Republic of India
 | |
|---|---|
| Republic of India
भारत गणराज्य Bhārat Gaṇarājya (Hindi) | |
| Astrography | |
|
Area: |
|
|
Capital: |
Ganga Planetary System |
| Sovereignty | |
|
Independence: |
1957 |
| Demographics | |
|
Languages: |
|
| Infrastructure | |
India, officially the Republic of India, is a Legacy Nation comprising the spinward edge of the Indian Arm, with the Ganga Planetary System as its capital. It is one of the most populous nations in the Orion Arm and its largest democracy. After its establishment as a federal republic in 1957, after periods of societal upheaval caused by the Evacuation Effort, India has become a rapidly developing major economy, making it a Potential Superpower. It is a Great Power, a member of the League of Nations and a founding member of the Non-Aligned Movement.
History
Pre-First Scinfaxi War
Modern humans arrived on the Indian subcontinent on Earth from Africa no later than 53,000 BCE. Settled life emerged on the subcontinent in the western margins of the Indus river basin around 7,000 BCE, evolving gradually into the Indus Valley Civilisation of 3000 BCE. By 1200 BCE, an archaic form of Sanskrit, an Indo-European language, had diffused into India from the northwest. Its hymns recorded the dawning of Hinduism in India. India's pre-existing Dravidian languages were supplanted in the northern regions. By 400 BCE, caste had emerged within Hinduism, and Buddhism and Jainism had arisen, proclaiming social orders unlinked to heredity. Early political consolidations gave rise to the loose-knit Maurya and Gupta Empires. In South India, the Middle kingdoms exported Dravidian language scripts and religious cultures to the kingdoms of Southeast Asia.
In the early mediaeval era, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism became established on India's southern and western coasts. Muslim armies from Central Asia intermittently overran India's northern plains. The resulting Delhi Sultanate drew northern India into the cosmopolitan networks of mediaeval Islam. In south India, the Vijayanagara Empire created a long-lasting composite Hindu culture. In the Punjab, Sikhism emerged, rejecting institutionalised religion. The Mughal Empire, in 1526, ushered in two centuries of relative peace, leaving a legacy of luminous architecture. Gradually expanding rule of the British East India Company followed. It turned India into a colonial economy but consolidated its sovereignty. British Crown rule began in 1858. The rights promised to Indians were granted slowly, but technological changes were introduced, and modern ideas of education and public life took root. A pioneering and influential nationalist movement emerged. Noted for nonviolent resistance it became the major factor in ending British rule. In 1947, the British Indian Empire was partitioned into two independent dominions, a Hindu-majority dominion of India and a Muslim-majority dominion of Pakistan. A large-scale loss of life and an unprecedented migration accompanied the partition.
Astropolitics
The Republic of India is one of three Great Powers within the Local Supercluster, along with the United Centauri Republic and the Federative Republic of Brazil. Its role within Orion astropolitics is defined by its strategic position bordering major translight routes, its emerging status as a major power, and a growing rivalry with Brazil. Its predominant role within the Movement gives it a great interstellar reach, amplified soft power.