India at a glance
India, that is Bharat, is a Union of States: a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic and the world's largest democracy, with 28 States and 8 Union Territories.
| Official name | India, that is Bharat (Article 1 of the Constitution) |
|---|---|
| Capital | New Delhi |
| Area | 32,87,263 sq km, the seventh-largest country in the world (official figure, including areas under the illegal occupation of Pakistan and China) |
| States and Union Territories | 28 States and 8 Union Territories |
| Population | 1,21,08,54,977 (Census 2011, the latest published census) |
| Next census | Census 2027, India's first digital census. Reference date: 1 March 2027 (1 October 2026 for Ladakh and the snow-bound areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) |
| Land frontier | 15,106.7 km, with Bangladesh, China, Pakistan, Nepal, Myanmar, Bhutan and Afghanistan |
| Coastline | 11,098.81 km (re-verified by the National Hydrographic Office and Survey of India; the older figure was 7,516.6 km) |
| Official languages of the Union | Hindi in Devanagari script; English is also used for official purposes. 22 languages are in the Eighth Schedule |
| Highest peak | K2 (Godwin-Austen), 8,611 m, in Ladakh (Gilgit-Baltistan, under Pakistan's illegal occupation). Kangchenjunga, 8,586 m, in Sikkim, is the highest peak in the area administered by India |
| Longest river | Ganga, about 2,525 km |
| Standard time | Indian Standard Time, UTC+05:30 (82.5° E meridian) |
| Currency | Indian Rupee (₹) |
| National days | Republic Day (26 January), Independence Day (15 August), Gandhi Jayanti (2 October) |
India is one of the world's oldest continuous civilisations and its most populous democracy. From the Himalaya to the Indian Ocean, it holds deserts, rainforests, plateaus, deltas and more than a thousand islands.
Every major world religion is practised in India. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism were born here. Hundreds of languages are spoken and every region has its own food, dress, music, dance and festivals. The Constitution asks every citizen to "value and preserve the rich heritage of our composite culture" (Article 51A(f)). That duty is the reason this section exists.