1. A Portrait of India

2. History Ancient The Indus Valley civilization is one of the oldest in the world, dating back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded the region about 1500 BCE, merged with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants, and created the classical Indian culture.

3. History Colonialism and independence By the 19 th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism led by Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru brought independence in 1947

4. History The Indo-Pak Conflict The Indian Independence Act of 1947 established two independent nations, India and Pakistan. The two countries have been in constant conflict since 1947, fighting 3 armed conflicts (1947, 1965, 1971), and a constant war of words.

5. Modern India Today, India has the 2 nd largest population in the world, 1.1 billion 2 nd only to China, 1.3 billion India has a population density of 869 per square mile Compare to the U.S. at 80

6. Modern India Ethnic make-up Indo-Aryan 72% Dravidian 25% Mongoloid and other 2/% Religious make-up Hindu 80.5% Muslim 13.4% Christian 2.3% Sikh 1.9% Other 1.8%

7. Modern India Life Expectancy 62 years (compare to 78 for U.S.) Infant Mortality Rate 60 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (compare to 6.6 for U.S.)

8. Modern India Literacy Rate Total population age 15 and over that can read and write Male: 70.2%Female: 48.3%

9. India’s Economy India’s GDP per capita PPP is $3,100 Compare to the U.S. $39,710

10. India’s Economy India boasts the 12 th largest economy in the world. Yet, 81% of India’s population lives on less than $2 (U.S.)/day

11. India’s Economy GDP Composition by sector Agriculture: 23.6% Industry: 28.4% Services: 48% Labor Force by Occupation Agriculture 60% Industry 17% Services 23%

12. India’s Economy Outsourcing India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well- educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers  AOL and Delta Airlines are two examples of companies that have outsourced their call centers to Bangalore, India.

13. Portrait of India Jennifer Gigliotti-Labay Houston World Affairs Council