About India

Official name

Republic of India

National Anthem

The song Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly as the national anthem of India on 24 January 1950. It was first sung on 27 December 1911 at the Calcutta Session of the Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem:

Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha
Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage,
Tava shubha asisa mage,
Gahe tava jaya gatha,
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

Download National Anthem (817 kb)

Playing time of the full version of the national anthem is approximately 52 seconds. A short version consisting of first and last lines of the stanza (playing time approximately 20 seconds) is also played on certain occasions. The following is Tagore’s English rendering of the anthem:

Thou art the ruler of the minds of all people,
dispenser of India’s destiny.
Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind,
Gujarat and Maratha,
Of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal;
It echoes in the hills of the Vindyas and Himalayas,
mingles in the music of Jamuna and Ganges and is
chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea.
They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise.
The saving of all people waits in thy hand,
thou dispenser of India’s destiny.
Victory, victory, victory to thee.

National Emblem

An uni-dimensional adaptation of the Saranath Lion Capital of Ashoka, the emblem shows three lions (from the four which stand back-to-back on the original capital), and part of the frieze on the abacus i.e. the Wheel of the Law (Dharma) in the centre flanked by a horse and a bull. The bell-shaped lotus which supports the original capital has been omitted and instead, inscribed below the abacus are the words "Satyameva Jayate" - "Truth Alone Triumphs" in the Devnagari script.

National flag

Horizontal tricolor with deep saffron on the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom, in equal proportion. In the centre of the white band is a wheel in navy blue with 24 spokes. The ratio of the width of the flag to its length is two to three.

National animal

Tiger - large Asiatic carnivorous feline quadruped, Panthera Tigris, maneless, of tawny yellow colour with blackish transverse stripes and white belly, proverbial for its power and its magnificence.

National bird

Peacock - male bird of species P. cristatus, is a native of India, with striking plumage and upper tail converts marked with iridescent ocelli, able to expand its tail erect like fan as ostentatious display. Peacocks are related to pheasants. Found wild in India ( and also domesticated in villages ) they live in jungle lands near water.

National flower

The Lotus or waterlily is an aquatic plant of Nymphaea with broad floating leaves and bright fragrant flowers that grow only in shallow waters. In India the sacred lotus is legendary and much folklore and religious mythology is woven around it.

National tree

Banyan - Indian fig tree, Ficus bengalensis, whose branches root themselves like new trees over a large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India.

National fruit

Mango - A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D. In India there are over100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and colours. The mango has been cultivated in India from time immemorial.

National currency

Rupee
Re 1 = 100 paise

National Calendar

Based on the Saka Era with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days, the national calendar has a permanent correspondence with the Gregorian calendar with I Chaitra falling on 22nd March (21st March in leap years)

Structure of the state

Union of 28 states and 7 Union territories with the Central Government based in New Delhi.

Political system

Multi-party parliamentary democracy, based on universal adult franchise.

Parliament

Bicameral legislature, with the Upper House known as the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) and the Lower House known as the Lok Sabha (Council of the People)

Last Parliamentary Elections

April-May 2009

Current Government

The United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led by Indian National Congress (INC).

Head of State

President – Hon'ble Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil

Head of Government

Prime Minister – Hon'ble Dr. Manmohan Singh

Indian Standard Time (IST)

IST is equal to GMT + 5 1/2 hours. With reference to Croatia, IST is plus 4 1/2 hours in winter and plus 3 1/2 hours in summer.

Area

3.29 million square kilometers

Climate

Tropical monsoon type with winter (Jan-Feb), summer (Mar-May), south-west monsoon season (Jun-Sep) and post-monsoon or north-east monsoon season (Oct-Dec). Most of the rainfall is brought by the south-west monsoon. Because of the geographical diversity of India, regional climate conditions in the extreme north, east and west varies from the general conditions given above.

Neighbours

Countries having a common border with India are Pakistan and Afghanistan to the north-west, China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north, Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east. Sri Lanka is separated from the southernmost tip of India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.

Major cities/towns

The traditional 4 metros are Delhi (population 9.8 mln in 2001), Mumbai (12 mln), Kolkata (4.6 mln), and Chennai (4.2 mln). Other cities like Pune, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Lucknow, Ahmadabad, Ernakulam (Cochin) etc are rapidly developing into major centres of commerce and industry.

Population

1027 million (2001 census); current growth rate 1.93% per annum

Life span

61 years; death rate 9 per 1000; birth rate 28.2 per 1000

Languages

Hindi is the official language, and English is widely used as a link language. Twenty two languages are officially recognized by the Constitution, but over 1,600 minor languages and dialects are spoken.

Literacy

65.38% (2001 census)

Religions

India is a secular country and has no state religion. Major religions represented in India include Hinduism (82%), Islam (12%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%) and Jainism (0.4%)

Fiscal Year

1st April to 31st March

Mineral resources

Coal, crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, bauxite, limestone, manganese ore, magnesite, chromite, copper ore, zinc, lead, gold, mica, gypsum, tungsten, barytes, graphite, dolomite, kaolin, phosphates and many more, with considerable reserves yet to be exploited in most cases

Agriculture

Rice, wheat, coarse cereals, cotton, jute, sugarcane, oilseeds, pulses, a variety of fruits and vegetables, plantation crops (tea, coffee, various spices etc.), herbal and medicinal crops; animal husbandry and food processing are also well-developed sectors

Major Trading Partners

USA is India 's single largest trading partner, followed by the EU, especially Germany, UK, Belgium, Italy, France, Netherlands, Spain and from the EFTA countries, Switzerland . West Asia/North Africa and countries in the Asia-Pacific region also have a significant share in India 's global trade

Major Exports

80% of the total exports generally comprise manufactured goods such as gems and jewellery, ready-made garments, cotton yarn and textiles, leather goods, engineering products, chemicals and allied products, electronic products, transport equipment, marine products, agriculture and allied products. Computer software, however, constitute the most rapidly growing export segment.

Major Imports

Major imports are capital goods and fuel, chemicals, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones, newsprint, fertilisers, iron and steel, non-ferrous metals and professional instruments.