India is a country in South Asia and the second-most populous country in the world and the seventh largest by area. The subcontinent was home to the Indus Valley civilization in the third millennium BCE. In the sixteenth century, the Mughal Empire controlled the region, and the relative peace in the seventeenth century allowed economics and culture to flourish. The British East India Company began establishing trading outposts in the eighteenth century and eventually came to dominate the region. India fell under British rule and was considered the “jewel” of the British Empire. Though the Indian Rebellion of 1857 ultimately failed, India gained its independence from the United Kingdom in 1947, particularly with the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi. India is particularly famous for its landmarks the Taj Mahal, the Golden Temple, and the India Gate.