India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a kaleidoscopic and rich cultural heritage. It is the largest democracy in the world and has achieved multifaceted socio-economic progress during the last 59 years of its Independence. India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production, and is now the tenth industrialized country in the world.
India covers an area of 32,87,263 square kilometers, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south. As the seventh largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.
The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical monsoon one. But, in spite of much of the northern part of India lying beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has a tropical climate marked by relatively high temperatures and dry winters.
India has 12 major ports and 185 minor ports. India is the fourth largest economy in the world, with US$ 3 trillion GDP in terms of Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) after the USA, China, and Japan.
