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The Republic of India is a country that occupies a greater part of Indian subcontinent. It borders Pakistan and Afghanistan in the northwest, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan in the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar in the east. India's coastline stretches for over seven thousand kilometres. Its neighbours in the Indian Ocean are the island nations of the Maldives in the southwest, Sri Lanka in the south, and Indonesia in the southeast. India is the second most populous country in the world, with a population of over one billion and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. It is a constitutional republic consisting of twenty eight states and seven union territories. The word India derives from the Old Persian cognate for the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the Indus river. The Constitution of India also recognizes Bhārat listen (help·info) as an official name with equal status.

A centre of important historic trade routes, India is the home to some of the most ancient civilisations. India is the birthplace to four major world religions: Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and Hinduism. It also has the third largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia and Pakistan. Hinduism is the major religion followed in India . India was a former colony of the British Empire under the British Raj before gaining independence on 15 August 1947. The country has witnessed significant economic and military growth after the liberalization of the Indian economy. India is also well-known for upholding the concept of peace, as was demonstrated by its peaceful method of freedom struggle.

More about India ...

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Muhammad Iqbal was an Indian poet, philosopher and politician, whose poetry in Persian and Urdu is regarded as one of the greatest in modern times. Also famous for his work on religious and political philosophy in Islam, he is credited with first proposing the idea of an independent state for Indian Muslims, which would inspire the creation of Pakistan. After studying in England and Germany, Iqbal established a law practise, but he primarily concentrated on religious and philosophical subjects, writing scholarly works on politics, economics, history, philosophy and religion. He is best known for his poetic works, which include the Asrar-e-Khudi, in honour of which he was knighted by the British government. Scholars have hailed his poetry in Persian as some of the best in modern times. Iqbal was a strong proponent of the political and spiritual revival of Islamic civilisation across the world, but specifically in India. He is commemorated as the national poet of Pakistan. (more...)

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Goa is India's smallest state in terms of area and the fourth smallest in terms of population. It is located on the west coast of India, in the region known as the Konkan. The state is divided into two districts: North Goa (purple shades) and South Goa (orange shades) and the districts are further divided into eleven talukas. Panaji is the state's capital, and Vasco-da-Gama (Vasco) its largest town. Photo credit: Nichalp

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• September 12: Bomb explosion in Kashmir kills three
• September 11:Businessman in India's 'house of horrors' case has rape, murder convictions overturned
• June 21: Maoist leader Koteshwar Rao alias Kishenji said the West Bengal government should halt security operations in the region and sit for talks with the local people to find a solution to their problems.(The Hindu)
• June 18:Operation Lalgarh has been started against the Maoist who have been active in organising a tribal movement alongside a group called the People's Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCAPA) by the police and security forces in Lalgarh, West Bengal to restore law and order in the area and flush out the Maoists. Indian Express
• June 10: Two Indians are arrested after the Indian community in Sydney's western suburb Harris Park held a protest against racial violence. (IBNlive.com)
• May 29: An Indian warship thwarts a piracy attempt near the Gulf of Aden after commandos from its helicopter intercept eight gun-wielding men trying to board a cargo vessel. (Calcutta Telegraph)

Current events on Wikinews

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• ... that every household in the Dhaniakhali bloc of West Bengal has at least one loom, where handloom saris are made?
• ... that Lesser Whistling Ducks are the most prominent species among the migratory birds that visit the lake in the Santragachhi area of Howrah, India, during winter?
• ... that the non-payment of debts is the archetype for the seventeen other Hindu titles of law, including the sexual crimes against women?
• ... that during the history of Pulicat between 1621 and 1665, over 38,000 Indian slaves were obtained by Dutch slave traders and shipped from the Coromandel Coast, mostly to the East Indies?
• ... that from November to April every year Jammu is the capital of Jammu and Kashmir, the northernmost Indian state, and that during the summer Srinagar is the capital?
  India Quiz | Archive

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