Overview

India is one of the most powerful military and economic powers of the world. India, the world's largest democracy, has the world's second highest population of about 1 billion.

A strong, vibrant and growing economy	Self-sufficiency in agriculture
Buoyant industrial growth (0.6% in 1991 to almost 10% in 2007)	Well developed banking system and financial markets
World's Biggest Democracy	High domestic savings and investment rates
Strong and mature private sector	Comfortable balance of payments situation
High exports growth rate	Low inflation
Strong legal and accounting system	Established independent judiciary
Large and diversified infrastructure and industry	A free and vibrant press
Use of English as the link language	Current account convertibility

For hundreds of years, India meant mystery, wealth, and excitement to people of the Western world. Early European explorers, traders, and adventurers traveled to India for jewels, rugs, silks, spices, and other valuable articles. Christopher Columbus was looking for an easier route to India when he arrived in America.

The world witnessed the emergence of India as an independent nation in 1947, the year in which the British rule on the subcontinent came to an end. As the country celebrated its fifty-third year of independence, it is proud of what it has achieved since then.

A new spirit of economic freedom is stirring in India, bringing sweeping changes in its wake. The liberalization program has unleashed the vast potential of the Indian economy.

India's process of economic reform is firmly rooted in a consensus spanning a wide political spectrum. As the benefits of reforms have spread, and growth has accelerated accompanied by achievement of macro economic stability, this political consensus has been transformed into a national consensus. Importantly, India has no inherent conflict between its political and economic systems.

The existence of an independent judiciary, a strong legal and accounting system, a free and vibrant press and the use of English as the the principal language of business and administration are some of the attractive features of the business environment. India also possesses an abundance of qualified and skilled manpower which makes it an ideal base for sourcing production both for export and the huge domestic market.

The opening up of the economy, which has resulted in the entry of a large number of foreign companies, together with the increasingly global focus of domestic industry, has resulted in the dynamic growth and increased competitiveness of Indian firms. The continuation of liberalisation and introduction of new economic policies have created a sea of new opportunities for domestic and foreign investors, particularly in the infrastructure sector.

Inspite of being the second most populous country in the world its not even amongst the 20 most densest. In land area it ranks seventh in the world:

Country	Land area (sq. km.)
Russia China Canada USA Brazil Australia India Argentina Kazakhstan Algeria	17,075,400 9,326,411 9,220,970 9,166,601 8,456,511 7,617,931 2,973,190 2,736,690 2,717,300 2,381,741

Note:
- This census includes the Tibetan area illegally occupied by China, as Chinese land
- This census does include in India, the Kashmiri areas illegally occupied by Pakistan and China.