India is located in south/southeast Asia. A majority of the country is made up of a peninsula that lays between the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. It is approximately 3.2 million square kilometers in size, roughly equating to 1.2 million square miles. The capital of India is New Delhi, which is also one of the largest cities in the world. Southern India allows for easy access into the Indian Ocean. Nearly 1300km East of the mainland, are the Andaman Islands. Northern India boarders the countries of Nepal, China, and Pakistan.
The country of India is quite diverse in its landscape. The northern region of the country is mountainous. Portions of the Himalayas run through the area. These mountains are surrounded by dense forest and barren land. The central part of the India is in some regards similar to the United States. It is made up of intense cropland and grasslands. The southern part of the country is similar to the central, a mix of cropland and woodlands. The further south in the country you go, the more wide-ranging crops you will find. Cattle, rice, and wheat are predominately grown here. The Andaman Islands can be considered tropical, as warm ocean water surrounds them.
The vast size and varying landscapes of India make the weather and climate conditions quite unique. India rarely experiences temperatures below 50 degress, except for the mountains in the north. The diversity of the Koppen Climate Systems makes it one of the most climatologically diverse countries in the world. The countries location on the equator, long with its mountains peaks in the north make it a hotbed for monsoon rainstorms in the summer months. Before monsoon season is the summer. This runs from the middle of March to the end of June the temperatures can become unbearable. Lows rarely dip below 85 degrees Fahrenheit in the southern region and can be as high as 120 degrees Fahrenheit. Trade winds that pass over the country creates the massive rainstorms that affect everything from agriculture to the economy.
India is the second-largest country on the planet and has nearly a fifth of the world’s total population. According to the National Geographic Family Atlas, the population was 1,149,285,000. The population density is quite high as 382 people per square kilometer. The life expectancy of a male is 68.4, and 71.2 for females. 28.6% of the population is under the age of 15, 63.6% is between the age of 15 and 64, and only 5.3% is over 65. The sex ratio is 1.079 males to female.
India has one of the widest ranges of languages spoken throughout the county. Just under half of the citizens speak Hindi. Anywhere from five to eight percent speak Bengali, Marathi, Telugu, or Tamil. Many people who live in India are bilingual and know some English. From a religious standpoint, India is extraordinarily diverse. It is the birthplace of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Most of the population is identified as Hindu, and a smaller portion practice Islam. Just under three percent are practicing Christianity, and even less identifies as Buddhists.
The people of India have a multitude of backgrounds in them. Many decedents have a Persian, Arab, Mongol, Turk, or Afghan mix. Europeans have vastly altered India culture, especially in the 1800 and 1900s, but had little impact on the ethnic composition. There are hundreds of smaller ethnic groups in India, most are separated by language family. The Dardic people are largely seen as Indo-Aryan. The Iranic people are largely descend from areas of the Middle East and typically reside in the northwest region of India, and largely practice Islam.
The Indian economy is one of the largest in the world. It is centered around industrial textiles, chemicals, food processing and steel. Agriculturally, rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, cattle, and fish bring in money for the rural communities outside of the city. The prospective of the economy is bright thanks to a young population that is becoming more and more educated, and less dependent on families. Agriculture is the biggest money-maker outside of the urban metropolises.
According to the Department of Commerce Export and Import Data Bank, India exports 330 billion dollars’ worth of goods to partners all across the world. Just over 34% of the exports go to the Arab League and the European Union. Most of the exports consist of agricultural products, fuels and mining materials, and manufactures. India imports more than half-a-trillion dollars’ worth of goods mostly coming in return from the Arab League, and China. Imports consist of varying agricultural and manufacturing supplies. The biggest import in India are fuel and mining products, these make up nearly 30% of all imports into the nation.
The Gross National Product of India is around 10.5 trillion dollars. This is about half of what the United States is. In USD currency, the GNP per capita is $2,388.12, up from $2,171.64 in 2019. The Gross Domestic Product of India is 2.719 trillion dollars, and per capita is $2,009.98.
Introduction to Geography: People, Places, and Environment - Edward F. Bergman, William H. Renwick
National Geographic Family Reference Atlas of the World: Third Edition
Fodor's Travel: Essentail India
Wikipedia
Submitted by Reggie Wortman on April 17.