India’s History, Government, and Civilization
India is geographically located in South Asia, between Burma and Pakistan. It is comprised of 28 states and 7 union territories. It has two archipelagos – the Adaman and Nicobar Islands and the Lakshadweep.
The world’s tallest mountains, the snow-capped Himalayas, lie along its north and northeast borders while the Great Indian Desert rests quietly in its west. The Ganges and the Brahmaputra rivers substantially flow from the Himalayas into the Indian terrain.
India is the fourth largest country in terms of purchasing power and the twelfth largest economy in the world. It is also the world’s second most populated country next to China and the most populated democracy in the world. Its population is estimated to be 1.13 billion. About 70% of the Indians live in rural areas although some have decided to migrate to larger cities, leading to the increase of its urban population.
India’s form of government is quasi-modal and a bicameral parliament whose system is Westminster-style. It consists of three branches: the executive, legislative and judiciary. The executive branch is composed of the President, Vice-President and the council of ministers which is headed by the Prime Minister. The legislative branch, of which the executive is subordinate to, is the bi-cameral Parliament which consists of the upper and lower house. The judiciary branch has three tiers and consists of the Supreme Court, twenty one High Courts and a number of trial courts.
Hindu is India’s official language as it has the largest number of speakers. English is the country’s “subsidiary official language” because it is used extensively in business and administration. There are 21 other languages recognized by the state but there are 1,652 dialects all over India—giving the country a rich and dynamic culture.
Four major religions of the world originated here: Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, and Sikhism. Hinduism is practiced by 80% of the country’s population.
India’s climate is predominated by four groupings: tropical wet, tropical dry, subtropical humid and montane. It is influenced mainly by the Himalayas and the Thar Desert, which both drive the monsoons.
The culture of India is rich mainly due to its preservation of established heritage and ancient traditions while at the same time absorbing new ideas and customs from invaders, immigrants and some of its neighbors.
One area of their culture is the Indian architecture, prevalent in several monuments including the famous Taj Mahal. These monuments are composed of varied local and ancient traditions.
The Indian film industry is the largest and the most prolific in the world. It’s called “Bollywood.” The industry is based in Mumbai and makes Hindi commercial films. There is also the Indian Theater which often incorporates dance, music and improvised dialogue. The movies and shows are often based on Hindu mythology and medieval romances.
Indian literature dominates a huge part of the Indian culture. It is considered to be one of the oldest in the world and a huge variety of it has been produced in all of the country’s languages over the years.