भारत, एक ऐसा देश जो दक्षिण एशिया के बड़े हिस्से पर स्थित है। इसकी राजधानी नई दिल्ली है, जो 20वीं सदी में पुरानी दिल्ली के दक्षिण में एक प्रशासनिक केंद्र के रूप में स्थापित की गई थी। भारत की सरकार एक संवैधानिक गणराज्य है, जो एक अत्यधिक विविध जनसंख्या का प्रतिनिधित्व करती है, जिसमें हजारों जातीय समूह और संभवतः सैकड़ों भाषाएँ शामिल हैं। भारत दुनिया की दूसरी सबसे बड़ी आबादी वाला देश है, जिसका अनुमानित 2023 में जनसंख्या लगभग 1.37 बिलियन है।
भारत की सीमा कौन से देश हैं?
भारत कई देशों के साथ सीमा साझा करता है। पश्चिमोत्तर में पाकिस्तान, उत्तर में नेपाल, चीन, और भूटान, और पूर्व में म्यांमार और बांग्लादेश इसके पड़ोसी देश हैं। इसके अलावा, भारत के दक्षिण-पूर्वी तट से लगभग 65 किलोमीटर दूर श्रीलंका द्वीप स्थित है।
भारत की प्राचीन सभ्यताएँ
भारत की प्राचीनतम ज्ञात सभ्यताओं में से एक सिंधु घाटी सभ्यता है, जो लगभग 2600-2000 ईसा पूर्व के दौरान उभरी। इसके बाद गंगा घाटी में 1 सहस्त्राब्दी ईसा पूर्व में विकसित हुई सभ्यता महत्वपूर्ण रही। ये क्षेत्र कृषि और नदी-घाटी के समृद्ध संसाधनों के कारण शहर जीवन का केंद्र बने।
भारत के प्रमुख त्यौहार
भारत में कई प्रमुख त्यौहार मनाए जाते हैं। स्वतंत्रता दिवस (15 अगस्त) और गणतंत्र दिवस (26 जनवरी) प्रमुख राष्ट्रीय त्यौहार हैं। इसके अलावा, प्रमुख धार्मिक त्योहारों में वसंत पंचमी, होली, दशहरा, और दिवाली शामिल हैं, जिन्हें पूरे भारत में धूमधाम से मनाया जाता है।
भारत का इतिहास और संस्कृति का समृद्ध विकास
भारत एक ऐसा देश है जिसकी पहचान सिंधु सभ्यता से जुड़ी है, जिसे दुनिया की सबसे पुरानी शहरी सभ्यताओं में गिना जाता है। इस सभ्यता ने उत्तर-पश्चिमी उपमहाद्वीप में एक उच्च विकसित शहर-संस्कृति स्थापित की थी। भारत ने अपनी राजनीतिक और सांस्कृतिक विशेषताओं को लंबे समय तक बनाए रखा, जो मुख्य रूप से हिंदू धर्म से जुड़ी थीं। इसके साथ ही, बौद्ध धर्म और जैन धर्म जैसे प्रमुख धर्मों का भी भारत में उदय हुआ।
इस्लाम का आगमन भारत में 8वीं सदी में हुआ, जब अरब, तुर्क, और फारसी आक्रमणकारियों ने इसे लाया। धीरे-धीरे, 13वीं सदी तक, भारत का एक बड़ा हिस्सा मुस्लिम शासन के अधीन हो गया। 15वीं सदी के अंत में वास्को द गामा के आगमन और यूरोपीय सामुद्रिक श्रेष्ठता की स्थापना के साथ, भारत बाहरी प्रभावों के अधीन हुआ। अंततः 19वीं सदी में यह ब्रिटिश साम्राज्य का हिस्सा बन गया।
ब्रिटिश शासन और भारतीय स्वतंत्रता
1858 में ब्रिटिश शासन के प्रत्यक्ष प्रशासन के साथ, उपमहाद्वीप का राजनीतिक और आर्थिक एकीकरण हुआ। 1947 में जब ब्रिटिश शासन समाप्त हुआ, तो उपमहाद्वीप को धार्मिक आधार पर भारत और पाकिस्तान में विभाजित कर दिया गया। भारत में जहां हिंदू बहुमत था, वहीं पाकिस्तान में मुस्लिम बहुसंख्यक थे। इस विभाजन ने कई सांस्कृतिक और राजनीतिक संरचनाओं को बदला, लेकिन भारत में संसदीय प्रणाली और अंग्रेजी का प्रयोग जारी रहा।
समकालीन भारत: विकास और चुनौतियाँ
आज का भारत अपने विकसित बुनियादी ढांचे और विविध औद्योगिक आधार के लिए जाना जाता है। विज्ञान और इंजीनियरिंग के क्षेत्र में भारत के पास दुनिया की सबसे बड़ी प्रतिभाओं में से एक है। इसके अलावा, भारत का कृषि विस्तार और सांस्कृतिक निर्यात, विशेष रूप से संगीत, साहित्य, और सिनेमा, इसे विश्व पटल पर एक महत्वपूर्ण स्थान दिलाते हैं। हालांकि भारत की अधिकांश आबादी अभी भी ग्रामीण क्षेत्रों में रहती है, लेकिन मुंबई, कोलकाता, और दिल्ली जैसे शहर दुनिया के सबसे आबादी वाले और महानगरीय शहरों में से एक हैं।
इसके अलावा, बैंगलोर, चेन्नई, और हैदराबाद जैसे भारतीय शहर अब दुनिया के सबसे तेजी से बढ़ते हाई-टेक केंद्र बन गए हैं, और अधिकांश प्रमुख सूचना प्रौद्योगिकी और सॉफ्टवेयर कंपनियों के कार्यालय अब भारत में स्थित हैं।
भारत की भौगोलिक स्थिति और संरचना
भारत की भू-रचना और भौगोलिक स्थिति मुख्य रूप से हिमालय और आस-पास की पर्वत श्रृंखलाओं से प्रभावित है। इसके कारण, भारत का अधिकांश भाग एक प्राकृतिक उपमहाद्वीप के रूप में जाना जाता है, जो इसे एशिया के बाकी हिस्सों से अलग करता है। भारत की भूमि सीमा छह देशों से मिलती है, और इसके तीन तरफ समुद्र है: अरब सागर, बंगाल की खाड़ी, और हिंद महासागर।
