India

The word “India” means a country in South Asia, officially the Republic of India, with New Delhi as its capital. In plain terms, the South Asian country home to over a billion people and a huge diversity of languages and cultures.

“India” is pronounced IHN-dee-uh (/ˈɪndi.ə/ in IPA).

Here is “India” used in a sentence: “India is the most populous country in the world.”

“India” is a name.

The word “India” comes from Latin. From Latin India, from Greek Indía, ultimately from the Indus river, whose name traces back to Sanskrit sindhu, "river.".

“India” is a very common word in modern English.

The capital of India is New Delhi, which sits within the larger metropolitan area of Delhi in the north of the country. It is the seat of the national government, home to Parliament, the President's residence, and the Supreme Court. Delhi is one of India's most populous urban areas.

They are two names for the same country. India is the English name, while Bharat is the ancient indigenous name, drawn from Sanskrit and used in Hindi and other Indian languages. The country's constitution opens with the words India, that is Bharat, recognising both as official.

India is the world's most populous country, with over 1.4 billion people, having overtaken China in 2023. Its population is also relatively young compared with many nations. This vast, diverse population spans hundreds of languages, religions, and cultures across its 28 states and eight union territories.

India is extraordinarily multilingual. Hindi and English serve as the official languages of the central government, and the constitution recognises 22 scheduled languages, including Bengali, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, and Urdu. In total, hundreds of languages and dialects are spoken across the country, varying widely from state to state.