India (Hindi: भारत Bhārat; see also other languages), officially the Republic of India (Hindi: भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya), 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.[13] Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the west, and the Bay of Bengal on the east, India has a coastline of 7,517 kilometers (4,671 mi). It borders Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Bangladesh and Burma to the east. India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and Indonesia in the Indian Ocean.
Home to the Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history.[16] Four major world religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism originated here, while Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE and shaped the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became a modern nation state in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.
India is the world's twelfth largest economy at market exchange rates and the fourth largest in purchasing power. Economic reforms have transformed it into the second fastest growing large economy; however, it still suffers from high levels of poverty,[18] illiteracy, and malnutrition. A pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society, India is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.
印度共和国（印地语：भारत गणराज्य,罗马转写Bhārata Gaṇarājya,英文：Republic of India）位於亚洲南部的印度次大陆,与孟加拉国、缅甸、中华人民共和国、不丹、尼泊尔和巴基斯坦等国家接壤,与斯里兰卡和马尔代夫等国隔海相望.印度和中华人民共和国、巴基斯坦有领土争端,印度宣称藏南地区是印度领土,并实际控制该地区,即阿鲁纳恰尔邦；按印度官方的观点,阿富汗也是它的一个邻国,因为现在被巴基斯坦控制的、与阿富汗相连的克什米尔北部地区也被印度政府认为是印度的领土；另外,印度宣称中国控制的阿克塞钦地区为其领土.印度是南亚地区最大的国家,面积为3,287,590平方公里[1] ,实际控制面积为3,166,414平方公里,居世界第七位.
印度是世界上人口第二多的国家,拥有人口11.03亿（2005年）,仅次于中国.印度民族和种族众多,号称“民族博物馆”,其中印度斯坦族占印度总人口的大约一半,是印度最大的民族.印度各个民族都拥有各自的语言,仅宪法承认的官方语言就有22种之多,其中印地语被定为国语,英语在印度非常流行,特别是在南印,地位甚至高于印地语.另外,印度也是一个多宗教的国家,世界上几乎所有宗教都能在印度找到信众,但大部分印度人信仰印度教,伊斯兰教在印度也有大量信徒,近年来,印度的穆斯林人口排名上升至世界第三,前两名分别为印尼与巴基斯坦.
印度是一个著名的文明古国,古印度人创造了光辉灿烂的古代文明,印度也是世界三大宗教之一——佛教的发源地.但是,近代印度陷于长期分裂和经济落后状态,被西方列强入侵,1856年,除少部分领土外,全境为英国殖民地,1947年获得独立,但分裂为印度和巴基斯坦两个国家.
印度实行议会民主制,按西方国家的观点,印度是世界上最大的民主国家.
印度经济近年来发展迅速,但依然相对较为落后,按国民生产总值计算,印度是世界第12大经济体,尚落后于人口远少于自己的韩国,不过如果按购买力平价来计算,印度是全球第四大经济体.由于人口众多,按人均国民生产总值来计算,印度经济依然处于相当落后的水平.
