India is a 5,000 year old civilization with over 1.3 billion people and a $576 billion economy. It is the world's largest democracy and fourth largest economy. India has a diverse landscape with 18 official languages and is a world leader in many industries such as information technology, pharmaceuticals, and automobiles. Major foreign multi-national companies like General Electric, IBM, and Intel have large research and development centers in India, taking advantage of its skilled workforce.