|RNature and climate:|N There are three topographical regions.
In the north the Himalaya Mountains with a highest peak in India, Nanga Parbat reaching 8126 m.a.s.l.
The Deccan peninsula is a highland plateau surrounded by the Ghats Mountains in west and east.
Between these is the wide and fertile Ganges plains, which is also one of the world's most densely populated areas.
On the border to Pakistan is the Rajasthan Desert and in the east the Assam Hills.
More than 50% of the country is cultivated and close to 25% of the land is forested. There are vast rainforests in the eastern parts and vast monsoon forests south of the Himalaya and in the western Ghats Mountains. india is known for the many different aromatic plants that grow wild.
Vast forested areas have been devastated, soil erosion is a critical problem.
India used to have a very rich fauna, but many species are totally dead or threatened like the tigers, lions, rhinoceros and antelopes.
The climate varies with monsoon and topography. The northeast monsoon in November to February gives a dry and in the northern parts cool climate. The southwest monsoon in June to September gives much rain except in the highland plateau. The south and west sides of the mountains usually have a percipitation about 2500 mm, on the Deccan plateau percipitation is below 1000 mm.
The southern part of India have an average temperature between 26 and 30°C throughout the year. North of this area average temperature in January is 15°C and in May between 30 and 35°C. With much lower temperatures in the Himalaya Mountains.
|REconomy:|N 70% of the labour force is occupied in agriculture and 19% in industry and commerce.
Though more than 50% of the land is cultivated and though stockraising is extensive, and agriculture is the main industry India regularly have to import food to the rapidly increasing population. Most important crops are rice, wheat, pulses, cotton, coffee, sugarcanes, spices, tea, juta and cashews. The agricultural production is steadily increasing but mechanization is not favoured of employment reasons.
Forestry is extensive but most of the wood is used for heating, and many forests are devastaded with severe environmental impact.
India is one of the world's largest fishing nations, but fishing have a relatively small importance for economy. The fishing waters have more to give and the government supports the development of the sector.
India have rich mineral resources such as coal - world's 4th largest reserves, iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, gems, titan, copper, lead, zinc, limestone, chromium, uranium, oil and natural gas.
Indian industrial production is developed in many fields and produces "everything" from food via simple household goods and textiles to machinery, cars, ships and advanced electronics and medicine. The total production is one of the largest in the world but GDP per person is among the lowest in the world.
|RHistory:|N The first agricultural communities appear in the Indus River valley about 3000 BC. About 2500 the cities of Harappa, Mohenjo-Daro and Rangpur were founded and in the following millenium developed a high civilization with a script language and huge town constructions with walls, channels, palaces, baths and temples.
About 1500 BC Indo-European, Aryans, invaded from Central Asia. the period between 1500 BC and 1000 BC is called the Veda era, after Veda a collection of religious songs and prayers written in sanskrit in this time. The time between 1000 BC and 500 BC is called the epic time, since the two most important Indian epics, Mahabharata and Ramayana, were written during this time.
In the Aryan time the caste society developed. The people was divided in five castes, Brahmins - priests, Ksatrias - warriors and administrators, Vaisas - merchants, Sudras - farmers and servants, and lowest on the scale, Parias - the untouchables.
In the 6th century BC two new religions merged out of Hinduism: Jainism and Buddhism. jainism spread all over India while Buddhism had great impact on the rest of Asia.
Around 500 BC India was divided in a number of small states and by the end of the 5th century BC the Persians conquered most of the Indus River valley. Alexander the Great tried to conquer India, but failed and in 326 BC the Mauyryan empire was founded in the northwestern part. This realm was expanded and in 232 BC it comprised the whole Indian subcontinent except the southern tip as well as todays Afghanistan. When the Mauyryan empire collapsed in 184 BC Hinduism evolved out of Buddhism, Brahminims, Jainism and other local cults, and became the dominant religion in India. And India was divided in a number of small countries unable to defend themselves from foreign influence.
