India, officially known as the Republic of India, is located in South Asia and is the world's most populous democracy. It has a land area ranking seventh in size and a population of over 1.3 billion people, making it the second most populous country. The country is surrounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. It shares land borders with Pakistan to the west, China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the northeast, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. Additionally, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands have maritime borders with Thailand and Indonesia while being in close proximity to Sri Lanka and the Maldives.
The region known as the Indian subcontinent was home to the urban Indus Valley Civilisation during the 3rd millennium BCE. In the following millennium, the oldest scriptures associated with Hinduism were written, and social stratification based on caste emerged. Buddhism and Jainism also arose during this time. The Maurya and Gupta empires led to early political consolidations, while the Middle Kingdoms on the peninsular influenced cultures as far as Southeast Asia. In the medieval era, various religions such as Judaism, Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived, and Sikhism emerged, leading to the region's diverse culture. The north of India fell to the Delhi Sultanate, and the south was united under the Vijayanagara Empire. The economy expanded during the 17th century under the Mughal Empire. In the mid-18th century, the subcontinent came under British East India Company rule, and later, in the mid-19th century, under British Crown rule. In the late 19th century, a nationalist movement emerged, which, under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, adopted nonviolent resistance tactics and eventually led to India's independence in 1947.
