For historical and other uses of India, see India (disambiguation).

India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. India has a coastline of over seven thousand kilometres, and borders PakistanThe Government of India considers the entire state of Jammu and Kashmir to be a part of India including the portion bordering Afghanistan. A ceasefire sponsored by the United Nations in 1948 freezes the positions of Indian and Pakistani held territory. As a consequence, the region bordering Afghanistan is in Pakistani-administered territory. to the west, Nepal, the People's Republic of China and Bhutan to the north-east, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, it is adjacent to the island nations of Sri Lanka, Maldives and Indonesia.

Home to the Indus Valley Civilization, a centre of important trade routes and vast empires, India has long played a major role in human history. Hinduism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Jainism all have their origins in India, while Islam and Christianity enjoy a strong cultural heritage. Colonised as part of the British Empire in the nineteenth century, India gained independence in 1947 as a unified nation after an intense struggle for independence. The country's population, wildlife, geographical terrain and climate system are among the most diverse in the world.

Etymology

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The name India // is derived from Indus, which is derived from the Old Persian word Hindu, from Sanskrit Sindhu, the historic local appellation for the Indus River. The Constitution of India and common usage also recognise Bharat (), as an official name of equal status. A third name, Hindustan () (Persian: Land of the Hindus < Old Persian Hindu, India / land of the Indus < Sanskrit Sindhu, any river/the Indus) has been used since the twelfth century, though its contemporary use is unevenly applied.

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@kiki4888 wow cool! im from Bangalore, India
kalpa_92 (kalpa rengarajan) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:07:59 -0000
@kiki4888 wow cool! im from Bangalore, India
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kbairokeeffe (K Bair O'Keeffe) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:07:58 -0000
Adventurous writers, apply here. Amazing opp to live & write in Shanghai (or India). Hurry! http://tinyurl.com/yc8kzrk #writers #travel
Cosmetic surgery India - affordable treatment - http://cosmeticsurgery.typepad.com/blog/
niti99 (nitin) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:07:58 -0000
Cosmetic surgery India - affordable treatment - http://cosmeticsurgery.typepad.com/blog/
MindTree won a BI/DW project with the largest BPO Company in India
MindTreeCMO (Joseph King) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:07:54 -0000
MindTree won a BI/DW project with the largest BPO Company in India
RT: @changemakers:Win a trip to the Maternal Health Change Summit in India and shadow a veteran Ashoka fellow for 9 months http://om.ly/dbLp
elenicett_cm (Elenice Tamashiro) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:07:47 -0000
RT: @changemakers:Win a trip to the Maternal Health Change Summit in India and shadow a veteran Ashoka fellow for 9 months http://om.ly/dbLp
Follow @m_report on Twitter for trip updates from Southern Baptists ministering in India (via @IMBconnecting)
wmbrown (William Brown) Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:07:36 -0000
Follow @m_report on Twitter for trip updates from Southern Baptists ministering in India (via @IMBconnecting)

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