India
Asia ยท Capital: New Delhi
How it is run: India is the world's largest democracy. Hundreds of millions of people vote for a parliament, which picks the prime minister.
India is home to 1.46 billion people in Southern Asia, where people speak English, Hindi, Tamil.
Numbers that tell a story ๐ข
๐ฅ People
1.46 billion people
That is 18.1% of everybody alive (counted in 2025).
๐บ๏ธ Land
3,287,590 kmยฒ
One of the world's large countries: flying across it takes hours.
๐๏ธ How crowded
About 445 people per square kilometre โ busy towns with countryside in between.
๐ Size in its region
1st most people in Asia
2nd largest by land in Asia.
๐ฃ๏ธ Official languages
English, Hindi, Tamil
More than one language is used for official business.
๐ฐ Money
Indian rupee (โน)
Life here today ๐ฉบ
These come from World Bank open data โ the same numbers governments use when they argue about budgets.
โค๏ธ How long people live
72.2 years on average
Doctors, clean water and food supply all change this number over time.
๐ผ Money made per person each year
about US$2,702
A lower-income country: money for schools, clinics and roads has to stretch a very long way.
๐ข Living in cities
35.7% of people
Many people still live in villages and farming towns.
๐ Kids under 15
24.2% of the population
A fairly balanced mix of young and old.
Everyday details ๐งญ
๐ Phone code
+91
Dial this before the number to call from another country.
๐ Websites end in
.in
๐ง People here are called
Indian
๐ท๏ธ Name at home
India ยท เคญเคพเคฐเคค ยท เฎเฎจเฏเฎคเฎฟเฎฏเฎพ
Also written: Bhฤrat, Republic of India, Bharat Ganrajya.
๐ Coast or inland
Has a coastline
๐๏ธ UN voting group
Asia and the Pacific Group
Countries in the same group often plan votes together.
Neighbours & borders ๐ค
India touches 6 neighbours by land. Neighbours share rivers, roads and usually a lot of trade.
Say its name around the world ๐ฃ๏ธ
Countries have different names in different languages. Try these with a penpal.
Spanish
India
French
Inde
Arabic
ุงูููุฏ
Chinese
ๅฐๅบฆ
Japanese
ใคใณใ
Russian
ะะฝะดะธั
Portuguese
รndia
German
Indien
Put it in perspective ๐
- India covers roughly 31,310 times the area of Hong Kong Island.
- If everyone in India lined up shoulder to shoulder, the line would stretch about 731,933 km.
Country snapshot ๐
๐ฅ People
1.43 billion people โ the most of any country
๐บ๏ธ Size
3.29 million kmยฒ from the Himalayas to tropical beaches
๐ฃ๏ธ Languages
Hindi, English and 20+ other official languages
๐ฐ Money
Indian rupee (โน)
๐๏ธ Government
Federal parliamentary republic
๐๏ธ Leader
Prime Minister
๐๏ธ United Nations
Founding UN member, 1945
๐ผ Economy
Software, medicines, farming and film
๐ Climate promise
Net-zero by 2070 and 500 GW of clean power by 2030
๐ School life
Free school lunches feed more than 100 million students every school day.
๐งฉ Biggest challenge
Giving clean air, water and power to a huge, fast-growing population.
โจ Did you know?
India runs the world's largest election โ over 900 million people can vote.
Who decides here? ๐๏ธ
Federal parliamentary democracy
The Cabinet, led by the Prime Minister, decides โ and must answer to Parliament, which controls the money.
Flags through time ๐
A flag is a country telling you what it believes. Scroll the timeline and watch India change.
British India
India was ruled from London and flew the flag of the British Raj.
The Swaraj (self-rule) flag
Gandhi's movement flew a flag with a spinning wheel โ a symbol of making your own cloth instead of buying it from the empire.
The Tiranga
Saffron for courage, white for peace and truth, green for growth โ with the 24-spoke Ashoka Chakra for the wheel of law.
War room simulations โ๏ธ
Step into the room where the decision was made. You will see who really had the power โ generals, a president, a parliament or a king โ and what each choice cost.
The struggle for independence
India ended nearly 200 years of British rule mostly without an army, using marches, boycotts and refusal to obey unfair laws.
Who was in the room? The Indian National Congress debated and voted on strategy, practising democracy before India was even independent.
Sit in the decision room ๐๏ธ
You will face 2 real moments. Choose, then see what actually happened.
Policies today ๐
Huge solar power targets
India is building some of the biggest solar parks on Earth, aiming for 500 gigawatts of clean power by 2030.
Free school until age 14
A law says every child from 6 to 14 must get free schooling near their home.
A digital ID for everyone
Almost everyone has a digital ID number used to get benefits, open bank accounts and prove who they are.
Fast facts ๐ง
Fact of the day: The capital of India is New Delhi โ that's where the country's big decisions get made.
๐ท๏ธ Official name
Republic of India
๐๏ธ Capital
New Delhi
๐ Region
Asia ยท Southern Asia
๐ค Country code
IN
๐๏ธ UN status
UN member state
๐ฉ Independence
Independent country
More about India ๐
The Taj Mahal
A white marble tomb built by Emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal. The marble looks pink at dawn and gold at sunset.
See it in Street View๐งญ Where on the map
20.0ยฐ N, 77.0ยฐ E
๐ Half of the world
Northern & Eastern hemisphere
๐ฐ๏ธ Clock check
Roughly UTC+5 โ when it is noon in London it is about 17:00 in New Delhi.
- India is an independent country, meaning it makes its own laws.
- India shares its part of the world with Afghanistan. Countries close together often trade the most with each other.
- The capital of India is New Delhi โ that's where the country's big decisions get made.
- ๐ฎ๐ณ is the flag of India. Its country code โ the short name used on the internet and at the Olympics โ is IN.
- India is a full member of the United Nations, so it gets one vote in the General Assembly โ the same as every other member, big or small.
Countries nearby ๐ค
Talk about it ๐ฌ
- India has 3 official languages. How would your school day change if lessons were taught in more than one language?
- India can trade by sea. What should a country protect first: its ports, its fishing waters, or its beaches?
- If India spoke at the General Assembly tomorrow, what one problem should its delegate ask the world to help fix?
Quick quiz ๐งช
Guess first, then tap to check your answer.
What is the capital of India?
New Delhi
Which money do people spend in India?
Indian rupee (โน)
How many countries share a land border with India?
6 โ Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, China, Nepal, Pakistan.
Roughly how many people live in India?
1.46 billion people
Keep researching ๐
Everything here is a starting point. These trusted sites, databases and libraries will take you further โ and they are the kind of sources a teacher will accept in a report.
Start here โ kid-friendly encyclopedias ๐
Short articles written for students, with maps and photos you can use in a report.
Official data & government sources ๐๏ธ
Primary sources. Cite these when your teacher asks for real data.
News & current policy ๐ฐ
Use two different outlets before you decide what you think.
Your library card ๐ซ
Libraries give you books, databases and librarians โ all free.
Library tip: Ask your school or public librarian for their online databases (like Gale in Context or EBSCO Explora). Your library card unlocks them for free at home, and they are already checked by adults for school use.