manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds,
petroleum, limestone, arable land
Land use: arable land: 54% permanent crops: 3% other: 43% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 590,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: droughts; flash floods, as well as widespread and
destructive flooding from monsoonal rains; severe thunderstorms;
earthquakes
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; overgrazing;
desertification; air pollution from industrial effluents and vehicle
emissions; water pollution from raw sewage and runoff of agricultural
pesticides; tap water is not potable throughout the country; huge and
growing population is overstraining natural resources
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of
the selected agreements
Geography - note: dominates South Asian subcontinent; near important
Indian Ocean trade routes
People India
Population: 1,045,845,226 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 32.7% (male 175,858,386; female 165,724,901) 15-64 years:
(male 24,975,465; female 24,265,514) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.51% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 23.79 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 8.62 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
1.03 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 61.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 63.93 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.98 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.7% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3.7 million (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 310,000 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Indian(s) adjective: Indian
Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%
(2000)
Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other
groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
Languages: English enjoys associate status but is the most important
language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindu
is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there
are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu,
Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi,
and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely
throughout northern India but is not an official language
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 52% male: 65.5% female: 37.7% (1995 est.)
Government India
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of India conventional
short form: India
Government type: federal republic
Capital: New Delhi
Administrative divisions: 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
Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 26 January (1950)
Constitution: 26 January 1950
Legal system: based on English common law; limited judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Abdul KALAM (since 26
July 2002); Vice President (vacant) elections: president elected by
an electoral college consisting of elected members of both houses of
Parliament and the legislatures of the states for a five-year term;
election last held NA July 2002 (next to be held NA July 2007); vice
president elected by both houses of Parliament for a five-year term;
election last held 16 August 1997 (next to be held NA August 2002);
prime minister elected by parliamentary members of the majority party
following legislative elections; election last held NA October 1999
(next to be held NA October 2004) head of government: Prime Minister
Atal Bihari VAJPAYEE (since 19 March 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers
appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister
election results: Kocheril Raman NARAYANAN elected president; percent
of electoral college vote - NA%; Krishnan KANT elected vice president;
percent of Parliament vote - NA%; Atal Bihari VAJPAYEE elected prime
minister; percent of vote - NA%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Sansad consists of the
Council of States or Rajya Sabha (a body consisting of not more than 250
members, up to 12 of which are appointed by the president, the remainder
are chosen by the elected members of the state and territorial assemblies;
members serve six-year terms) and the People's Assembly or Lok Sabha
(545 seats; 543 elected by popular vote, 2 appointed by the president;
members serve five-year terms) elections: People's Assembly - last held
5 September through 3 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election
results: People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - BJP alliance
40.8%, Congress (I) alliance 33.8%, other 25.4%; seats by party - BJP
alliance 304, Congress (I) alliance 134, other 107
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president
and remain in office until they reach the age of 65)
Political parties and leaders: All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam
or AIADMK [C. Jayalalitha JAYARAM]; All India Forward Bloc or AIFB,
[D. BISWAS (general secretary)]; Asom Gana Parishad [Brindaban GOSWAMI];
Bahujan Samaj Party or BSP [MAYAWATI]; Bharatiya Janata Party or BJP
[Jana KRISNAMURTHY]; Biju Janata Dal or BJD [Naveen PATNAIK]; Communist
Party of India or CPI [Ardhendu Bhushan BARDHAN]; Communist Party of
India/Marxist-Leninist or CPI/ML [Dipankar BHATTACHARYA]; Congress
(I) Party [Sonia GANDHI]; Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or DMK (a regional
party in Tamil Nadu) [M. KARUNANIDHI]; Indian National League [Suliaman
SAITH]; Janata Dal (Secular) [H. D. Deve GOWDA]; Janata Dal (United)
or JDU [Sharad YADAV]; Kerala Congress (Mani faction) [K. M. MANI];
Marumalarchi Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam or MDMK [VAIKO]; Muslim League
[G. M. BANATWALA]; Nationalist Congress Party or NCP [Sharad PAWAR];
Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD [Laloo Prasad YADAV]; Revolutionary Socialist
Party or RSP [Abani ROY]; Samajwadi Party or SP [Mulayam Singh YADAV];
Shiromani Akali Dal [G. S. TOHRA]; Shiv Sena [Bal THACKERAY]; Tamil
Maanila Congress [G. K. VASAN]; Telugu Desam Party or TDP [Chandrababu
NAIDU]; Trinamool Congress [Mamata BANERJEE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous religious or
militant/chauvinistic organizations, including Vishwa Hindu Parishad,
Bajrang Dal, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh; various separatist groups
seeking greater communal and/or regional autonomy, including the All
Parties Hurriyat Conference
International organization participation: AfDB, ARF (dialogue partner),
AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), BIS, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G- 6,
G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA
(observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA,
SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH,
UNMIK, UNMOVIC, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Lalit
MANSINGH consulate(s) general: Chicago,
[1] (202) 483-3972 telephone: DC 20008; note - Embassy located at 2536
Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Robert D. BLACKWILL (nominated March 2001)
Shantipath, Chanakyapuri, New Delhi 110021 mailing address: 419-0017
consulate(s) general: Chennai (Madras), Kolkata (Calcutta),
Mumbai (Bombay)
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white,
and green with a blue chakra (24-spoked wheel) centered in the white band;
similar to the flag of Niger, which has a small orange disk centered in
the white band
Economy India
Economy - overview: India's economy encompasses traditional village
farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern
industries, and a multitude of support services. About a quarter
of the population is too poor to be able to afford an adequate
diet. India's international payments position remained strong in 2001
with adequate foreign exchange reserves, and moderately depreciating
nominal exchange rates. Growth in manufacturing output has slowed,
and electricity shortages continue in many regions. India has large
numbers of well-educated people skilled in English language; India is
a major exporter of software services and software workers.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.5 trillion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,500 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 26% services:
49% (2001)
Population below poverty line: 25% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 33.5% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 37.8 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2000 est.)
