Infomedix International 1 2010

Page 16

Infomedix4:impaginato 1 parte

3-03-2010

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Pagina 14

Focus

Focus on India

Overview Capital: New Delhi Population: 1,2 billion Official language: Hindi, English GDP (US$bn) (current prices), 2009: 1,242.6 GDP per capita (US$), 2009: 1,033 Real GDP growth (% change yoy), 2009: 5.6 Source: World Bank GDP Composition by Sector: Services: 62.6 per cent Industry: 20 per cent Agriculture: 17.5 per cent (2009 est.) Source: IBEF Located in South Asia, India is the seventh largest, and the second most populous country in the world. Home to the Indus Valley civilisation and known for its historic trade routes and vast empires, India is recognised for its commercial and cultural wealth. It is the centre of amalgamation of many religions and ethnicities which have shaped the country's diverse culture. Colonised by the United Kingdom from early 18th century, India declared its independence in 1947, and is the most populous democracy in the world today. It has a federal organization, where the central government in New Delhi has exclusive jurisdiction over all matters of national interest such as defence, communication, banking and finance, international trade and foreign affairs, and state governments have primary responsibility for matters such as law and order, education, health and agriculture. India has made great progress in reducing poverty and improving the living conditions of the population. Education and health indicators have significantly improved, even if large groups of the rural population still have very little access to these services. Many of India’s states are now able to offer universal primary enrollment or are on the course of implementing it, but still about 5 million children between the ages of 6 and 14 are out of school. 14

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