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Buy India large color map, highlights states in different colors with country capital, major cities, state and international boundaries.

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Audio File: National anthem of India

India, country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. India is made up of 28 states and eight union territories, and its national capital is New Delhi, built in the 20th century just south of the historic hub of Old Delhi to serve as India's administrative centre. Its government is a constitutional republic that represents a highly diverse population consisting of thousands of ethnic groups and hundreds of languages. India became the world's most populous country in 2023, according to estimates by the United Nations.

It is known from archaeological evidence that a highly sophisticated urbanized culture-the Indus civilization-dominated the northwestern part of the subcontinent from about 2600 to 2000 bce. From that period on, India functioned as a virtually self-contained political and cultural arena, which gave rise to a distinctive tradition that was associated primarily with Hinduism, the roots of which can largely be traced to the Indus civilization. Other religions, notably Buddhism and Jainism, originated in India-though their presence there is now quite small-and throughout the centuries residents of the subcontinent developed a rich intellectual life in such fields as mathematics, astronomy, architecture, literature, music, and the fine arts.

Throughout its history, India was intermittently disturbed by incursions from beyond its northern mountain wall. Especially important was the coming of Islam, brought from the northwest by Arab, Turkish, Persian, and other raiders beginning early in the 8th century ce. Eventually, some of those raiders stayed; by the 13th century much of the subcontinent was under Muslim rule, and the number of Muslims steadily increased. Only after the arrival of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama in 1498 and the subsequent establishment of European maritime supremacy in the region did India become exposed to major external influences arriving by sea, a process that culminated in the decline of the ruling Muslim elite and absorption of the subcontinent within the British Empire.

Direct administration by the British, which began in 1858, effected a political and economic unification of the subcontinent. When British rule came to an end on August 14-15, 1947, celebrated annually as Independence Day, the subcontinent was partitioned along religious lines into two separate countries-India, with a majority of Hindus, and Pakistan, with a majority of Muslims; the eastern portion of Pakistan later split off to form Bangladesh. Many British institutions stayed in place (such as the parliamentary system of government); English continued to be a widely used lingua franca; and India remained within the Commonwealth. Hindi became the official language (and a number of other local languages achieved official status), while a vibrant English-language intelligentsia thrived.

India remains one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Apart from its many religions and sects, India is home to innumerable castes and tribes, as well as to more than a dozen major and hundreds of minor linguistic groups from several language families unrelated to one another. Religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, still account for a significant proportion of the population. Earnest attempts have been made to instill a spirit of nationhood in so varied a population, but tensions between neighbouring groups have remained and at times have resulted in outbreaks of violence. Yet social legislation has done much to alleviate the disabilities previously suffered by formerly " untouchable" castes, tribal populations, women, and other traditionally disadvantaged segments of society. At independence, India was blessed with several leaders of world stature, most notably Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who were able to galvanize the masses at home and bring prestige to India abroad. The country has played an increasing role in global affairs.

Contemporary India's increasing physical prosperity and cultural dynamism-despite continued domestic challenges and economic inequality-are seen in its well-developed infrastructure and a highly diversified industrial base, in its pool of scientific and engineering personnel (one of the largest in the world), in the pace of its agricultural expansion, and in its rich and vibrant cultural exports of music, literature, and cinema. Though the country's population remains largely rural, India has three of the most populous and cosmopolitan cities in the world- Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), and Delhi. Three other Indian cities- Bengaluru (Bangalore), Chennai (Madras), and Hyderabad -are among the world's fastest-growing high-technology centres, and most of the world's major information technology and software companies now have offices in India.

The history section of the articles Pakistan and Bangladesh discuss those countries since their creation.

Land

India's frontier, which is roughly one-third coastline, abuts six countries. It is bounded to the northwest by Pakistan, to the north by Nepal, China, and Bhutan; and to the east by Myanmar (Burma). Bangladesh to the east is surrounded by India to the north, east, and west. The island country of Sri Lanka is situated some 40 miles (65 km) off the southeast coast of India across the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar.

The land of India-together with Bangladesh and most of Pakistan-forms a well-defined subcontinent, set off from the rest of Asia by the imposing northern mountain rampart of the Himalayas and by adjoining mountain ranges to the west and east. In area, India ranks as the seventh largest country in the world.

Much of India's territory lies within a large peninsula, surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east; Cape Comorin, the southernmost point of the Indian mainland, marks the dividing line between those two bodies of water. India has two union territories composed entirely of islands: Lakshadweep, in the Arabian Sea, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which lie between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.

