Natural Resources: coal (fourth largest reserves in the world), iron ore, manganese, mica, bauxite, titanium ore, chromite, natural gas, diamonds, petroleum, limestone, arable land.

Land Use: arable land: 48.83 percent

Irrigated Land: 60.2 million hectares (2005-06)

Political Profile

Political System and Government:

The 1950 Constitution provides for a parliamentary system of Government with a bicameral parliament and three independent branches: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary. The country has a federal structure with elected governments in States.

Administrative Divisions: 28 States and 7 Union Territories

Constitution: The Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950

Executive Branch: The President of India is the Head of State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of the government and runs office with the support of the Council of Ministers who form the Cabinet.

Legislative Branch: The Federal Legislature comprises of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) forming both the Houses of the Parliament.

Judicial Branch: The Supreme Court of India is the apex body of the Indian legal system, followed by other High Courts and subordinate Courts.

Chief of State: President Mrs Pratibha Patil (since 25 July 2007)

Head of Government: Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh (since 22 May 2009)

Demographic profile

Population: 1,166,079,217 (July 2009 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 1.548 per cent (2009 est.)

Ethnic Groups: Indo-Aryan 72 per cent, Dravidian 25 per cent, Mongoloid and other 3 per cent (2000)

Religions: Hindu 80.5 per cent, Muslim 13.4 per cent, Christian 2.3 per cent, Sikh 1.9 per cent, other 1.8 per cent, unspecified 0.1 per cent (2001 census)

Languages: Apart from Hindi, which is the Official Union Language and mother tongue of 30 per cent of the people, there are 21 other official languages. English is the preferred language for national, political, and commercial communication.

Literacy: Total population: 64.8 per cent (2001 census)

Male: 75.3 per cent

Female: 53.7 per cent

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Economic Profile

Indian Economy

Per capita GDP growth, a proxy for per capita income, which broadly reflects the improvement in the income of the average person, grew by an estimated 4.6 per cent in 2008-09. The structure of the Indian economy has undergone considerable change in the last decade. These include increasing importance of external trade and of external capital flows. The services sector has become a major part of the economy with GDP share of over 60 per cent and the country becoming an important hub for exporting IT services. The growth rate in second quarter (Q2) of 2009-10 stood at 7.9 per cent over the corresponding quarter of previous year.

According to the Central statistical Organisation (CSO), following are the key indicators:

Quarterly GDP at Factor Cost (constant prices-1999-2000) for Q2 of 2009-10: Rs. 8,34,780 crore

GDP at Factor Cost (current prices) for Q2 of 2009-10: Rs. 12,79,500 crore

Per Capita Income (constant prices) in 2008-09: US$ 653.13

GDP Composition by Sector:

Services: 62.6 per cent

Industry: 20 per cent

Agriculture: 17.5 per cent (2009 est.)

Forex Reserves: US$ 285.1 billion (in the week ended January 15, 2010)

Labour Force: 523.5 million (2008 est.)

Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF): 33.2 per cent of GDP (April-September, 2009-10)

Cumulative Growth Rate of Industrial Production: 7.6 per cent (for the period April-November 2009-10 over corresponding period of the pervious year)

Cumulative Value of Exports: US$ 104,247 million (April- November, 2009)

Exports Commodities: mineral fuels, petroleum products, gems and jewellery, iron and steel, organic chemicals, nuclear reactors, heavy machinery.

Export Partners: US 12 per cent, UAE 10.8 per cent, China 5.1 per cent, Singapore 4.8 per cent, Hong Kong 3.7 per cent, UK 3.6 per cent (April’08-February’09)

Currency (code): Indian rupee (INR)

Exchange Rates: Indian rupees per US dollar - 1 USD = 46.18 INR (January 25, 2010)

Fiscal Year: 1 April - 31 March

Cumulative FDI Inflows: US$ 19.38 billion (April-November 2009)

Top Investing Countries: Mauritius, USA, Singapore, Cyprus, Japan (during April 2009 to October 2009)

Major Sectors Attracting Highest FDI Equity Inflows: Services Sector, Telecommunications, Housing and Real Estate, Agriculture Services, and Power (during April 2009 to October 2009)

Transportation in India

Airports: 125

International Airports: Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Goa, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvananthapuram

Railways: total: 63,327 route km (31st March, 2007)

Roadways: total: 3,316,452 km

Waterways: 14,500 km (2008)

Major Ports of Entry: Chennai, Ennore, Haldia, Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT), Kolkata, Kandla, Kochi, Mormugao, Mumbai, New Mangalore, Paradip, Tuticorin and Vishakhapatnam.