Facts of the Matter – India
WITH A LAND MASS ABOUT 1/3rd the size of the
ABOUT 81 PERCENT of Indians are Hindus, 13.4% Muslims, 2.3% Christians and 1.9% Sikhs. The Indian government recognizes more than a dozen official languages. About 41% of the population speaks Hindi. English is widely spoken throughout the country.
INDIA’S ANNUAL per capita income of US$3,400 ranks 163rd among the world’s countries. Twenty-five percent of the population lives below the poverty line, but
INDIA IS THE WORLD’S LARGEST PRODUCER of tea and milk. It also exports computer software to 90 countries.
THE TAJ MAHAL, regarded as one of the most beautiful structure in the world, is located on the banks of the
ON THE UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE LIST of 911 sites of “outstanding universal value”
THE CITY OF MUMBAI is the center of
TO MANY PEOPLE around the world, Mohandas K. Gandhi, the leader of the Indian national movement against British rule, is known by the name of Mahatma. This is an honorific title that translates as “great soul” in the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit.
INDIA HAS 3,048 ROTARY CLUBS with a total of 113,339 members, as of 31 March. Indian Rotarians have contributed more than $7.1 million to Rotary’s US$200 Million Challenge to eradicate polio.
- Paul Engleman
the rotarian, Rotary’s Magazine
July 2011