Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/111.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 12.7 KB | 405 lines

@node Geography (India)
@section Geography (India)

@display

Location:
  South Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between
  Bangladesh and Pakistan
Map references:
  Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  3,287,590 km2
 land area:
  2,973,190 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly more than one-third the size of the US
Land boundaries:
  total 14,103 km, Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma 1,463 km, China
  3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline:
  7,000 km
Maritime claims:
 contiguous zone:
  24 nm
 continental shelf:
  200 nm or the edge of continental margin
 exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  boundaries with Bangladesh and China; status of Kashmir with Pakistan;
  water-sharing problems with downstream riparians, Bangladesh over the Ganges
  and Pakistan over the Indus
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
Natural resources:
  coal (fourth-largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica,
  bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone
Land use:
 arable land:
  55%
 permanent crops:
  1%
 meadows and pastures:
  4%
 forest and woodland:
  23%
 other:
  17%
Irrigated land:
  430,390 km2 (1989)
Environment:
  droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; deforestation; soil
  erosion; overgrazing; air and water pollution; desertification
Note:
  dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important Indian Ocean trade routes



@end display

@node People (India)
@section People (India)

@display

Population:
  903,158,968 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.86% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  29.11 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  10.52 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  80.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  58.12 years
 male:
  57.69 years
 female:
  58.59 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.57 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:   Indian(s)
 adjective:
  Indian
Ethnic divisions:
  Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%
Religions:
  Hindu 82.6%, Muslim 11.4%, Christian 2.4%, Sikh 2%, Buddhist 0.7%, Jains
  0.5%, other 0.4%
Languages:
  English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for
  national, political, and commercial communication, Hindi the national
  language and primary tongue of 30% of the people, Bengali (official), Telugu
  (official), Marathi (official), Tamil (official), Urdu (official), Gujarati
  (official), Malayalam (official), Kannada (official), Oriya (official),
  Punjabi (official), Assamese (official), Kashmiri (official), Sindhi
  (official), Sanskrit (official), Hindustani a popular variant of Hindu/Urdu,
  is spoken widely throughout northern India
 note:
  24 languages each spoken by a million or more persons; numerous other
  languages and dialects, for the most part mutually unintelligible
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
 total population:
  48%
 male:
  62%
 female:
  34%
Labor force:
  284.4 million
 by occupation:
  agriculture 67% (FY85)



@end display

@node Government (India)
@section Government (India)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Republic of India
 conventional short form:
  India
Digraph:
  IN
Type:
  federal republic
Capital:
  New Delhi
Administrative divisions:
  25 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra,   Pradesh, Arunachal
Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Dadra and Nagar,   Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa,,
Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh,
  Jammu and Kashmir, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh,,   Maharashtra, Manipur,
Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*,,   Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu,
Tripura, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal
Independence:   15 August 1947 (from UK)
Constitution:
  26 January 1950
Legal system:
  based on English common law; limited judicial review of legislative acts;
  accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
  Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 26 January (1950)
Political parties and leaders:
  Congress (I) Party, P. V. Narasimha RAO, president; Bharatiya Janata Party,
  M. M. JOSHI; Janata Dal Party; Communist Party of India/Marxist (CPI/M),
  Harkishan Singh SURJEET; Communist Party of India (CPI), C. Rajeswara RAO;
  Telugu Desam (a regional party in Andhra Pradesh), N. T. Rama RAO; All-India
  Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham (AIADMK; a regional party in Tamil Nadu),
  JAYALALITHA Jeyaram; Samajwadi Janata Party, CHANDRA SHEKHAR; Shiv Sena, Bal
  THACKERAY; Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), Tridip CHOWDHURY; Bahujana
  Samaj Party (BSP), Kanshi RAM; Congress (S) Party, leader NA; Communist
  Party of India/Marxist-Leninist (CPI/ML), Satyanarayan SINGH; Dravida
  Munnetra Kazagham (a regional party in Tamil Nadu), M. KARUNANIDHI; Akali
  Dal factions representing Sikh religious community in the Punjab; National
  Conference (NC; a regional party in Jammu and Kashmir), Farooq ABDULLAH;
  Asom Gana Parishad (a regional party in Assam), Prafulla MAHANTA
Other political or pressure groups:
  various separatist groups seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy;
  numerous religious or militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Adam
  Sena, Ananda Marg, Vishwa Hindu Parishad, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Elections:
 People's Assembly:
  last held 21 May, 12 and 15 June 1991 (next to be held by November 1996);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (545 total, 543 elected, 2
  appointed) Congress (I) Party 245, Bharatiya Janata Party 119, Janata Dal
  Party 39, Janata Dal (Ajit Singh) 20, CPI/M 35, CPI 14, Telugu Desam 13,
  AIADMK 11, Samajwadi Janata Party 5, Shiv Sena 4, RSP 4, BSP 1, Congress (S)
  Party 1, other 23, vacant 9
Executive branch:
  president, vice president, prime minister, Council of Ministers



@end display

@node Government (India 2. usage)
@section Government (India 2. usage)

