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| FACT SHEET |
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| Official Name: Republic of India |
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| National Anthem |
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Jana gana mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore (Click Here to
Read)
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National Emblem
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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
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| National Flag |
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India’s flag is a horizontal tricolour with deep
saffron above, white in the middle and dark green below, in equal proportion.
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.
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| National Calendar |
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| 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). |
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| Structure of the state |
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| Union
of 29 states and 6 Union territories with the Central Government based
in New Delhi. |
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Political System
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| Multi-party
parliamentary democracy, based on universal adult franchise
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| Parliament |
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| 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).
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Last Elections
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| April-May 2009
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Current Government
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| Formed by United
Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Indian National Congress party.
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Head of State
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| President
Hon'ble Smt. Pratibha Patil (http://presidentofindia.nic.in) |
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Head of Government
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| Prime Minister
Dr. Manmohan Singh (http://pmindia.nic.in) |
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Indian Standard Time
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| IST is equal to GMT + 5 hours and 30 minutes.
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| Area |
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| 3.29 million square
kilometers
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Climate
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| Varied continental climate. Spring from March-April, summer
from May-October, winter from November-February. Tropical monsoon from
June-August, and post-monsoon or north-east monsoon season (Oct-Dec). Most of
the rainfall is brought by the south-west monsoon. Owing to the geographical
diversity of India, regional climatic conditions in the extreme north, east and
west can be different. |
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| Neighbours |
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| 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. |
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Major cities/towns
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| 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. |
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| Population |
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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
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| Languages |
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| Hindi is the official language, but English is also widely
used. In addition, 18 languages are recognized by the Constitution of India.
There are about 1,500 dialects. |
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| Literacy |
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| 70% |
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| Religions
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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%)
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| Currency
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Rupee(1 Rupee = 100 paise) In April 2006, one US dollar
equals approximately 44.65 rupees
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Fiscal Year
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1st April to 31st March.
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