New Delhi

The Republic of India is the world's seventh largest country by area,

the second most populated country with over 1.2 billion people, and

the largest democracy.

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Bounded by the Indian Ocean in the south, the Arabian Sea in the south west,

and the Bay of Bengal in the south east, it shares land borders with Pakistan,

China, Nepal, Bhutan, Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh. In the Indian Ocean,

India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman

and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

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Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent enjoyed commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.

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Four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism originated in India, whereas Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st century and also shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom after the Indian Rebellion of 1857, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

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Economists estimate India to have been the most populated and wealthiest region of the world throughout the first century. This changed in the 18th century as other regions developed. Currently, the Indian economy is the world's seventh largest by nominal Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and third largest by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). Following economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest growing major economies and considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate public healthcare, and terrorism.

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A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expenditure among nations.

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India is a federal republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 29 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and a multi-ethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Map of India by FreeVectorMaps.com