320 AD the Gupta dynasty was founded in the Ganges River Valley and about 400 AD it comprised the whole northern part of India and the time up to 500 AD is known as the Indian Golden Age. When the Gupta empire was dissolved the north Indian countries were united by the Buddhist Harsha But about 600, but in 1000 the northern parts of India was conquered by Arabs that introduced Islam. 1200 Dehli was made capital by a dynasty founded by a Turkish ex-slave. This sultanate was weakened by attacked of Genghis Khan and by Timur Leng in the 13th and 14th centuries and in 1526 it was conquered by Babur, a descendant of Timur Leng, who established the Moghul empire. This empire flourished, was expanded and new styles in architecture, painting and music was born.
In the 17th century the Moghul empire was threatened by the Hindu Marathas kingdom that spread from the southern tip of the Indian peninsula. And by the end of the 18th century most of the small kingdoms of the Moghul empire had become parts of the Maratha federation.
In 1498 the Portuguese Vasco da Gama found the around South Africa to India and the race for influence over India started between the European nations. Portugal founded several trade stations in the early 16th century and was soon followed by the British. The French started colonizing southern India in the 1660:s and soon gained control over most of the peninsula. In the 18th century the British influence increased and in 1763 the French had lost most of its conquests. The British East India Company brutally exploited the Indian people and in 1773 the British parliament took control and a governor was appointed. The British expansion in India continued and in 1818 the whole Indian peninsula was in British hands. In the 1850:s Punjab, Sind, Oudh and Burma was conquered. At the same time the discontent with British rule showed up and in 1857 a mutiny started among Indians in the British troops, the Sepoy-uprising, that lasted 14 months.
The British East India Company in 1858 was forced to hand over power to the British crown and India became a crown colony ruled by a viceroy and in 1877 Queen Victoria was crowned Indian Empress.
The Indian opposition in 1885 founded the National Congress and in 1906 this congress raised the first claims of independence, and in 1905 the Indians were able to elect advisors to the viceroy's legislative council. After World War I the Indians gained more influence in provincial assemblies but the fight for independence continued led by the Hindus Mohandaz Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru and the Muslim Mohammed Ali Jinnah.
Gandhi introduced a peaceful way of civilian obedience in the struggle that first resulted in free elections for provincial assemblies in 1937, and an independent dominion within the Commonwealth in 1947. india was proclaimed an independent republic in 1950.
By independence the British crown colony was divided in the two countries India predominantly Hindu and Pakistan predominantly Muslim. At least 12 million people moved between the two new nations in the first years and clashes were regular.
Since independence hundreds of autonomous princely countries on the continent has been brought under central control. in 1952 to 1954 France handed over all its colonies on the subcontinent to India, and in 1962 Portugal handed over the trade port Goa. And finally in 1974 India annexed the former British protectorate, the monarchy Sikkim.
Border disputes has been common.
In the 1960:s India was at war with China about the borders in Kashmir and Assam.
The clashes between India and Pakistan have been regular. In many parts of India separatists demand independence for their regions. Most known are the Sikhs in Punjab.
In Pakistan the first general elections after independence were held in 1971. Sheik Majibur Rahman and his Awami League in Eastpakistan (Bangladesh) won the majority 169 of 300 seats in the parliament. Fearing that Rahman would demand independence for Bangladesh, the president delayed with calling the elected parliament. Rahman was arrested and the Eastpakistan terrorized. Consequently the nation of Bangladesh was proclaimed at March 26th 1971.
The Pakistan army tried to intervene and thus started a bloody civil war. 10 million Bengalis fled to India.
Finally India intervened militarily, both against Westpakistan and Eastpakistan and in three weeks the violation was over and the independent nation of Bangladesh secured.
Between 1987 and 1989 Indian troops intervened in the civil war at Sri Lanka.
In 1984 more than 2500 people were killed in Bhopal when Isocyanate gas leaked from a Union Carbid plant.
The first prime minister of the independent India gave India a leading political role in the movement of nonaligned nations and followed a policy of neutrality in international affairs. This policy was continued by following prime ministers but in 1971 India signed a friendship treaty with the Sovjet Union.
