India
India is a country in South Asia which comprises most of the Indian subcontinent. India has a coastline which stretches for over seven thousand kilometres. The world's largest democracy and the second most populous country, behind China, has emerged as a major power after a period of foreign rule by the UK and several decades during which its economy was virtually closed.
India has a rich and unique cultural heritage, and has actively preserved its established traditions throughout history. It has also absorbed customs from both invaders and immigrants. Many cultural practices and monuments, such as the Taj Mahal and other Islamic architecture, have been inherited. Indian society is largely pluralist, multilingual and multicultural. Religious practices of various faiths are an integral part of everyday life in society. Education is highly regarded by members of every socio-economic stratum.
India produces the world's highest number of films annually. The most recognizable face is that of Bollywood, based in Mumbai, which produces mainly commercial Hindi films1. Bollywood has a major influence on popular culture in India and also in parts of the Middle East, parts of Africa and South Asia.
| Offical Name | Bharat (Hindi); Federal Republic of India (English) |
| Capital: | New Delhi |
| Government type: | Multiparty Federal Republic |
| Head of Govt. | Prime Minister (has the most powers) |
| Head of State | President |
| Population: | 1,080,264,388 (July 2005 est. - UN) |
| Languages: | Hindi & English are official national languages; other languages recognized by Indian constitution: Assamese, Bengali, Bodo, Dogri, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Maithili, Malayalam, Marathi, Meitei, Nepali, Oriya, Eastern Panjabi, Sanskrit, Santali, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu.2 |
| Ethnicity: | Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000) |
| Official Currency: | Indian Rupee - INR |
| Climate: | a tropical climate that is dominated by the Asiatic monsoons with four fairly distinct seasons which are common to all six or seven climatic regions. |
| National Holiday: | 15 August 1947 (from UK) |
| Religion: | 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other |
| Area: | 3.1 million sq km (1.2 million sq miles), excluding Indian-administered Kashmir (100,569 sq km/38,830 sq miles) 3 |
| Country Dial Code: | 91 |
1. Reference.com
2. Information from Ethnologue, CIA fact book and G. Morrison
3. BBC (UK)
Top Destinations in India
New Delhi | Himalayas | Agra (Taj
Mahal) | Kerala (beaches) | Gujarat |
Bangalore | Calcutta | Goa | Jaipur | Mumbai |
Rajasthan | Udaipur