@display

Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament (Sansad) consists of an upper house or Council of
  States (Rajya Sabha) and a lower house or People's Assembly (Lok Sabha)
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Leaders:
 Chief of State:
  President Shankar Dayal SHARMA (since 25 July 1992); Vice President K.R.
  NARAYANAN (since 21 August 1992)
 Head of Government:
  Prime Minister P. V. Narasimha RAO (since 21 June 1991)
Member of:
  AG (observer), AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-19, AfDB, G-24,
  G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
  ONUSAL, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ,
  UNTAC, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Siddhartha Shankar RAY
 chancery:
  2107 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone]
 consulates general:
  Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Thomas R. Pickering
 embassy:
  Shanti Path, Chanakyapuri 110021, New Delhi
 mailing address:
  use embassy street address
 telephone:
  [91] (11) 600651
 FAX:
  [91] (11) 687-2028, 687-2391
 consulates general:
  Bombay, Calcutta, Madras
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a blue
  chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of
  Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in the white band



@end display

@node Economy (India)
@section Economy (India)

@display

Overview:
  India's economy is a mixture of traditional village farming, modern
  agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude
  of support services. Faster economic growth in the 1980s permitted a
  significant increase in real per capita private consumption. A large share
  of the population, perhaps as much as 40%, remains too poor to afford an
  adequate diet. Financial strains in 1990 and 1991 prompted government
  austerity measures that slowed industrial growth but permitted India to meet
  its international payment obligations without rescheduling its debt. Policy
  reforms since 1991 have extended earlier economic liberalization and greatly
  reduced government controls on production, trade, and investment.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $240 billion (FY93 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  4% (FY93 est.)
National product per capita:
  $270 (FY93 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  11.9% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
  revenues $39.2 billion; expenditures $41.06 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $10.2 billion (FY92)
Exports:
  $19.8 billion (f.o.b., FY93 est.)
 commodities:
  gems and jewelry, clothing, engineering goods, leather manufactures, cotton
  yarn, and fabric
 partners:
  USSR 16.1%, US 14.7%, West Germany 7.8% (FY91)
Imports:
  $25.5 billion (c.i.f., FY93 est.)
 commodities:
  crude oil and petroleum products, gems, fertilizer, chemicals, machinery
 partners:
  US 12.1%, West Germany 8.0%, Japan 7.5% (FY91)
External debt:
  $73 billion (March 1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 2.5% (FY93 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP
Electricity:
  82,000,000 kW capacity; 310,000 million kWh produced, 340 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment,
  cement, mining, petroleum, machinery
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 30% of GDP and employs 67% of labor force; principal
  crops - rice, wheat, oilseeds, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes;
  livestock - cattle, buffaloes, sheep, goats, poultry; fish catch of about 3
  million metric tons ranks India among the world's top 10 fishing nations
Illicit drugs:
  licit producer of opium poppy for the pharmaceutical trade, but some opium
  is diverted to illicit international drug markets; major transit country for
  illicit narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit producer of
  hashish



@end display

@node Economy (India 2. usage)
@section Economy (India 2. usage)

@display

Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.4 billion; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $31.7 billion; OPEC
  bilateral aid (1979-89), $315 million; USSR (1970-89), $11.6 billion;
  Eastern Europe (1970-89), $105 million
Currency:
  1 Indian rupee (Re) = 100 paise
Exchange rates:
  Indian rupees (Rs) per US$1 - 26.156 (January 1993), 25.918 (1992), 22.742
  (1991), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989), 13.917 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March



@end display

@node Communications (India)
@section Communications (India)

@display

Railroads:
  61,850 km total (1986); 33,553 km 1.676-meter broad gauge, 24,051 km
  1.000-meter gauge, 4,246 km narrow gauge (0.762 meter and 0.610 meter);
  12,617 km is double track; 6,500 km is electrified
Highways:
  1,970,000 km total (1989); 960,000 km surfaced and 1,010,000 km gravel,
  crushed stone, or earth
Inland waterways:
  16,180 km; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels
Pipelines:
  crude oil 3,497 km; petroleum products 1,703 km; natural gas 902 km (1989)
Ports:
  Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Kandla, Madras, New Mangalore, Port Blair (Andaman
  Islands)
Merchant marine:
  306 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,278,672 GRT/10,446,073 DWT;
  includes 1 short-sea passenger, 6 passenger-cargo, 87 cargo, 1
  roll-on/roll-off, 8 container, 63 oil tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 8
  combination ore/oil, 114 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 6 liquefied gas
Airports:
 total:
  336
 usable:
  285
 with permanent-surface runways:
  205
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  2
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  58
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  90
Telecommunications:
  domestic telephone system is poor providing only one telephone for about 200
  persons on average; long distance telephoning has been improved by a
  domestic satellite system which also carries TV; international service is
  provided by 3 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations and by submarine cables
  to Malaysia and the United Arab Emirates; broadcast stations - 96 AM, 4 FM,
  274 TV (government controlled)



@end display

@node Defense Forces (India)
@section Defense Forces (India)

@display

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Security or Paramilitary Forces (including Border
  Security Force, Assam Rifles, and Coast Guard)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 242,866,053; fit for military service 143,008,471; about
  9,466,323 reach military age (17) annually (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $5.8 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY93/94)



@end display