2. India

3. Facts and stuff Official name - Republic of India Capital - New Delhi Population - 966,783,171 Life expectancy - 62 Literacy rate -52% Official language - Hindi (23 other languages are spoken) Religion - 82% are Hindu Government - federal republic

4. Physical geography Himalayas are the northern border between India and China Water surrounds much of India: India ocean, Bay of Bengal, Arabian sea Half of the pop. Lives near the Ganges river. Other river include: Brahmaputra, Narmad, Godavari, Krishna 70% of India’s surface water may be polluted Industry is poorly regulated and pollution controls are not enforced Most environmental damage has resulted from deforestation, overgrazing, and soil erosions

7. Economic geography Three-fourths of the people are in agriculture Mostly subsistence farmers Cash crops-tea, cashews, tobacco, coffee Cattle, sacred in India, are used as work animals and as a source of dung and milk

8. Country livin’ Three- quarters of the people are poor farmers who live in rural villages Most of these people cannot read or write Roads, electricity, telephones, and running water are rare Families tend to be large- children are needed to help on farms and Hindu and Muslim cultures value large families

9. More about the rural areas More than 30% of India’s rural population are landless farmers. Those who own small plots are often forced into heavy debt Rice is the major food, Indian diets include very little meat Houses are built of local materials including, mud, dried cattle-dung plaster, brick or bamboo Rural India is a male- dominated society

10. The Caste system Divides India into four major social classes or, castes, according to occupation Brahmins(priest and intellectuals), Kshatriyas(warriors), Vasiyas (traders and merchants), and Sudras (farmers and laborers) Untouchables were below these four castes Under the caste system, a person is born into a caste and cannot move into another Since independence, the government has worked hard to abolish the caste system. But the caste system remains a part of Hindu life

11. City life Most city people were European-style clothing, read English-language newspapers and work in modern office buildings Women work with men in professional and factory jobs a small number are wealthy, a larger sector is middle class Most of the urban population remains poor

12. More about city livin’ Many are homeless Others live in homes built of scraps of wood, cardboard, and cloth They do not have clean water, sewage systems, or garbage collection Millions of people from rural areas move to urban areas to seek a better income and escape from the caste system Bombay is India’s largest city Calcutta is a giant industrial seaport city

13. Just a little bit O’ history Europeans arrived in India during the 16 th century It became the “jewel in the crown” of the British Empire- trading products such as cotton, tea, indigo, coffee and jute India began to demand independence in the early 20 th century British soldiers guard against looters prior to independence

14. Mahatma Gandhi He led the independence movement with a policy called “nonviolent noncooperation” His methods included boycotts, marches, and fasts Britain granted independence in 1947