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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"> <html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" lang="en"> <head><script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/bundle-playback.js?v=HxkREWBo" charset="utf-8"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/wombat.js?v=txqj7nKC" charset="utf-8"></script> <script>window.RufflePlayer=window.RufflePlayer||{};window.RufflePlayer.config={"autoplay":"on","unmuteOverlay":"hidden"};</script> <script type="text/javascript" src="/_static/js/ruffle/ruffle.js"></script> <script type="text/javascript"> __wm.init("https://web.archive.org/web"); __wm.wombat("http://india.gov.in:80/knowindia/profile.php","20090726163757","https://web.archive.org/","web","/_static/", "1248626277"); </script> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/banner-styles.css?v=S1zqJCYt" /> <link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="/_static/css/iconochive.css?v=3PDvdIFv" />  <title>Profile - Know India: National Portal of India</title> <meta name="Description" content="INDIA is one of the oldest civilisations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage. It has achieved multifaceted socio-economic progress during the last 59 years of its Independence."/> <meta name="Keywords" content="India, Indian, Government, National, Portal, NPI, Profile, National Symbols, Culture & Heritage, States, UTs, Districts of India, Photo Gallery, Kids Corner, Profile"/> <meta name="Keyphrases" content="National Portal of India, Indian government, Government of India, Culture & Heritage, States, UTs, Districts of India, Photo Gallery, Kids Corner, Profile"/> <meta http-equiv="Cache-Control" content="Private"/> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/favicon.ico"/> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757cs_/http://india.gov.in/css/level2.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="screen"/> <link href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757cs_/http://india.gov.in/css/print.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" media="print"/> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script> <script language="JavaScript" type="text/javascript">  </script> </head> <body onload="init()"> <div id="header"> <div class="banner-bkgd"> <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/default.php"> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/header.jpg" alt="india.gov.in" width="714" height="37" class="imageleft"/></a> <img src="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/GOI.jpg" alt="Government of India" width="57" height="37" class="imageright"/> </div> <div class="skiplink"> <ul> <li class="first"><a href="#maincontent">Skip to main content</a></li> <li><a href="#navigation">Skip to navigation</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/accessibilityoptions.php">Accessibility Options</a></li> </ul> </div> <div class="clr"></div> </div> <div id="columnColours"> <div id="mainContentWrapper"> <div id="middleLeftColumnContainer"> <div id="middleLeftWrapper"> <div id="middleColumnWrapper"> <div class="module-banner-knowindia"> <a href="/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/knowindia.php" title="Know India"><img src="/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/banner/knowindia/indiaprofile.jpg" alt="Know India" width="768" height="60" class="imageleft"/></a></div> <div class="breadcrumb">You are here: <ol> <li><a href="/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/default.php">Home</a></li> <li><a href="/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/knowindia.php">Know India</a></li> <li><strong>Profile</strong></li> </ol> </div> <div class="middleColumn"> <div><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://bharat.gov.in/knowindia/profile.php" target="_blank" title="This page in Hindi (External website that opens in a new window)"><img src="/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/hindi_logo.jpg" alt="This page in Hindi (External website that opens in a new window)" height="18" width="45" class="imageright"/></a></div> <a id="maincontent" name="maincontent"></a> <h1 class="blue-header">Profile</h1> <div class="image-content"> <img src="/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/banner/knowindia/profile_icon.jpg" width="95" height="75" alt=""/> </div> <div class="text-content"> <p>INDIA is one of the oldest civilisations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage. It has achieved multifaceted socio-economic progress during the last 59 years of its Independence. India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production, and is now the tenth industrialised country in the world and the sixth nation to have gone into outer space to conquer nature for the benefit of the people. It covers an area of 32,87,263 sq. km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south. As the seventh largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.