Map: India

Population: 966,783,171 (July 1997 est.)  

National capital: New Delhi

Exchange rates: US$1 - 42.3620 Indian rupees (October, 1998)  

Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan

Area - comparative: slightly more than one-third the size of the US  

Area:
total: 3,287,590 sq km
land: 2,973,190 sq km
water: 314,400 sq km
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kanchenjunga 8,598 m

Coastline: 7,000 km

Terrain: upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north

Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north

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 rapidly growing population is overstraining natural resources

Geography: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer    

Ethnic groups: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3%  

Religions: Hindu 80%, Muslim 14%, Christian 2.4%, Sikh 2%, Buddhist 0.7%, Jains 0.5%, other 0.4%