull. The bell-shaped lotus which supports the original capital has been omitted and instead, inscribed below the abacus are the words "Satyameva Jayate" - "Truth Alone Triumphs" in the Devnagari script.

National Flag:

 

India’s flag is a horizontal tricolour with deep saffron above, white in the middle and dark green below, in equal proportions. The saffron signifies the spirit of sacrifice; the white represents purity and the green fertility. In the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel with 24 spokes, signifying progress. The width to length ratio of the flag is two to three.

National Calendar:

Based on the Saka Era with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days, the national calendar has a permanent correspondence with the Gregorian calendar with 1st Chaitra falling on 22nd March (21st March in leap years).

National Animal:

 

The magnificent tiger, Panthera tigris (Linnaeus), is a striped animal. It has a thick yellow coat of fur with dark stripes.

The combination of grace, strength, agility and enormous power has earned the tiger its pride of place as the national animal of India.

Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race, the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except in the north-western region and also in the neighbouring countries, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh. To check the dwindling population of tigers in India 'Project Tiger' was launched in April 1973. So far, 27 tiger reserves have been established in the country under this project, covering an area of 37,761 sq km.

National Flower:

 

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is the National Flower of India. It is a sacred flower and occupies a unique position in the art and mythology of ancient India and has been an auspicious symbol of Indian culture since time immemorial.

National Bird:

    

The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus), the national bird of India, is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train. The elaborate courtship dance of the male, fanning out the tail and preening its feathers, is a gorgeous sight.

The peacock is widely found in the Indian sub-continent from the south and east of the Indus river, Jammu and Kashmir, east Assam, south Mizoram and the whole of the Indian peninsula. The Peacock enjoys protection from the people as it is never molested for religious and sentimental reasons. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.