(January
1990), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989), 13.917 (1988), 12.962 (1987), 12.611
(1986), 12.369 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

_*_Communications
_#_Railroads: 61,850 km total (1986); 33,553 km 1.676-meter broad
gauge, 24,051 km 1.000-meter gauge, 4,246 km narrow gauge (0.762 meter
and 0.610 meter); 12,617 km is double track; 6,500 km is electrified

_#_Highways: 1,633,300 km total (1986); 515,300 km secondary and
1,118,000 km gravel, crushed stone, or earth

_#_Inland waterways: 16,180 km; 3,631 km navigable by large vessels

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 3,497 km; refined products, 1,703 km; natural
gas, 902 km (1989)

_#_Ports: Bombay, Calcutta, Cochin, Kandla, Madras, New Mangalore,
Port Blair (Andaman Islands)

_#_Merchant marine: 308 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,087,451
GRT/10,150,460 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 8 passenger-cargo,
100 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 8 container, 54 petroleum, oils, and
lubricants (POL) tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 9 combination ore/oil,
115 bulk, 2 combination bulk

_#_Civil air: 93 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 345 total, 288 usable; 198 with permanent-surface
runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 57 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
88 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: poor domestic telephone service, international
radio communications adequate; 4,700,000 telephones; stations--96 AM,
4 FM, 274 TV (government controlled); domestic satellite system for
communications and TV; 3 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; submarine
cables to Malaysia and United Arab Emirates

_*_Defense Forces
_#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Border Security
Forces, Coast Guard, Assam Rifles

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 232,793,714; 137,259,444 fit
for military service; about 9,431,908 reach military age (17) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $9.2 billion, 3.5% of GNP (FY91)
_%_
_@_Indian Ocean
_*_Geography
_#_Total area: 73,600,000 km2; Arabian Sea, Bass Strait, Bay of
Bengal, Java Sea, Persian Gulf, Red Sea, Strait of Malacca, Timor Sea,
and other tributary water bodies

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than eight times the size of the
US; third-largest ocean (after the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean, but
larger than the Arctic Ocean)

_#_Coastline: 66,526 km

_#_Climate: northeast monsoon (December to April), southwest monsoon
(June to October); tropical cyclones occur