India, by the numbers

Government: Parliamentary democracy at both the Federal and state governments

Independence: Aug. 15, 1947, from British colonial rule

Area: 3.3 million square kilometers

Population: 1 billion as of March 2001

Life expectancy: 63.9 years for males, 66.9 years for females, as of September 2005

Languages: 22 languages and 844 dialects. Hindi is the official national language

Literacy: Overall 64.84 percent. 75.26 percent for males and 53.67 percent for females (Census, 2001)

Per capita gross domestic product (GDP): US$543 as of September 2005

GDP by sector: Services 56 percent, agriculture 22 percent, industry 22 percent, as of September 2005

Labor force: 375 million as of 2002

Unemployment rate: 9.1 percent as of September 2005

Fiscal year: April 1 to March 31

Currency: Indian rupee (INR)

Source: National Informatics Center, Government of India

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