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India

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India is a huge country located in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country in the world by area. Since 2023, it has become the most populous country on Earth. The land is surrounded by water on three sides. The Indian Ocean lies to the south of the country. The Arabian Sea sits to the southwest. The Bay of Bengal is found to the southeast. Many different nations share land borders with India. China, Nepal, and Bhutan are all to the north. Pakistan is located to the west. Bangladesh and Myanmar are to the east.

Rashtrapati Bhavan-Delhi-India4445
Rashtrapati Bhavan-Delhi-India4445

The history of this land goes back a very long time. Modern humans likely arrived from Africa by 55,000 years ago. They lived there for many generations as hunter-gatherers. This long history made the region very diverse. Settled life began 9,000 years ago near the Indus river basin. This eventually grew into the Indus Valley Civilisation. This ancient culture used organized city planning and written scripts. Later, many different empires rose and fell across the land. These included the Maurya and Gupta Empires.

Shaikh Salim Chishti Ka Maqbara
Shaikh Salim Chishti Ka Maqbara

Many different religions and languages have shaped India. Ancient Sanskrit was used for very old religious texts. These texts helped form the roots of Hinduism. Other faiths like Buddhism and Jainism also arose. Over time, Islam, Christianity, and Judaism reached the coasts. In the Punjab region, Sikhism emerged as a new faith. Because so many groups lived there, India is a very multilingual society. People speak many different languages across the many states. This mix of people makes the culture very rich and varied.

For a long time, the British ruled the country. This era was known as the British Raj. A famous leader named Mohandas K. Gandhi helped change this. He led a movement using nonviolent resistance. This means he fought for freedom without using force. His work helped India gain independence in 1947. During this time, the land was split into two parts. One part became India and the other became Pakistan. This was a very difficult time with much migration.

Mahatma Gandhi leaves Presidency Jail in Calcutta
Mahatma Gandhi leaves Presidency Jail in Calcutta

Today, India is a federal republic and a democracy. It has been a democracy since its independence. The population has grown from 361 million in 1951 to over 1.4 billion in 2023. India is now a fast-growing major economy. It is a global hub for information technology services. The country is also home to many plants and animals. Its land is considered megadiverse with four biodiversity hotspots. While there are still challenges like poverty, the country continues to change.

Emblem of India
Emblem of India
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🖼️ Images & Media (14)
File:Emblem of India.svg
Emblem of India.svg
Vande Mataram on Mohan Veena.ogg
Jana Gana Mana instrumental.ogg
File:Shaikh Salim Chishti Ka Maqbara.jpg
Shaikh Salim Chishti Ka Maqbara.jpg
File:India 1835 2 Mohurs.jpg
India 1835 2 Mohurs.jpg
File:Mahatma Gandhi leaves Presidency Jail in Calcutta.jpg
Mahatma Gandhi leaves Presidency Jail in...
File:Palace of Assembly Chandigarh 2006.jpg
Palace of Assembly Chandigarh 2006.jpg
File:Indira Gandhi official portrait.png
Indira Gandhi official portrait.png
File:The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi addressing the inaugural function of the WCIT India 2018 at Hyderabad via video conferencing from Misuru, on February 19, 2018 (1).jpg
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi...
File:Constitution of India.jpg
Constitution of India.jpg
File:Rashtrapati Bhavan-Delhi-India4445.JPG
Rashtrapati Bhavan-Delhi-India4445.JPG
File:Jawaharlal Nehru, Nasser and Tito at the Conference of Non-Aligned Nations held in Belgrade.jpg
Jawaharlal Nehru, Nasser and Tito at the...

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