Labor force: 406 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 60%, services 23%, industry 17%
(1999)
Unemployment rate: 4.4% (1999)
Budget: revenues: $48.3 billion expenditures: $78.2 billion, including
capital expenditures of $13.5 billion (FY01/02 est.)
Industries: textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation
equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software
Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 547.12 billion kWh (FY 2000-01, utilities only)
(2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 83.4% hydro: 13.85%
other: 0.18% (2000) nuclear: 2.57%
Electricity - consumption: 509.89 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 321 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 1.385 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea,
sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry; fish
Exports: $44.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering
goods, chemicals, leather manufactures
Exports - partners: US 22.8%, Hong Kong 5.8%, Japan 5.3%, UK 5.3%,
Germany 4.6% (2000)
Imports: $53.8 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals
Imports - partners: Benelux 8.5%, US 8%, UK 6.2%, Japan 5.7%, Saudi
Arabia 4.6% (2000)
Debt - external: $100.3 billion (end-March 2001)
Economic aid - recipient: $2.9 billion (FY98/99)
Currency: Indian rupee (INR)
Currency code: INR
Exchange rates: Indian rupees per US dollar - 48.336 (January 2002),
47.186 (2001), 44.942 (2000), 43.055 (1999), 41.259 (1998), 36.313 (1997)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications India
Telephones - main lines in use: 27.7 million (October 2000)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2.93 million (November 2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: mediocre service; local and long
distance service provided throughout all regions of the country, with
services primarily concentrated in the urban areas; major objective is
to continue to expand and modernize long-distance network to keep pace
with rapidly growing number of local subscriber lines; steady improvement
is taking place with the recent admission of private and private-public
investors, but, with telephone density at about two for each 100 persons
and a waiting list of over 2 million, demand for main line telephone
service will not be satisfied for a very long time domestic: local
service is provided by microwave radio relay and coaxial cable, with
open wire and obsolete electromechanical and manual switchboard systems
still in use in rural areas; starting in the 1980s, a substantial amount
of digital switch gear has been introduced for local and long-distance
service; long-distance traffic is carried mostly by coaxial cable and
low-capacity microwave radio relay; since 1985 significant trunk capacity
has been added in the form of fiber-optic cable and a domestic satellite
system with 254 earth stations; mobile cellular service is provided
in four metropolitan cities international: satellite earth stations -
8 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); nine
gateway exchanges operating from Mumbai (Bombay), New Delhi, Kolkata
(Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Jalandhar, Kanpur, Gaidhinagar, Hyderabad,
and Ernakulam; 4 submarine cables - LOCOM linking Chennai (Madras) to
Penang; Indo-UAE-Gulf cable linking Mumbai (Bombay) to Al Fujayrah, UAE;
India-SEA-ME-WE-3, SEA-ME-WE-2 with landing sites at Cochin and Mumbai
(Bombay); Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) with landing site at
Mumbai (Bombay) (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 153, FM 91, shortwave 68 (1998)
Radios: 116 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 562 (of which 82 stations have 1 kW or
greater power and 480 stations have less than 1 kW of power) (1997)
Televisions: 63 million (1997)
Internet country code: .in
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 43 (2000)
Internet users: 5 million (2001)
Transportation India
Railways: total: 63,693 km (13,771 km electrified) broad gauge: 45,103
km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 15,178 km 1.000-m gauge; 3,105 km 0.762-m
gauge; 307 km 0.610-m gauge (2001)
Highways: total: 3,319,644 km paved: 1,517,077 km unpaved: 1,802,567 km
(1996)
Waterways: 16,180 km note: 3,631 km navigable by large vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 3,005 km; petroleum products 2,687 km; natural
gas 1,700 km (1995)
Ports and harbors: Chennai (Madras), Cochin, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla,
Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), Vishakhapatnam
Merchant marine: total: 319 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,325,284
GRT/10,581,459 DWT ships by type: bulk 115, cargo 80, chemical tanker
16, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 3, container 13, liquefied
gas 9, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 74, short-sea passenger 2,
specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered
here as a flag of convenience: China 1, United Arab Emirates 10, United
Kingdom 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 335 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 234 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to
3,047 m: 48 914 to 1,523 m: 75 under 914 m: 17 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 80
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 101 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524
to 2,437 m: 7 under 914 m: 52 (2001) 914 to 1,523 m: 41
Heliports: 18 (2001)
Military India
Military branches: Army, Navy (including naval air arm), Air Force,
Strategic Nuclear Command (SNC), Coast Guard, various security or
paramilitary forces (including Border Security Force, Assam Rifles,
Rashtriya Rifles, National Security Guards, Indo-Tibetan Border Police,
Special Frontier Force, Ladakh Scouts, Central Reserve Police Force,
Central Industrial Security Force, Railway Protection Force, Defense
Security Corps, and Indian Reserve Battalions)
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 285,729,565
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49:
167,599,380 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 10,879,384
