India is the largest democracy in the world and occupies a strategic position in Asia. Geographically, the Himalayan ranges keeps India apart from the rest of Asia and is called the Indian Subcontinent. Land measures 3,214 kilometres north to south and 2,933 kilometres east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 km and a coastline of 7516.5 km. Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweep in the Arabian Sea are parts of India.

India shares its political borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan on the west and Bangladesh and Myanmar on the east. The Northern boundary is made up of Sinkiang province of China, Tibet, Nepal and Bhutan. India is separated from Sri Lanka by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.

India at a glance:
Date of formation: 15 August 1947
Capital: New Delhi, 15,334,000 (metro area), 9,817,439 (city proper).
Area: 3,287,240 sq km, Land area 2,973,190 sq km, Water 9.56%, India is the seventh largest country (2.42%) in the world.
The area figure exclude 78,114 sq km under the illegal occupation of Pakistan, 5,180 sq km Illegally handed over by Pakistan to China and 37,555 sq km under the illegal occupation of China in Ladakh district.
Administrative Divisions: 29 States (including National Capital Territory of Delhi) and 6 Union Territories.
Districts: 593. Largest District - Kachchh (Gujarat) 45,652 sq km. Smallest District - Mahe (Pondicherry) 9 sq km. District with Highest Population - Medinipur (West Bengal) 9,610,788. District with Lowest Population - Yanam (Pondicherry) 31,394. District with Highest Population Density - North East (Delhi) 29,468 Persons / sq km. District with Lowest Population Density - Lahul & Spiti (Himachal Pradesh) 2 Persons / sq km.
Cities & Towns: 5,161

Transportation:
Railways: Total 63,230 km (16,693 km electrified) (2004).
Highways: Total 2,525,989 km; Paved 1,448,655 km; Unpaved 77,334 km (1999).
Waterways: 14,500 km; 5,200 km on major rivers and 485 km on canals suitable for mechanized vessels (2004).
Ports and harbors: Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam.
Airports: 333 (2004 estimate).

Population: 1,028,737,436; Male 532,223,090; Female 496,514,346; Sex Ratio 933. Urban 286,119,689 (27.8%); Rural 742,490,639 (72.2%). Birth rate 22.7/1000; Infant Mortality rate 34.6/1000; Life Expectancy Rate Male 63.9 years; Female 66.9 years (As of Sep 2005).
Population Density 325 Persons per sq km (31st). State with Highest Population Density - West Bengal 903 Persons / sq km. State with Lowest Population Density - Arunachal Pradesh 13 Persons / sq km. Union Territory with Lowest Population Density - Andaman & Nicobar Islands 43 Persons / sq km.
Projected Population as on 1st March 2008 (000'): 1,147,677
Population Growth Rate: The average annual exponential growth rate stands at 1.93% during 1991-2001.
Ethnicity/race: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and others 3% (2000)
Religions: Hindu 81%, Islam 13%, Christian 2%, Sikh 2% (2001)
Official Languages: Hindi 30%, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Sanskrit, Sindhi.
There are 1,600+ dialects.
Literacy: 64.8%; Male 75.3%; Female 53.7%; Urban 79.9%; Rural 58.7%.

Economic Summary:
GDP (PPP) 2006 estimate: Total 4.156 trillion (4th), Per capita 3,737 (118th)
GDP (nominal) 2007 estimate: Total 1.0 trillion (12th), Per capita 820 (132nd)
Agriculture: rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish.
Industries: textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software.
Natural resources: coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land.
Monetary unit: Indian Rupee (₨) (INR)