India Flag

The flag of India consists of three horizontal bands, from top to bottom, of Indian saffron, white, and India green. The Ashoka Chakra is pictured in the center of the white band in navy blue. This symbol is a 24 spoke wheel that has held cultural importance in the region for centuries. The flag became the official national banner on 15 August 1947 after being approved during a meeting of the Constituent Assembly in July of the same year.

The colors of the flag of India have deep symbolic meaning within the culture and society of the nation. The Indian saffron (orange color) is a symbol of Hinduism, courage, and sacrifice of the Indian people to gain independence. Green is a symbol of Islam (also used in neighboring Pakistan's flag) and faith while white is a color used to symbolize the commitment of the coexistence of Hinduism and Islam in the same country. The Ashoka Chakra has appeared in ancient scripts and artefacts dating back to the third century B.C, it is also a recognized symbol of self-sufficiency and an independent India.

The design of the flag was heavily inspired by a flag that Gandhi had proposed to the Indian National Congress in 1921. This flag was designed by Pingali Venkayya, a well-known independence advocate in Indian history, and sought to bring unity of ethnicities and religions through the national symbol as important as a flag. This flag began as a red and green bi-color, but the white was added for the other religions in the country and the Ashoka Chakra was added in 1947.

The flag of British India consisted of the Union Jack in the upper-left corner and an insignia of the Order of the Star of India on the right-hand side, this flag was used from 1880-1947. The Swaraj Flag, adopted by the Indian National Congress in 1931, was inspired by the 1921 flag of Venkayya and as used to represent the independence movement. Other flags such as the Calcutta Flags (raised in 1906 and 1907) were common as a symbol of protest against British rule.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	New Delhi
Languages	Hindi 41%, Bengali 8.1%, Telugu 7.2%, Marathi 7%, Tamil 5.9%, Urdu 5%, Gujarati 4.5%, Kannada 3.7%, Malayalam 3.2%, Oriya 3.2%, Punjabi 2.8%, Assamese 1.3%, Maithili 1.2%, other 5.9%
Ethnic Groups	Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Religion	Hindu 79.8%, Muslim 14.2%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.7%, other and unspecified 2% (2011 est.)
Government	Federal parliamentary republic
Independance	15 August 1947 (from the UK)
Area	3,287,263.00 km²
Water Area	314,070.00 km²
Land Area	2,973,193.00 km²
Population	1,266,883,598.00 With the notable exception of the deserts in the northwest, including the Thar Desert, and the mountain fringe in the north, a very high population density exists throughout most of the country; the core of the population is in the north along the banks of the Ganges, with other river valleys and southern coastal areas also having large population concentrations
Location	Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan
No. Bordering Countries	6
Bordering Countries	Bangladesh 4,142 km, Bhutan 659 km, Burma 1,468 km, China 2,659 km, Nepal 1,770 km, Pakistan 3,190 km
GDP(PPP)	$8,720,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$6,700.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are petroleum products, precious stones, and vehicles.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, Saudi Arabia, and Switzerland.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include crude oil, precious stones, machinery, and chemicals.
Climate	Varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Terrain	Upland plain (Deccan Plateau) in south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges, deserts in west, Himalayas in north
Learn More	India

India Flag

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