</p> <p>Lying entirely in the northern hemisphere, the mainland extends between latitudes 8° 4' and 37° 6' north, longitudes 68° 7' and 97° 25' east, and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes. It has a land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.</p> </div> <div class="clr"></div> <div class="ListWrapper"> <h2 class="hidethis">Profile Related Information</h2> <noscript> <div class="ListWrapperContainer"> <ul> <li><a href="india_at_a_glance.php">India at a glance</a></li> <li>Physical Background <ul> <li><a href="physical_features.php">Physical Features</a></li> <li><a href="geological_structure.php">Geological Structure</a></li> <li><a href="rivers.php">Rivers</a></li> <li><a href="climate.php">Climate</a></li> <li><a href="flora.php">Flora</a></li> <li><a href="fauna.php">Fauna</a></li> </ul></li> <li>Demographic Background <ul> <li><a href="census.php">Census</a></li> <li><a href="population.php">Population</a></li> <li><a href="population_density.php">Population Density</a></li> <li><a href="sex_ratio.php">Sex Ratio</a></li> <li><a href="literacy.php">Literacy</a></li> </ul></li> <li>The Polity <ul> <li><a href="union_territory.php">The Union and its Territory</a></li> <li><a href="citizenship.php">Citizenship</a></li> <li><a href="fundamental_rights.php">Fundamental Rights</a></li> <li><a href="fundamental_duties.php">Fundamental Duties</a></li> <li><a href="directive_principle_state_policy.php">Directive Principles of State Policy</a></li> <li><a href="the_union.php">The Union</a></li> <li><a href="the_states.php">The States</a></li> <li><a href="union_territories.php">Union Territories</a></li> <li><a href="local_govt.php">Local Government</a></li> </ul></li> </ul> </div> </noscript> <div class="ListWrapperContainer"> <div class="TwoColumnList2"> <ul id="health-related-links" class="hidethis"> <li><a href="india_at_a_glance.php">India at a glance</a></li> <li class="nodes"><a href="javascript:shw('physical-background');"><img src="/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/expand.gif" alt="Expand" title="Expand"/> Physical Background</a> <ul id="physical-background"> <li><a href="physical_features.php">Physical Features</a></li> <li><a href="geological_structure.php">Geological Structure</a></li> <li><a href="rivers.php">Rivers</a></li> <li><a href="climate.php">Climate</a></li> <li><a href="flora.php">Flora</a></li> <li><a href="fauna.php">Fauna</a></li> </ul></li> </ul> </div> <div class="TwoColumnList2"> <ul id="health-related-links1" class="hidethis"> <li class="nodes"><a href="javascript:shw('demographic-background');"><img src="/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/expand.gif" alt="Expand" title="Expand"/> Demographic Background</a> <ul id="demographic-background"> <li><a href="census.php">Census</a></li> <li><a href="population.php">Population</a></li> <li><a href="population_density.php">Population Density</a></li> <li><a href="sex_ratio.php">Sex Ratio</a></li> <li><a href="literacy.php">Literacy</a></li> </ul></li> <li class="nodes"><a href="javascript:shw('polity');"><img src="/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/expand.gif" alt="Expand" title="Expand"/> The Polity</a> <ul id="polity"> <li><a href="union_territory.php">The Union and its Territory</a></li> <li><a href="citizenship.php">Citizenship</a></li> <li><a href="fundamental_rights.php">Fundamental Rights</a></li> <li><a href="fundamental_duties.php">Fundamental Duties</a></li> <li><a href="directive_principle_state_policy.php">Directive Principles of State Policy</a></li> <li><a href="the_union.php">The Union</a></li> <li><a href="the_states.php">The States</a></li> <li><a href="union_territories.php">Union Territories</a></li> <li><a href="local_govt.php">Local Government</a></li> </ul></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> <br/> <div class="ImageWrapper"> </div><div class="clr"></div> <p class="source"><span class="red">Source: </span>National Portal Content Management Team Reviewed on: 22-02-2008 <img src="/web/20090726163757im_/http://india.gov.in/images/sourceiconw.gif" alt="" width="23" height="17"/></p> <div class="blue-module-links"> <div class="title"> <b>Know India</b>: </div> <div class="text-content"> <ul> <li class="first">Profile</li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/knowindia/national_symbols.php">National Symbols</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/knowindia/culture_heritage.php">Culture & Heritage</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/knowindia/state_uts.php">States/<acronym title="Union Territory">UT</acronym>s</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/knowindia/districts.php">Districts of India</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/photogal/photogallery.php">Photo Gallery</a></li> <li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20090726163757/http://india.gov.in/knowindia/kids.php">Kids Corner</a></li></ul> </div> </div> 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