USEFUL BUSINESS INFORMATION ON INDIA

1. Country Brief:

A. Introduction -  One-third the area of the United States, the Republic of India occupies most of the subcontinent of India in southern Asia. It borders on China in the northeast. Other neighbors are Pakistan on the west, Nepal and Bhutan on the north, and Burma and Bangladesh on the east.

The country can be divided into three distinct geographic regions: the Himalayan region in the north, which contains some of the highest mountains in the world, the Gangetic Plain, and the plateau region in the south and central part. Its three great river systems—the Ganges, the Indus, and the Brahmaputra—have extensive deltas and all rise in the Himalayas.

B. Climate -  India has three major seasons - winter - summer and the monsoon. Winter months (November-March) are bright and pleasant, with snowfall in the northern hills. Summer time (April-June) is hot in most parts of India, and it is then that the numerous hill resorts provide cool retreat. During the monsoon, rainfall is heavy along the west coast between June and September, and along the east coast between mid-October and December.

C. Geographical Area - 1,147,949 sq mi (2,973,190 sq km); total area: 1,269,346 sq mi (3,287,590 sq km)

D. Language - Hindi 30%, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Sanskrit, Sindhi

E. Currency With Exchange Rate – Indian Rupees

1.00 INR = 0.0244150 USD

F. Population - (2006 est.): 1,095,351,995

G. Major Cities – Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Kanpur

2. Transportation:

A. Railway - 63,230 km

B. Road - Total: 2,525,989 km, Paved: 1,448,655 km, Unpaved: 077,334 km (1999).

C. Airports - 333 (2004 est.).

D. Waterways - 14,500 km

E. Sea ports - Chennai, Haldia, Jawaharal Nehru, Kandla, Kolkata (Calcutta), Mumbai (Bombay), New Mangalore, Vishakhapatnam.

2. Economy:

A. Major Manufacturing -

B. Major Export - $76.23 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather manufactures.

C. Major Import - $113.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): crude oil, machinery, gems, fertilizer, chemicals.

E. Major Industry - textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, software.

F. Trade balance -

4. Trade Associations, Chamber of Commerce, Trade shows and Exhibitions in India:

Major Trade Associations

A) Automotive Tyre Manufacturers' Association.
Address PHD House
4th Floor
Siri Fort Institutional Area
Opp. Asian Games Village
New Delhi
India
Phone: +(91)-(11)-6851187/6864799
Fax: +(91)-(11)-6864799
E-mail: atma@nda.vsnl.net.in

B) Automotive Components Manufacturers' Association of India
Address 6th Floor
The Capital Court,
Olof Palme Marg, Munirka,
New Delhi 110 067.
India
Phone: +(91)-(11)-6160315/6175873/6184479
Fax: 991)-(11)-6160317
E-mail: acma@vsnl.com
Website: www.acmainfo.com

Chamber of Commerce

Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry
PO Box 236
Indian Chamber Road
Mattancherry
Cochin - 682002.
Kerala
Tel: 0091 - 484 - 2224335 / 2225966 / 2227230
Fax: 0091 - 484 - 2224203
Grams: INDCHAMBER
Send E-Mail: mail@iccicochin.com

Major Trade Shows

Automobile Expo 2007

Start Date: 2007, September 07

End Date: 2007, September 09

Venue: Peoples Plaza, Hyderabad, India

Event Profile          : Automobile Expo, a specialized trade show which focus exclusively on the Automobile industry. The objective of this exposition is to act as a comprehensive resource for the industry, its members, prospective business visitors and customers by providing in depth information about the industry and the latest trends influencing its progress.

Organizer:          Villart Expositions

North India Auto Show

Start Date: 2007, October 26

End Date: 2007, October 29

Venue: Punjab Agricultural University grounds, Ludhiana, India

Event Profile:

North India Auto Show is an exclusive showcase of the indian & punjab Automobile Industry. The Indian Automobile Industry is undergoing rapid trasformation and is experiencing unprecedented growth. Punjab Auto Show will be a great place to present your exciting products, services, technologies. Your products will come alive in front of your target audience in an exciting one-to-one marketing environment on the floor of Punjab Auto Shows.

Organizer: Four Square Media Private Limited, Delhi

5. Useful Links

Indian Importers, Dealers of Japanese Used Cars, Construction Machinery & Auto Parts