India (The Republic of India) is the largest country in South Asia. It reaches down from the mountains of the Himalayas to the flat swamplands of the Bay of Bengal and Indian Ocean. Most of the country is subtropical and has a monsoon season in June to September and a dry season for much of the remainder of the year. It is the seventh-largest country by area in the world, the second-most populous country (after China) with over 1.2 billion people.

Indian cultures are among the world's oldest. The Indus Valley Civilisation was here. The foundation of Hinduism was here before any other world religion. Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism also all started in India. But when Christianity and Islam arrived, they shaped the country, too. The north of India, for example, came under the influence of the Islamic Mogul Empire, while the whole country became part of the Christian British Empire in more recent times.

India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

India is now one of the fastest growing industrial countries in the world. Many millions of people have benefited from this. However, India continues to face the challenges of poverty and many hundreds of millions still live in slums.

India has the third-largest army in the world and is engaged in the space race. It is the world's largest democracy, made up of 29 states and 7 union territories.

India faces huge opportunities to grow and make its people more prosperous. But, at the same time, because there are so many people, their increase in wealth will cause a huge extra demand for food and energy, and at the moment that is causing a rise in pollution and threat to many areas that still have wildlife.