This research examines selected aspects of the economic, political and social environments of the Republic of India. This research focuses on (1) the culture of India, (2) the type of country India is, where "type" infers political structure, (3) the country's transportation systems, (4) the energy structure in India, (5) the communications systems in the country, where transportation systems are not (as is usually the case) considered as a part of the country's communications structure, (6) the degree of urbanization in India, and (7) the status and role of science in India.
Ethnically, 72 percent of Indians are Indo-Aryan. Dravidians account for 25 percent of India's population, while the remaining three-percent are Mongolian. A total of 16 languages are spoken by significant proportions of India's population. Hindi is the country's official language, while English is an associate official language. In the context of religion, India is largely a Hindu nation, with 83 percent of the Indian population identifying themselves as Hindu. Muslims account for 11 percent of the Indian population, while Christians account for three-percent, Sikh's two-percent, and all others one-percent (Hunter, 1995, pp. 693-711).
India is a republic and frequently is referred to as the world's largest democracy. The country is comprised of 25 states and seven territories (Hunter, 1995, p. 695).
India is a parliamentary democracy. Thus, the lower house, Lok Sabha (House of the People), holds the supreme governmental power in the country. The nation's Prime Minister is elected by the Lok Sabha. Representatives to the Lok Sabha are elected by democratic vote (Hunter, 1995, p. 695).
From the time of the establishment of the republic in 1949, the Congress Party dominated the national government in India until the most recent general election which was held in May 1996. In the May 1996 election, no single party gained a majority in the Lok ...