INDIA A Profile

General  Area: 1,229,737 sq. miles  Monetary Unit: Rupee  Economy: Agriculture & Industry  Political System: Parliamentary Democracy  Administration: Federal, State (27) & Local Govts.

INDIA  Climate: Tropical Monsoon North West & South East Monsoon winds. Rains from June to September.  Terrain: Plains: – The Indo-Gangetic Plains – The Himalayas – The Deccan Plateau

Demographics  Population: 1.1 Billion  Birth Rate: 24.8/1000  Annual Increase: 1.6%  Density per sq. mil: 825  Literacy Rate: 52%

Population Composition  Religion: – Hindu: 82.6% – Islam 11.3% – Christian: 2.4 % – Sikh: 2% – Others (Buddhists, Jains, Zoroastrians): 1.19%  Race: – Indo-Aryan: 72% – Dravidian: 25% – Mongoloid & others: 3%

Agriculture  1970’s Green Revolution  Irrigation  Fertilizers  Fisheries  Food Processing  Oilseeds Production  Drinking Water

Agriculture Today  Agriculture: % of GDP  Low growth rate  230 million tons of food grains  4 % of World Coffee, but no brand names

Culture  History: Ancient Indus Valley Civilization  Hindu and Muslim Synthesis  Traditional Society  Literature, Architecture, Social Structure, Beliefs, Etiquettes

Literature  Ancient Vedas  Sanskrit Literature (Religious)  Epics: Ramayana, Mahabharata  Modern Languages (12 th Century)  Indian Writing in English

Architecture  Temples (Stone Carvings)  Buildings (Persian & Turkish Influence)  Colonial Structures

Social Structure  Joint Family System  Tight Family Structure  Caste System  Women’s Problems

Beliefs  Hindu Belief System: – Circular motion of time – Tolerance – Polytheism – Karma Theory

Etiquettes  Respect to elders, parents, teachers (Guru)  Vegetarianism  Greetings, gestures etc.

Questions?