India is seventh-largest country in the world and also the second populous. It lies in southern Asia. It is officially known as the Republic of India. India, a union of states, is a Sovereign, Secular, Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government. It gets very difficult to manage a large country from one place. So Indian Constitution gives a right to the central government to make states as it feels suitable.
The President is the constitutional head of Executive of the Union. In the states, the Governor, as the representative of the President, is the head of Executive. The system of government in states closely resembles that of the Union. There are 28 states and 8 Union territories in the country. Union Territories are administered by the President through an Administrator appointed by him/her. From the largest to the smallest, each State/UT of India has a unique demography, history, and culture, dress, festivals, language, etc.
Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends between latitudes 8° 4′ and 37° 6′ north, longitudes 68° 7′ and 97° 25′ east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes. It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and Andaman & Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.
Indian Standard Time | GMT + 05:30 |
Border Countries
- Afghanistan and Pakistan to the north-west;
- China, Bhutan, and Nepal to the north;
- Myanmar to the east; and
- Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal.
- Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea, formed by Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.
Life Expectancy Rate | 65.8 years (Males); 68.1 years (Females) in the period 2006-2011 |
Sex Ratio | 940 according to the 2011 census |
Ethnic Groups | All the five major racial types – Australoid, Mongoloid, Europoid, Caucasian, and Negroid find representation among the people of India. |
Religions | According to the 2001 census, out of the total population of 1,028 million in the Country, Hindus constituted the majority with 80.5%, Muslims came second at 13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and others. |
Languages | There are 22 different languages that have been recognized by the Constitution of India, of which Hindi is an Official Language. Article 343(3) empowered Parliament to provide by law for continued use of English for official purposes. |
Literacy | According to the provisional results of the 2011 census, the literacy rate in the country stands at 74.04 percent, 82.14% for males and 65.46% for females. |
Indian States and Union territories
States
S.No | States Name | Capital | Founded on |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Andhra Pradesh | Hyderabad (Proposed Capital Amaravati) | 1 Nov. 1956 |
2 | Arunachal Pradesh | Itanagar | 20 Feb. 1987 |
3 | Assam | Dispur | 26 Jan. 1950 |
4 | Bihar | Patna | 26 Jan. 1950 |
5 | Chhattisgarh | Raipur | 1 Nov. 2000 |
6 | Goa | Panaji | 30 May. 1987 |
7 | Gujarat | Gandhinagar | 1 May. 1960 |
8 | Haryana | Chandigarh | 1 Nov. 1966 |
9 | Himachal Pradesh | Shimla | 25 Jan. 1971 |
10 | Jharkhand | Ranchi | 15 Nov. 2000 |
11 | Karnataka | Bengaluru (formerly Bangalore) | 1 Nov. 1956 |
12 | Kerala | Thiruvananthapuram | 1 Nov. 1956 |
13 | Madhya Pradesh | Bhopal | 1 Nov. 1956 |
14 | Maharashtra | Mumbai | 1 May. 1960 |
15 | Manipur | Imphal | 21 Jan. 1972 |
16 | Meghalaya | Shillong | 21 Jan. 1972 |
17 | Mizoram | Aizawl | 20 Feb. 1987 |
18 | Nagaland | Kohima | 1 Dec. 1963 |
19 | Odisha | Bhubaneswar | 26 Jan. 1950 |
20 | Punjab | Chandigarh | 1 Nov. 1956 |
21 | Rajasthan | Jaipur | 1 Nov. 1956 |
22 | Sikkim | Gangtok | 16 May. 1975 |
23 | Tamil Nadu | Chennai | 26 Jan. 1950 |
24 | Telangana | Hyderabad | 2 Jun. 2014 |
25 | Tripura | Agartala | 21 Jan. 1972 |
26 | Uttar Pradesh | Lucknow | 26 Jan. 1950 |
27 | Uttarakhand | Dehradun (Winter) Gairsain (Summer) | 9 Nov. 2000 |
28 | West Bengal | Kolkata | 1 Nov. 1956 |
Union Territories
Union Territories Names | Capital | Founded on |
---|---|---|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands | Port Blair | 1 Nov. 1956 |
Chandigarh | Chandigarh | 1 Nov. 1966 |
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu | Daman | 26 Jan. 2020 |
Delhi | New Delhi | 9 May. 1905 |
Jammu and Kashmir | Srinagar (Summer) Jammu (Winter) | 31 Oct 2019 |
Lakshadweep | Kavaratti | 1 Nov. 1956 |
Puducherry | Pondicherry | 1 Nov. 1954 |
Ladakh | Leh | 31 Oct 2019 |