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Geography, agriculture and economy India's vast land area of 3.3 million km2 lies in southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Myanmar and Pakistan. The republic is divided into 28 states and 7 union territories. Terrain includes an upland plain known as the Decca Plateau in the south and flat or rolling plains along the river Ganges, desert land in the west and the Himalaya Mountains in the north. The climate varies from tropical monsoon in the south to temperate in the north. India is the world's second most populous country, with a population of over 1 billion that is growing at an annual rate of 1.5 per cent (World Bank). Economy India is classified as a low income, food deficit country. It has seen impressive economic growth over recent decades. Average growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) increased from 3.5 per cent during the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s to 5.4 per cent in the 1980s and 5.9 per cent in the 1990s. This acceleration, particularly in the 1990s, stemmed from a significant increase in service sector growth, with software and information technology taking on a leading role. As a result, the GDP per person in India doubled from US$260 in 1980 to US$538 in 2003 and is expected to reach US$650 in 2005. Agriculture As the service sector grows, agriculture's share of the GDP has dropped from 57 per cent in 1950 to 22 per cent in 2002. The agricultural sector provides incomes and employment to 233 million people, or almost 60 per cent of the rural labour force. Crops include rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane and potatoes. Farmers are mainly marginal farmers and smallholders cultivating land that accounts for less than one third of the country's total farming area. Other sources of income for rural people include livestock raising and fishing. About 2 million people depend on coastal fisheries for their livelihood. |
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