India, officially the Republic of India (Bharat Ga?arajya),[e] is a state in South Asia. It is the seventh largest country by area, the second most populous country (with over 1.2 billion people), and the most populous democracy in the world. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the south, the Arabian Sea to the southwest and the Bay of Bengal to the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal and Bhutan to the north-east; and Myanmar (Burma) and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is located in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives. India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilization of the 3rd millennium BC In the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism began to be composed. Social stratification, based on caste, emerged in the first millennium BC and Buddhism and Jainism arose. The first political consolidations took place under the Mauryan and Gupta empires; the subsequent peninsular Middle Kingdoms influenced cultures as far away as Southeast Asia. In medieval times, Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam arrived and Sikhism emerged, all adding to the diverse culture of the region. Much of the north fell to the Delhi Sultanate; the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded in the 17th century in the Mughal Empire. In the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under the rule of the British East India Company, and in the mid-19th under the rule of the British crown. At the end of the 19th century, a nationalist movement emerged which later, under Mahatma Gandhi, was distinguished by non-violent resistance and led to India's independence in 1947. Visited by approximately 14.6 million tourists each year (2016) , making it the eighth most visited country in Asia-Pacific. In 2017, the Indian economy was the sixth largest in the world by nominal GDP and the third largest by purchasing power parity. Following the market-based economic reforms of 1991, India has become one of the fastest growing major economies and is considered a newly industrializing country. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, corruption, malnutrition, and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear-armed state and regional power, it has the world's second-largest standing army and ranks fifth among nations in military spending. India is a federal republic governed by a parliamentary system and consists of 29 states and 7 union territories. India is widely recognized for its vast cinema, rich cuisine and lush wildlife and vegetation. It is a pluralistic, multilingual and multiethnic society and is also home to a variety of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.