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India | History, Map, Population, Economy, & Facts

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India is a country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. It is a constitutional republic that represents a highly diverse population consisting of thousands of ethnic groups. It is made up of eight union territories and 28 states, and its capital is New Delhi.

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India is a fascinating country with numerous cities, towns, and villages housing a great diversity of people with different cultures, languages, religions, etc. The country is also the second most populated country in the world after China and hence most of its cities are teeming with millions of people, making them some of the most heavily populated cities in the world.

New Delhi

New Delhi has been ranked first among the top 15 cities in India with a population of 46.0 million. In this capital city of the country, you may hear all the languages spoken in India including Hindi, Punjabi, Tamil, Urdu, and English. New Delhi occupies an area of 1484 km2. This city is one of the most ancient cities in the world, characterized by its historical monuments, forts, and buildings. The city is a home to many significant government agencies, including the Parliament of India, making Delhi the commercial and political hub of India.

Mumbai, formerly Bombay is the Maharashtra state capital and the biggest financial center in India. The population of 20.8 million people lives in an area of 603.4 km2. Mumbai is the source of famous Bollywood, huge studio, annually producing the largest number of movies. The city also is a home to the Reserve Bank of India. The headquarters of many multinational companies are located in Mumbai, making the city a center of attraction of business and entertainment.

About 5 million people daily arrive to work in Calcutta, leading the city to the population of 14.7 million. The city bears witness to the long years of British colonial rule. For a significant period in history, it served at the capital of colonial India. The famous Victoria Memorial is a vivid reminder of the epoch. It is a palace of white marble, situated in the heart of the city. The palace is surrounded by stunning gardens and artificial rivers and presents itself as a unique combination of Italian Renaissance and oriental elements. Victoria Memorial was built in honor of the 25th anniversary of Queen Victoria's rule in India.

Bangalore, formally designated as Bengaluru, is the capital of Karnataka state and the fourth most populous Indian city with a population of 10.6 million people. Bangalore uses a large number of spoken languages including English, Kannada, Hindi, Konkani, Telugu, and Malayalam. Different branches of Hinduism chose the city as a place to build a large number of temples. Bangalore is also the birthplace of famous scientific and educational institutions of the nation like IISC and NCBS.

Maharashtra

The second largest city of Maharashtra and the fifth by the number of population with 10.1 million people is Pune. It covers an area close to that of Calcutta, but 40 percent of the city's population lives in very cramped living conditions and in desperate need of a full upgrade the infrastructure of the whole city.

Hyderabad is the capital of Andhra Pradesh. It is considered the capital of Indian IT-technologies populated with 9.7 million people. Hyderabad is called the fast income city - amassing a fortune in this city can be faster than in any other part of India. This is attributed to the rapid growth of the megapolis through new business opportunities.

Chennai, a city in Tamil Nadu, and also the state capital, has a population of 7.0 million people. The city is located on the Bay of Bengal shore, and was founded by the British in the 17th century, originally called Madras. Chennai is known for its pharmaceutical factories, as well as the automotive industry and information technology center.

Ahmadabad has a population of 6.4 million, being a financial cent of Gujarat and one of the fastest growing Indian cities. Apart from many Hindu temples in Ahmedabad, it also encompasses many minarets and Muslim mosques.

Visakhapatnam

Visakhapatnam is known as the historical domain of King Shivaji. The city has the famous monuments of the king and a large park named after his name. The city with a population of 5.3 million, owns one of the largest ports in India.

Surat, also known as the city of flowers, is home to 4.6 million Indians in the west of the country, in the Gujarat state. Surat is mentioned in the Indian epic Mahabharata. According to the epic, Krishna stopped here on the way from Mathura to his capital city Dwarka. This city is known for its diamond crafts. As a result, the diamond and textile industry influenced the move of the workforce to the city from the surrounding villages.

