Indian People & Goverment

PEOPLE
Population:   India's population, as on 1 March 2001 stood at 1,028 million (532.1 million males and 496.4 million females).       Population Growth Rate:   The average annual exponential growth rate stands at 1.93 per cent during 1991-2001.        Birth Rate:   The Crude Birth rate according to the 2001 census is 24.8        Death Rate:   The Crude Death rate according to the 2001 census is 8.9        Life Expectancy Rate:   63.9 years (Males); 66.9 years (Females) (As of Sep 2005)       Sex Ratio:   933 according to the 2001 census        Nationality:   Indian       Ethnic Groups:   All the five major racial types - Australoid, Mongoloid, Europoid, Caucasian, and Negroid find representation among the people of India.       Religions:   According to the 2001 census, out of the total population of 1.028 million in the Country, Hindus constituted the majority with 80.5 %, Muslims came second at 13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and others.       Languages:   22 languages have been recognized by the Constitution of India, of which Hindi is the official national language. Besides these, there are 844 different dialects that are practiced in various parts of the Country.        Literacy:   According to the provisional results of the 2001 census, the literacy rate in the Country stands at 64.84 per cent, 75.26% for males and 53.67% for females.
GOVERNMENT
Country Name:   Republic of India; Bharat Ganrajya       Government Type:   Sovereign Socialist Democratic Republic with a Parliamentary system of Government.       Capital:   New Delhi       Administrative Divisions:   29 States and 6 Union Territories.       Independence:   15th August 1947 (From the British Colonial Rule)       Constitution:   The Constitution of India came into force on 26th January 1950.       Legal System:   The Constitution of India is the fountain source of the legal system in the Country.       Executive Branch:   The President of India is the Head of the State, while the Prime Minister is the Head of the Government, and runs office with the support of the Council of Ministers who form the Cabinet Ministry.       Legislative Branch:   The Indian Legislature comprises of the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the Rajya Sabha (Council of States) forming both the Houses of the Parliament.       Judicial Branch:   The Supreme Court of India is the apex body of the Indian legal system, followed by other High Courts and subordinate Courts.       Flag Description:   The National Flag is a horizontal tricolour of deep saffron (kesaria) at the top, white in the middle, and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. At the centre of the white band is a navy blue wheel, which is a representation of the Ashoka Chakra at Sarnath.