India is a vast South Asian country with diverse terrain – from Himalayan peaks to Indian Ocean coastline – and history reaching back 5 millennia. In the north, Mughal Empire landmarks include Delhi’s Red Fort complex and massive Jama Masjid mosque, plus Agra’s iconic Taj Mahal mausoleum. Pilgrims bathe in the Ganges in Varanasi, and Rishikesh is a yoga centre and base for Himalayan trekking.
Languages: Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
Ethnic Groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%
Belief Systems: Hindu 80.5%, Muslim 13.4%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other 1.8%, unspecified 0.1%
Demographics:
Population: 1.29 billion people (World Rank: 2nd) (2014 estimate)
Population Density: 1125 people/mi^2 (People per Square Mile) (World Rank: 28th) (2014 estimate)
Population Growth: 1.33 %/yr (World Rank: 91st) (2013 estimate)
Life Expectancy: 66.4 years (World Rank: 175th) (2013 estimate)
Median Age: 25.5 years (World Rank: 110th) (2010 estimate)
Sites for More Information:
Map of India
Worldatlas.com
Country Profile for India
United Nations
India - Country Profile
U.S. Library of Congress
India - General Information
Encyclopedia.com
Tourism:
Indian Vegetarian Recipes
Syvum.com
Travel Info for India
Travelnotes.org
Language Resources:
Government Related:
Indian Embassy
in Washington D.C.
Indian Government Web Sites
by Gunnar Anzinger