Other Notable Cities

The capital of Rajasthan, Jaipur has a population of 3.0 million. Jaipur was built according to the instructions written in the ancient canonical texts on astrology and architecture, called "Shastri". Maharaj Jai Singh II, an expert on astrology, used a set of tools for measuring the space, calculate the exact location in northern India and a favorable date for the massive transfer of his former capital from Amber to the new found Jaipur on November 17, 1727. The Maharaj planned out the city strictly according to stars. Jaipur has also acquired the nickname "pink city" because of the pink color of many houses. Kanpur, with a population of 2.92 million people is one of the most populated cities of Indian Uttar Pradesh state. Kanpur is located on the banks of famous River Ganges. The city is an important center of mechanical engineering, textile, electronics, metallurgical and chemical industries. Lucknow - the capital of the Utter Pradesh state. The Gomati River waters wash the city. Lucknow blossom came in 1775 during the reign of Asaf-Ud-Daula, when the city became the capital of Awadh region and belonged to the dynasty of Nawabs. During the reign of this kind, many mausoleums and mosques were built. The most famous of these are the mausoleums of Bada Imambara. Nagpur is the city in central India, in the state of Maharashtra. It was found in 1702 on the Nag River. Nagpur is the rapidly growing metropolis and the third most populous state of Maharashtra state with a population of 2.90 million, it is divided into residential areas, industrial enterprises zones, and a large number of government agencies sector, which helped the city to gain political weight on the map of modern India. Ghaziabad is located 19 km east of Delhi is one of the largest industrial cities in North India, with metalworking and electronics industry on the rise. From 1991 to 2013 the city's population has grown more than threefold due to rapid migration in the industrial metropolis.

Each of these cities of India mentioned above is unique and highly interesting. Most of the cities are associated with long years of rich history. The heterogenous nature of their population is truly mind-blowing. Since the population of these Indian cities is growing in an exponential manner, there is a need to develop new infrastructure like housing, schools, hospitals, transport systems, etc., to accommodate the growing population. Experts predict that in the future, India will have newer and larger cities while the existing ones will spread out even further including more land area within their limits.

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India is a fascinating country with numerous cities, towns, and villages housing a great diversity of people with different cultures, languages, religions, etc. The country is also the second most populated country in the world after China and hence most of its cities are teeming with millions of people, making them some of the most heavily populated cities in the world.

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this story is from January 06, 2007

Jan 6, 2007, 23:54 IST

Why is Hindi India's national language?

Neither the Constitution nor the laws of India accord the status of national language to any language in India. Indian law states that no language will be made the national language unless and until all the constituent states of the Union of India accept it.

Of the 28 states and seven Union Territories, only ten states and three Union Territories have Hindi as the principal official language. However, Article 343 of the Indian Constitution states that the official language of the Union (India) shall be Hindi in Devanagari script.

- Rachit Jain, Jaipur

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Why is Hindi India's national language? - Times of India

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this story is from January 06, 2007 Jan 6, 2007, 23:54 IST Why is Hindi India's national language? Neither the Constitution nor the laws of India accord the status of national language to any language in India. Indian law states that no language will be made the national language unless and until all the constituent states of the Union of India accept it.

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1858: Beginning of the Raj

In 1858, British Crown rule was established in India, ending a century of control by the East India Company. The life and death struggle that preceded this formalisation of British control lasted nearly two years, cost £36 million, and is variously referred to as the 'Great Rebellion', the 'Indian Mutiny' or the 'First War of Indian Independence'.

Inevitably, the consequences of this bloody rupture marked the nature of political, social and economic rule that the British established in its wake.

It is important to note that the Raj (in Hindi meaning 'to rule' or 'kingdom') never encompassed the entire land mass of the sub-continent.

Two-fifths of the sub-continent continued to be independently governed by over 560 large and small principalities, some of whose rulers had fought the British during the 'Great Rebellion', but with whom the Raj now entered into treaties of mutual cooperation.

Indeed the conservative elites of princely India and big landholders were to prove increasingly useful allies, who would lend critical monetary and military support during the two World Wars.

Hyderabad for example was the size of England and Wales combined, and its ruler, the Nizam, was the richest man in the world.

They would also serve as political bulwarks in the nationalist storms that gathered momentum from the late 19th century and broke with insistent ferocity over the first half of the 20th century.

But the 'Great Rebellion' did more to create a racial chasm between ordinary Indians and Britons. This was a social segregation which would endure until the end of the Raj, graphically captured in EM Forster's 'A Passage to India'.

While the British criticised the divisions of the Hindu caste system, they themselves lived a life ruled by precedence and class, deeply divided within itself. Rudyard Kipling reflected this position in his novels. His books also exposed the gulf between the 'white' community and the 'Anglo-Indians', whose mixed race caused them to be considered racially 'impure'.

Government in India

While there was a consensus that Indian policy was above party politics, in practice it became embroiled in the vicissitudes of Westminster.

Successive viceroys in India and secretaries of state in London were appointed on a party basis, having little or no direct experience of Indian conditions and they strove to serve two masters. Edwin Montagu was the first serving secretary of state to visit India on a fact-finding mission in 1917-1918.

