India at a glance:

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Official name:	Bharat (Hindi)
Form of government:	Multiparty federal republic with two legislative houses
Chief of state:	President
Head of government	Prime Minister
Capital:	New Delhi
Official languages:	Hindi; English
Monetary unit:	One Indian rupee=100 paise
People:
Population (1996):	952,969,000
Density:	779.7 persons per sq. mile; 301 persons per sq. km
Urban-rural ratio:	26.8 percent urban; 73.2 percent rural
Religions:	Hindu (80 percent), Muslim (11 percent), Christian (2.4 percent), Sikh (2 percent), Buddhist, Jainism, Zoroastrian and others.
Education:
Population over 15 yrs. of age that is literate:	52 percent
Economy:
GNP (1994):	U.S.$279 billion (US$ 310 per capita)
Social indicators (1991):
Percentage of total households having access to:
Electric lights:	42.4 percent
Attached or nearby toilet:	23.7 percent
Piped water:	32.3 percent
Communications:
Daily newspaper circulation:	275 per 1000 pop.
Material wellbeing:
Percentage of people having:
Video cassette recorders:	1.3 percent
Refrigerators:	6.9 percent
Washing machines:	2.3 percent

Source: Britannica World Data and The World Almanac and Book of Facts, 1997