भारत न केवल दुनिया की सबसे प्राचीन सभ्यताओं में से एक है, बल्कि यह आज भी एक महत्वपूर्ण वैश्विक शक्ति के रूप में उभर रहा है। इसके सांस्कृतिक और धार्मिक विविधता, समृद्ध इतिहास और प्राचीन धरोहर इसे एक अद्वितीय देश बनाते हैं। भारत का भविष्य उसकी आर्थिक प्रगति, सांस्कृतिक धरोहर, और वैश्विक पटल पर उसकी भूमिका से उज्ज्वल दिखता है।
India: History, Map, Population, Economy, & Facts
Audio File: National anthem of India
Head Of Government: Prime Minister: Narendra Modi Capital: New Delhi Population: (2023 est.) 1,370,695,000 Currency Exchange Rate: 1 USD equals 81.701 Indian rupee Head Of State: President: Droupadi Murmu See all facts & stats →
Top Questions
What countries border India?
India shares borders with Pakistan to the northwest; with Nepal, China, and Bhutan to the north; and with Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east. The island country of Sri Lanka is situated some 40 miles (65 kilometres) off the southeast coast of India.
What are the oldest known civilizations of India?
The expansive alluvial plains of the Indus and Ganges (Ganga) river basins in India provided the environment and focus for the rise of two great phases of city life: the civilization of the Indus valley, known as the Indus civilization, during the 3rd millennium BCE; and, during the 1st millennium BCE, that of the Ganges.
What are the major holidays and festivals of India?
The major secular holidays are Independence Day (August 15) and Republic Day (January 26). The most popular religious festivals celebrated over the greater part of India are Vasantpanchami, in honour of Sarasvati, the goddess of learning; Holi, a time when traditional hierarchical relationships are forgotten and celebrants throw coloured water and powder at one another; Dussehra, when the story of the Ramayana is reenacted, and Diwali (Divali), a time for lighting lamps and exchanging gifts.
Read a brief summary of this topic
India, country that occupies the greater part of South Asia. Its capital is New Delhi, built in the 20th century just south of the historic hub of Old Delhi to serve as India’s administrative centre. Its government is a constitutional republic that represents a highly diverse population consisting of thousands of ethnic groups and likely hundreds of languages. With roughly one-sixth of the world’s total population, India is the second most populous country, after China.
It is known from archaeological evidence that a highly sophisticated urbanized culture—the Indus civilization—dominated the northwestern part of the subcontinent from about 2600 to 2000 bce. From that period on, India functioned as a virtually self-contained political and cultural arena, which gave rise to a distinctive tradition that was associated primarily with Hinduism, the roots of which can largely be traced to the Indus civilization.
Other religions, notably Buddhism and Jainism, originated in India—though their presence there is now quite small—and throughout the centuries residents of the subcontinent developed a rich intellectual life in such fields as mathematics, astronomy, architecture, literature, music, and the fine arts.
Throughout its history, India was intermittently disturbed by incursions from beyond its northern mountain wall. Especially important was the coming of Islam, brought from the northwest by Arab, Turkish, Persian, and other raiders beginning early in the 8th century ce. Eventually, some of those raiders stayed; by the 13th century much of the subcontinent was under Muslim rule, and the number of Muslims steadily increased.
Only after the arrival of the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama in 1498 and the subsequent establishment of European maritime supremacy in the region did India become exposed to major external influences arriving by sea, a process that culminated in the decline of the ruling Muslim elite and absorption of the subcontinent within the British Empire.
