India
The Country of the Week
Quick Facts
- Capital
- New Delhi
- Population
- 1,419,316,933 (2025 est.)
- Area
- 3,287,263 sq km
- Government
- federal parliamentary republic
- Religions
- Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and unspecified 2% (2011 est.)
- Ethnic Groups
- Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, and other 3% (2000)
- Currency
- Indian rupees (INR)
- Life Expectancy
- 68.2 years (2024 est.)
- Internet Domain
- .in
- Climate
- varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
- Terrain
- upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
- Natural Resources
- coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), antimony, iron ore, lead, manganese, mica, bauxite, rare earth elements, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land
- Major Exports
- refined petroleum, packaged medicine, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, garments (2023)
Source: CIA World Factbook (public domain)
Overview
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India.