India's capital is New Delhi; other metropolises include Mumbai, Kolkata, Chenn

ai, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad.

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade rou
tes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial
and cultural wealth for much of its long history.[18] Four religions, Hinduism,
Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism originated in India, whereas Zoroastrianism, Jud
aism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the first millennium CE, and they also
played a part in shaping the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed and bro
ught under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 1
8th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom after the Indian Reb
ellion of 1857, it became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for ind
ependence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
In 2015, the Indian economy was the world's seventh largest by nominal gross dom
estic product (GDP) and third largest by purchasing power parity (PPP).[15] Foll
owing market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-gro
wing major economies and is considered a newly industrialised country. However,
it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, and in
adequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has
the third largest standing army in the world and ranks sixth in military expend
iture among nations. India is a federal republic governed under a parliamentary
system and consists of 29 states and 7 union territories. It is a pluralistic, m
ultilingual and multi-ethnic society and is also home to a diversity of wildlife
in a variety of protected habitats.
Contents
1
Etymology
2
History
2.1
Ancient India
2.2
Medieval India
2.3
Early modern India
2.4
Modern India
3
Geography
4
Biodiversity
5
Politics
5.1
Government
5.2
Subdivisions
6
Foreign relations and military
7
Economy
7.1
Sectors
7.2
Poverty
8
Demographics
9
Culture
9.1
Art and architecture
9.2
Literature
9.3
Performing arts
9.4
Motion pictures, television
9.5
Cuisine
9.6
Society
9.7
Clothing
9.8
Sports
10
See also
11
Notes
12
References
13
Bibliography
14
External links
Etymology
Main article: Names of India
The name India is derived from Indus, which originates from the Old Persian word

Hindu.[19] The latter term stems from the Sanskrit word Sindhu, which was the h
istorical local appellation for the Indus River.[20] The ancient Greeks referred
to the Indians as Indoi (??d??), which translates as "The people of the Indus".
[21]
The geographical term Bharat (Bharat, pronounced ['b?a?r?t?] ( listen)), which i
s recognised by the Constitution of India as an official name for the country,[2
2] is used by many Indian languages in its variations. It is a modernisation of
the historical name Bharatavarsha, which traditionally referred to the Indian su
bcontinent and gained increasing currency from the mid-19th century as a native
name for India.[23][24] Scholars believe it to be named after the Vedic tribe of
Bharatas in the second millennium B.C.E.[25] It is also traditionally associate
d with the rule of the legendary emperor Bharata.[26] Ga?arajya (literally, peop
le's State) is the Sanskrit/Hindi term for "republic" dating back to the ancient
times.[27][28][29]
Hindustan ([??nd??'st?a?n] ( listen)) is a Persian name for India dating back to
the 3rd century B.C.E. It was introduced into India by the Mughals and widely u
sed since then. Its meaning varied, referring to a region that encompassed north
ern India and Pakistan or India in its entirety.[23][24][30] Currently, the name
may refer to either the northern part of India or the entire country.[30]
History
Main articles: History of India and History of the Republic of India
Ancient India
The earliest authenticated human remains in South Asia date to about 30,000 year
s ago.[31] Nearly contemporaneous Mesolithic rock art sites have been found in m
any parts of the Indian subcontinent, including at the Bhimbetka rock shelters i
n Madhya Pradesh.[32] Around 7000 BCE, the first known Neolithic settlements app
eared on the subcontinent in Mehrgarh and other sites in western Pakistan.[33] T
hese gradually developed into the Indus Valley Civilisation,[34] the first urban
culture in South Asia;[35] it flourished during 2500 1900 BCE in Pakistan and wes
tern India.[36] Centred around cities such as Mohenjo-daro, Harappa, Dholavira,
and Kalibangan, and relying on varied forms of subsistence, the civilisation eng
aged robustly in crafts production and wide-ranging trade.[35]
Map of the Indian subcontinent during the Vedic period
During the period 2000 500 BCE, in terms of culture, many regions of the subcontin
ent transitioned from the Chalcolithic to the Iron Age.[37] The Vedas, the oldes
t scriptures of Hinduism,[38] were composed during this period,[39] and historia
ns have analysed these to posit a Vedic culture in the Punjab region and the upp
er Gangetic Plain.[37] Most historians also consider this period to have encompa
ssed several waves of Indo-Aryan migration into the subcontinent.[40][38] The ca
ste system arose during this period, creating a hierarchy of priests, warriors,
free peasants and traders, and lastly the indigenous peoples who were regarded a
s impure; and small tribal units gradually coalesced into monarchical, state-lev
el polities.[41][42] On the Deccan Plateau, archaeological evidence from this pe
riod suggests the existence of a chiefdom stage of political organisation.[37] I
n southern India, a progression to sedentary life is indicated by the large numb
er of megalithic monuments dating from this period,[43] as well as by nearby tra
ces of agriculture, irrigation tanks, and craft traditions.[43]
Damaged brown painting of a reclining man and woman.
Paintings at the Ajanta Caves in Aurangabad, Maharashtra, 6th century
In the late Vedic period, around the 6th century BCE, the small states and chief
doms of the Ganges Plain a