The Indus Valley civilization,
one of the oldest in the world, goes back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes
from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier
inhabitants created classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in
the 8th century and Turkish in 12th were followed by European traders
beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed
political control of virtually all Indian lands. Nonviolent resistance to
British colonialism under Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU led to
independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of
India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two
countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of
Bangladesh. Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with
Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation,
extensive poverty, and ethnic strife, all this despite impressive gains in
economic investment and output.
| Location: |
Southern Asia, bordering
the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
20 00 N, 77 00 E |
|
Population: |
1,029,991,145 (July 2001
est.) |
| Area: |
total: 3,287,590 sq
km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km
slightly more than one-third the size of the US |
| 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 |
| Elevation: |
lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m |
| Natural
resources: |
coal (fourth-largest
reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium
ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land |
|