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12,079,700,000 (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY01)
Transnational Issues India
Disputes - international: discussions with Bangladesh remain stalled to
delimit a small section of river boundary, demarcate and fence off the
entire boundary, exchange 162 minuscule enclaves, and allocate divided
villages while skirmishes, illegal trafficking, and violence along the
border continue; Bangladesh has protested India's attempts to fence off
high traffic sections of the porous boundary; dispute with Bangladesh
over New Moore/South Talpatty Island in the Bay of Bengal; much of
the rugged, militarized boundary with China is in dispute but talks to
resolve the least contested middle sector resumed in 2001; with Pakistan,
armed stand-off over the status and sovereignty of Kashmir continues;
dispute with Pakistan over terminus of Rann of Kutch prevents extension
of a maritime boundary; water-sharing problems with Pakistan persist
over the Indus River (Wular Barrage); Joint Border Committee formed with
Nepal in 2001 is intended to resolve 53 disputed sections of boundary
covering an area of 720 sq km
Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of licit opium for the
pharmaceutical trade, but an undetermined quantity of opium is diverted
to illicit international drug markets; transit country for illicit
narcotics produced in neighboring countries; illicit producer of hashish
and methaqualone
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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British Indian Ocean Territory
Introduction
British Indian Ocean Territory
Background: Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of
the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to
the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT
has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos
Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia,
contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining
islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents
in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the
Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling
invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from
the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Geography British Indian Ocean Territory
Location: Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half
the way from Africa to Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 71 30 E
Map references: Political Map of the World
Area: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago water: Area - comparative:
about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 698 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point:
unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Natural resources: coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Land use: arable land: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest
and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian
Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
People British Indian Ocean Territory
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former
agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred
to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles
around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001,
there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000
civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)
Population growth rate: NA%
Government British Indian Ocean Territory
Country name: conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory
conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; administered by a
commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Legal system: the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6
February 1952) head of government: Commissioner John WHITE (since NA);
Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator
appointed by the monarch cabinet: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag
of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears
a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
Economy British Indian Ocean Territory
Economy - overview: All economic activity is concentrated on the
largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are
located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the
military installations are done by military and contract employees from
the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial
or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they
plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - production: NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the
US military
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Communications British Indian Ocean Territory
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: separate facilities for military
and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services
are available, including connection to the Internet international:
international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet country code: .io
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Transportation British Indian Ocean Territory
Highways: total: NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km
between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Diego Garcia
Airports: 1 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2001)
Military British Indian Ocean Territory
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease
on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Transnational Issues British Indian Ocean Territory
Disputes - international: Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos
Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius,
but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation
since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military
lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Clipperton Island
Introduction
Clipperton Island
Background: This isolated island was named for John CLIPPERTON, a pirate
who made it his hideout early in the 18th century. Annexed by France in
1855, it was seized by Mexico in 1897. Arbitration eventually awarded
the island to France, which took possession in 1935.
Geography Clipperton Island