Direct administration by the British, which began in 1858, effected a political and economic unification of the subcontinent. When British rule came to an end in 1947, the subcontinent was partitioned along religious lines into two separate countries—India, with a majority of Hindus, and Pakistan, with a majority of Muslims; the eastern portion of Pakistan later split off to form Bangladesh.
Many British institutions stayed in place (such as the parliamentary system of government); English continued to be a widely used lingua franca; and India remained within the Commonwealth. Hindi became the official language (and a number of other local languages achieved official status), while a vibrant English-language intelligentsia thrived.
India remains one of the most ethnically diverse countries in the world. Apart from its many religions and sects, India is home to innumerable castes and tribes, as well as to more than a dozen major and hundreds of minor linguistic groups from several language families unrelated to one another. Religious minorities, including Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, and Jains, still account for a significant proportion of the population; collectively, their numbers exceed the populations of all countries except China.
Earnest attempts have been made to instill a spirit of nationhood in so varied a population, but tensions between neighbouring groups have remained and at times have resulted in outbreaks of violence. Yet social legislation has done much to alleviate the disabilities previously suffered by formerly “untouchable” castes, tribal populations, women, and other traditionally disadvantaged segments of society.
At independence, India was blessed with several leaders of world stature, most notably Mohandas (Mahatma) Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru, who were able to galvanize the masses at home and bring prestige to India abroad. The country has played an increasing role in global affairs.
Contemporary India’s increasing physical prosperity and cultural dynamism—despite continued domestic challenges and economic inequality—are seen in its well-developed infrastructure and a highly diversified industrial base, in its pool of scientific and engineering personnel (one of the largest in the world), in the pace of its agricultural expansion, and in its rich and vibrant cultural exports of music, literature, and cinema.
Though the country’s population remains largely rural, India has three of the most populous and cosmopolitan cities in the world—Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta), and Delhi. Three other Indian cities—Bengaluru (Bangalore), Chennai (Madras), and Hyderabad—are among the world’s fastest-growing high-technology centres, and most of the world’s major information technology and software companies now have offices in India.
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The history section of the articles Pakistan and Bangladesh discuss those countries since their creation.
Joseph E. Schwartzberg The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Land
India’s frontier, which is roughly one-third coastline, abuts six countries. It is bounded to the northwest by Pakistan, to the north by Nepal, China, and Bhutan; and to the east by Myanmar (Burma). Bangladesh to the east is surrounded by India to the north, east, and west. The island country of Sri Lanka is situated some 40 miles (65 km) off the southeast coast of India across the Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar.
The land of India—together with Bangladesh and most of Pakistan—forms a well-defined subcontinent, set off from the rest of Asia by the imposing northern mountain rampart of the Himalayas and by adjoining mountain ranges to the west and east. In area, India ranks as the seventh largest country in the world.
Much of India’s territory lies within a large peninsula, surrounded by the Arabian Sea to the west and the Bay of Bengal to the east; Cape Comorin, the southernmost point of the Indian mainland, marks the dividing line between those two bodies of water. India has two union territories composed entirely of islands: Lakshadweep, in the Arabian Sea, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which lie between the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea.
Relief
It is now generally accepted that India’s geographic position, continental outline, and basic geologic structure resulted from a process of plate tectonics—the shifting of enormous, rigid crustal plates over the Earth’s underlying layer of molten material. India’s landmass, which forms the northwestern portion of the Indian-Australian Plate, began to drift slowly northward toward the much larger Eurasian Plate several hundred million years ago (after the former broke away from the ancient southern-hemispheric supercontinent known as Gondwana, or Gondwanaland).
When the two finally collided (approximately 50 million years ago), the northern edge of the Indian-Australian Plate was thrust under the Eurasian Plate at a low angle. The collision reduced the speed of the oncoming plate, but the underthrusting, or subduction, of the plate has continued into contemporary times.
The effects of the collision and continued subduction are numerous and extremely complicated. An important consequence, however, was the slicing off of crustal rock from the top of the underthrusting plate. Those slices were thrown back onto the northern edge of the Indian landmass and came to form much of the Himalayan mountain system. The new mountains—together with vast amounts of sediment eroded from them—were so heavy that the Indian-Australian Plate just south of the range was forced downward, creating a zone of crustal subsidence. Continued rapid erosion of the Himalayas added to the sediment accumulation, which was subsequently carried by mountain streams to fill the subsidence zone and cause it to sink more.
India’s present-day relief features have been superimposed on three basic structural units: the Himalayas in the north, the Deccan (peninsular plateau region) in the south, and the Indo-Gangetic Plain (lying over the subsidence zone) between the two. Further information on the geology of India is found in the article Asia.
टैग्स: भारत, भारतीय इतिहास, सांस्कृतिक धरोहर, भारतीय स्वतंत्रता, दक्षिण एशिया, भारतीय सभ्यता, ब्रिटिश शासन, भारतीय भूगोल, हिमालय, भारतीय धर्म
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