The Republic of India is a country in, and the namesake of, the Indian subcontinent. It is bordered by Pakistan to the northwest, the People's Republic of China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. India's coastline stretches for over seven thousand kilometers. Its neighbours in the Indian Ocean are the island nations of the Maldives to the southwest, Sri Lanka to the south, and Indonesia to the southeast. India is the second most populated country in the world, with a population of over one billion, and is the seventh largest country by geographical area. It is a constitutional republic, consisting of twenty nine states and seven union territories. The word India derives from the Old Persian cognate for the Sanskrit word Sindhu, the Indus river. The Constitution of India also recognizes Bhārat listen^ⓘ as an official name with equal status.

A centre of important historic trade routes, India is home to the Indus Valley Civilization. India is the birthplace of four world religions:Jainism, Sikhism, Buddhism and Hinduism. It also has the third largest Muslim population in the world, after Indonesia and Pakistan. Hinduism is the largest religion in India. However, India is a secular country. The country has witnessed significant economic and military growth after the liberalization of the Indian economy. India is also well known for upholding the concept of peace, as was demonstrated by its peaceful method of freedom struggle.

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