India

It is a constitutional republic consisting of 28 states, each with a substantial degree of control over its own affairs; 8 less fully style empowered union territories; and the Delhi national capital territory, which includes New Delhi, India’s capital. With 17.7% of the world’s total population, India is the second most-populous country, after China. Contemporary India’s increasing physical prosperity and cultural dynamism—despite continued domestic challenges and economic inequality—are seen in its well-developed infrastructure and a highly diversified industrial base, in its pool of scientific and engineering personnel (one of the largest in the world), in the pace of its agricultural expansion, and in its rich and vibrant cultural exports of music, literature, and cinema.