Broadly speaking, the Government of India combined a policy of co-operation and conciliation of different strata of Indian society with a policy of coercion and force.

The empire was nothing if not an engine of economic gain. Pragmatism dictated that to govern efficiently and remuneratively, 1,200 Indian civil servants could not rule 300 to 350 million Indians without the assistance of indigenous 'collaborators'.

However, in true British tradition, they also chose to elaborate sophisticated and intellectual arguments to justify and explain their rule.

On the one hand, Whigs and Liberals expounded sentiments most iconically expressed by TB Macaulay in 1833: 'that... by good government we may educate our subjects into a capacity for better government, that, having become instructed in European knowledge, they may, in some future age, demand European institutions. Whether such a day will ever come I know not. ... Whenever it comes, it will be the proudest day in English history.'

On the other hand, James Fitzjames Stephen, writing in the 1880s, contended that empire had to be absolute because 'its great and characteristic task is that of imposing on Indian ways of life and modes of thought which the population regards without sympathy, though they are essential to its personal well-being and to the credit of its rulers.'

What was less ambiguous was that it was the economic interests of Britain that were paramount, though as the 20th century progressed, the government in India was successful in imposing safeguards. For instance, tariff walls were raised to protect the Indian cotton industry against cheap British imports.

Partition and religion

The growth of Muslim separatism from the late 19th century and the rise of communal violence from the 1920s to the virulent outbreaks of 1946-1947, were major contributory factors in the timing and shape of independence.

However, it was only from the late 1930s that it became inevitable that independence could only be achieved if accompanied by a partition. This partition would take place along the subcontinent's north-western and north-eastern boundaries, creating two sovereign nations of India and Pakistan.

Muslims, as a religious community, comprised only 20% of the population and represented great diversity in economic, social and political terms.

From the late 19th century, some of its political elites in northern India felt increasingly threatened by British devolution of power, which by the logic of numbers would mean the dominance of the majority Hindu community.

Seeking power and a political voice in the imperial structure, they organised themselves into a party to represent their interests, founding the Muslim League in 1906.

They achieved something of a coup by persuading the British that they needed to safeguard the interests of the minorities, a demand that fed into British strategies of divide and rule. The inclusion of separate electorates along communal lines in the 1909 Act, subsequently enlarged in every successive constitutional act, enshrined a form of constitutional separatism.

While there is no denying that Islam and Hinduism were and are very different faiths, Muslims and Hindus continued to co-exist peaceably. There were, however, occasional violent outbursts which were driven more often than not by economic inequities.

Even politically, the Congress and the League cooperated successfully during the Khilafat and Non Cooperation movements in 1920-1922. And Muhammad Ali Jinnah (the eventual father of the Pakistani nation) was a Congress member till 1920.

Although Congress strove to stress its secular credentials with prominent Muslim members - for example, Maulana Azad served as its president through World War Two - it is criticised for failing to sufficiently recognise the importance of a conciliatory position towards the League in the inter-war years, and for its triumphant response to Congress's 1937 election victory.

The Muslim League advocated the idea of Pakistan in its annual session in 1930, yet the idea did not achieve any political reality at the time. Furthermore, the League failed to achieve the confidence of the majority of the Muslim population in the elections of 1937.

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From Empire to Independence: The British Raj in India 1858-1947

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In 1858, British Crown rule was established in India, ending a century of control by the East India Company. The life and death struggle that preceded this formalisation of British control lasted nearly two years, cost £36 million, and is variously referred to as the 'Great Rebellion', the 'Indian Mutiny' or the 'First War of Indian Independence'.

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Tensions in India

Many have wondered why the British and Indian leaders did not delay until a better deal over borders could have been agreed. One explanation is that in the months and years immediately following World War Two, leaders on all sides were losing control and were keen to strike a deal before the country descended into chaos.

Immediately before World War Two, India was ravaged by the impact of the Great Depression, bringing mass unemployment. This created tremendous tensions exacerbated during the war by inflation and food grain shortages. Rationing was introduced in Indian cities and in Bengal a major famine developed in 1942.

The resulting discontent was expressed in widespread violence accompanying the Congress party's 'Quit India' campaign of 1942 - a violence only contained by the deployment of 55 army battalions.

With the cessation of hostilities, the battalions at the disposal of the government in India were rapidly diminished. At the same time, the infrastructure of the Congress Party, whose entire leadership was imprisoned due to their opposition to the war, had been dismantled.

The Muslim League, which co-operated with the British, had rapidly increased its membership, yet still had very limited grassroots level organisation.

