28 states and 7 union territories*; Andaman and Nicobar Islands*, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh*, Chhattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli*, Daman and Diu*, Delhi*, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep*, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry*, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Population:
1,029,991,145 (July 2001 est.)
Currency:
Indian rupee (INR)
Languages:
English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication, Hindi the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people, Bengali (official), Telugu (official), Marathi (official), Tamil (official), Urdu (official), Gujarati (official), Malayalam (official), Kannada (official), Oriya (official), Punjabi (official), Assamese (official), Kashmiri (official), Sindhi (official), Sanskrit (official), Hindustani (a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India)br>i>note
Elevation:
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Natural hazards:
droughts, flash floods, severe thunderstorms common; earthquakes
Climate:
varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services. More than a third of the population is too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet. India's international payments position remained strong in 2000 with adequate foreign exchange reserves, moderately depreciating nominal exchange rates, and booming exports of software services. Growth in manufacturing output slowed, and electricity shortages continue in many regions.
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Yellow fever:
Anyone (except infants up to the age of 6 months) arriving by air or sea without a certificate is detained in isolation for up to 6 days if that person (i) arrives within 6 days of departure from an infected area, or (ii) has been in such an area in transit (excepting those passengers and members of the crew who, while in transit through an airport situated in an infected area, remained within the airport premises during the period of their entire stay and the Health Officer agrees to such exemption), or (iii) has come on a ship that started from or touched at any port in a yellow fever infected area up to 30 days before its arrival in India, unless such a ship has been disinsected in accordance with the procedure laid down by WHO, or (iv) has come by an aircraft which has been in an infected area and has not been disinsected in accordance with the provisions laid down in the Indian Aircraft Public Health Rules, 1954, or those recommended by WHO.
