India

Facts and stuffOfficial name- Republic of IndiaCapital- New DelhiPopulation- 966,783,171Life expectancy- 62

Literacy rate-52%Official language- Hindi (23 other languages are spoken)Religion- 82% are HinduGovernment- federal republic

Physical geography

Himalayas are the northern border between India and ChinaWater surrounds much of India: India ocean, Bay of Bengal, Arabian seaHalf of the pop. Lives near the Ganges river. Other river include: Brahmaputra, Narmad, Godavari, Krishna

70% of India’s surface water may be pollutedIndustry is poorly regulated and pollution controls are not enforcedMost environmental damage has resulted from deforestation, overgrazing, and soil erosions

Economic geographyThree-fourths of the people are in agricultureMostly subsistence farmersCash crops-tea, cashews, tobacco, coffeeCattle, sacred in India, are used as work animals and as a source of dung and milk

Country livin’

Three- quarters of the people are poor farmers who live in rural villages Most of these people cannot read or writeRoads, electricity, telephones, and running water are rareFamilies tend to be large- children are needed to help on farms and Hindu and Muslim cultures value large families

More about the rural areas

More than 30% of India’s rural population are landless farmers. Those who own small plots are often forced into heavy debtRice is the major food, Indian diets include very little meatHouses are built of local materials including, mud, dried cattle-dung plaster, brick or bambooRural India is a male-dominated society

The Caste systemDivides India into four major social classes or, castes, according to occupationBrahmins(priest and intellectuals), Kshatriyas(warriors), Vasiyas (traders and merchants), and Sudras (farmers and laborers)Untouchables were below these four castesUnder the caste system, a person is born into a caste and cannot move into anotherSince independence, the government has worked hard to abolish the caste system. But the caste system remains a part of Hindu life

City lifeMost city people were European-style clothing, read English-language newspapers and work in modern office buildings

Women work with men in professional and factory jobs a small number are wealthy, a larger sector is middle class

Most of the urban population remains poor

More about city livin’

Many are homeless Others live in homes built of scraps of wood, cardboard, and clothThey do not have clean water, sewage systems, or garbage collectionMillions of people from rural areas move to urban areas to seek a better income and escape from the caste system

Bombay is India’s largest cityCalcutta is a giant industrial seaport city

Just a little bit O’ history

Europeans arrived in India during the 16th centuryIt became the “jewel in the crown” of the British Empire- trading products such as cotton, tea, indigo, coffee and juteIndia began to demand independence in the early 20th century

British soldiers guard against looters prior to independence

Mahatma Gandhi

He led the independence movement with a policy called “nonviolent noncooperation” His methods included boycotts, marches, and fastsBritain granted independence in 1947