This was dramatically revealed on the 16 August 1946, when Jinnah called for a 'Direct Action Day' by followers of the League in support of the demand for Pakistan. The day had dissolved into random violence and civil disruption across north India, with thousands of lives lost.

This was interpreted by the British as evidence of the irreconcilable differences between Hindus and Muslims. In reality, the riots were evidence as much of a simple lack of military and political control as they were of social discord.

Further evidence of the collapse of government authority was to be seen in the Princely State of Hyderabad, where a major uprising occurred in the Telengana region, and with the Tebhaga ('two-thirds') agitation among share-cropping cultivators in north Bengal. A leading role was played in both by the Communist Party of India.

Elsewhere, the last months of British rule were marked by a naval mutiny, wage strikes and successful demonstrations in every major city. In all of these conflicts the British colonial government remained aloof, as it concentrated on the business of negotiating a speedy transfer of power.

Post-partition and conflict over Kashmir

The death of Muhammed Ali Jinnah in 1948, the conflict with India over the Princely State of Kashmir (which both countries claimed at independence), as well as ethnic and religious differences within Pakistan itself, all combined to stymie early attempts to agree on a constitution and an effectively functioning civil administration.

This failure paved the way for a military takeover of the government in 1958 and later on, a civil war in 1971. This saw the division of the country and the creation of the separate state of Bangladesh. Ever since then, military rule has been more often than not the order of the day in both countries.

At independence, in India and in Pakistan, civil unrest as well as ethnic and religious discord threatened the stability of the new country. However, the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi on 30 January 1948 by a Hindu fanatic strengthened the hand of secularists within the government.

Indian politicians ratified a constitution, which led to the first democratic elections in 1951. This made India the world's largest democracy and consolidated governmental authority over the entire subcontinent.

However, major tensions have persisted among both Muslim and Sikh communities, which suffered most from the violence and land loss resulting from partition. These tensions erupted most seriously in the 1980s in a violent campaign for the creation of a separate Sikh state which led ultimately to the assassination of Indira Gandhi.

Renewed victimisation of Muslims has also occurred, notably with the destruction of the Muslim shrine at Ayodhya in 1992 and anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2004. With such notable exceptions, however, India has maintained a remarkable level of cohesion since independence, especially if one considers that it is a country nearly the size of Europe.

For both India and Pakistan, the most singular conflict unresolved since partition has concerned the former Princely State of Kashmir, whose fate was left undetermined at the time the British left. Lying as it did on the border, Kashmir was claimed by both countries, which have been to war over this region on numerous occasions.

The conflict has wasted thousands of lives and millions of dollars, but is closer to a solution now than at any time since independence. If achieved, it might finally bring to fruition the dreams of Mohammed Ali Jinnah and Mahatma Gandhi and once more set an example for post-colonial societies elsewhere in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to imitate and follow.

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The Hidden Story of Partition and its Legacies

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Many have wondered why the British and Indian leaders did not delay until a better deal over borders could have been agreed. One explanation is that in the months and years immediately following World War Two, leaders on all sides were losing control and were keen to strike a deal before the country descended into chaos.

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The B comes from Bombay (also known as Mumbai), a big city in India.

Bollywood is massive. It makes up to 800 films a year - twice as many as Hollywood and about 14 million Indian people go to the cinema everyday

Films are made so fast that sometimes actors on set shoot scenes for four different films at a time - using the same actors and the same backgrounds. And sometimes the scripts are even hand-written!

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CBBC Newsround | BOLLYWOOD | What is Bollywood?

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The B comes from Bombay (also known as Mumbai), a big city in India. Bollywood is massive. It makes up to 800 films a year - twice as many as Hollywood and about 14 million Indian people go to the cinema everyday Films are made so fast that sometimes actors on set shoot scenes for four different films at a time - using the same actors and the same backgrounds.

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Riotous, vibrant color envelopes India when Hindus celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring with the annual festival of Holi. Also known as the festival of colors, it is a time to let go of certain social norms by wearing all-white clothes to dance and douse friends, family and strangers in colored powders or water of deep hues of magenta, blue, green, yellow or orange. Holi has its roots in stories from Indian mythology. Though the official date this year is March 2, different parts of the country celebrate the day before then or over several days.

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Riotous, vibrant color envelopes India when Hindus celebrate the end of winter and the arrival of spring with the annual festival of Holi. Also known as the festival of colors, it is a time to let go of certain social norms by wearing all-white clothes to dance and douse friends, family and...

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Diwali - Festival of Lights | National Geographic