India

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27° 5′ N, 76° 58′ E

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

Four world religions Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism originated here, whereas Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape 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 from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

The Indian economy is the world’s eleventh-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country.

However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, inadequate public healthcare, and terrorism. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 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.