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Many writers have described India as not a country but a continent. India is a huge land mass, that has a range of different climates and people, ranging from extreme cold - Himalayan mountain range to arid deserts of Rajeshthan.
There's not enough space write everything about India but here are some basic information that you may find useful.
Official Name | Bharat (Republic of India) |
Capital | New Delhi |
Flag | The colors of the Indian flag were taken from the flag of the Indian National Congress. Dark orange represents courage and sacrifice. Green represents faith, fertility, and chivalry. White represents truth and peace. The emblem in the center was added upon independence in 1947. It is a Buddhist dharma chakra, or wheel of life, used in India thousands of years ago. |
Anthem | "Jana-Gana-Mana-Adhinayaka, Jaya H" ("Thou Art the Ruler of the Minds of All People, Dispenser of India's Destiny")s |
Currency | Rupee Exchange Rate 35.43 rupees = U.S.$1 (2001) |
Government | Federal Republic Head of State President Elected by an electoral college to a five-year term Head of Government Prime minister Appointed by the president Legislature Bicameral legislature Lok Sabha (House of the People) 545 members Rajya Sabha (Council of States) 245 members Voting Qualifications Universal suffrage for all citizens age 18 and older Highest Court Supreme Court. |
Map of India |
Land
Area | 3,165,596 sq km (1,222,243 sq mi) |
Highest Point | Kanchenjunga 8598 m (28,209 ft) above sea level |
Lowest Point | Sea level along the coast |
Climate
Delhi | Mumbai | |
Average Temperatures | January 14° C 57° F July 32° C 88° F | January 24° C 76° F July 27° C 81° F |
Average Annual Precipitation | 640 mm (25 in) | 1810 mm (71 in) |
Population
Population | 1.2billion (2010 estimate) |
Largest Cities | Mumbai9,925,891 - Delhi 7,206,704 - Calcutta4,399,819 (1991 census) |
Languages
Official Languages | Hindi, English |
Other Languages | Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Kannada, Kashmiri, Konkani, Malayalam, Manipuri, Marathi, Nepali, Oriya, Punjabi, Sanskrit, Sindhi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu; many other languages and dialects |
Religions
Hinduism | 82% |
Islam | 12% |
Sikhism | 2% |
Christianity | 2% |
Buddhism and Jainism | 1% |
Economy
Gross Domestic Product (GDP) | $356.0 billion (1996 estimate) |
Chief Economic Products | Agriculture Sugarcane, rice, wheat, tea, cotton, jute, vegetables, melons, sorghum, millet, cashews, coffee, spices, livestock Fishing Shrimps and prawns, croakers, Indian oil sardines, Bombay ducks, anchovies, Indian mackerel, marine catfish Mining Iron ore, coal, bauxite, manganese, mica, dolomite, copper, petroleum, natural gas, chromium, lead, limestone, phosphate rock, zinc, gold, silver Manufacturing Textiles, iron and steel, processed agricultural products, machinery, transportation equipment, nonferrous metals, fertilizer, refined petroleum, chemicals, computer software |
Employment
64%Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing 20%Services 16%Industry Major Exports
Gems and jewelry, engineering goods, garments, chemicals and pharmaceuticals, cotton yarn and fabrics, leather and leather goods, marine products, iron ore, tea, vegetables and fruit, petroleum products, handmade carpets.
Major Imports
Petroleum and petroleum products, nonelectric machinery, precious and semiprecious stones, inorganic chemicals, iron and steel, fertilizers, electrical machinery, resins and plastics.
Major Trading Partners
United States, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong
Armed Services Army, Navy, Air Force 1,145,000 troops; voluntary service
Political Divisions 26 states and six union territories
Education
Major Universities and Colleges
University of Bombay Mumbai
University of Calcutta Calcutta
University of Madras Chennai
University of Delhi Delhi
Important dates
Dates | Events |
2500 BC | Civilization sprang up in the Indus River valley |
1500 BC | Aryan tribes invaded India and settled mainly in the Punjab region of India. Their arrival set off a series of wars. |
326 BC | Alexander the Great began to conquer India before his own troops forced him to turn back. |
321 BC | Chandragupta founded the Mauryan Empire. India's first empire, it grew to encompass nearly all of the Indian subcontinent before disintegrating in the 2nd century BC. |
about AD 100-450 | Sanskrit culture thrived under the Kushan Empire, and later under the Gupta Empire. Trade with the Middle East and the Roman Empire greatly enriched India. |
510 | Invading Huns destroyed Gupta power in India. |
1175 | about 1200 Islamic invaders from Afghanistan overran much of northern India. They founded the Delhi Sultanate. |
1398 | The Mongol conqueror Tamerlane sacked Delhi. The Delhi Sultanate split into small warring kingdoms. |
1498 | The Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama arrived at Calicut. Portugal soon dominated Indian Ocean trade. |
1526 | Babur, a central Asian Turk, founded the Mughal Empire. Art and architecture flourished, producing such monuments as Agra's Taj Mahal. |
1600 | The English East India Company was founded and quickly established trading posts in India. |
1739 | The Persian king Nadir Sah invaded India and plundered Delhi, critically weakening the Mughal Empire. |
1757 | English East India Company forces under Robert Clive won control of Bengal at the Battle of Plassey. The company soon expanded its control over much of the Indian Peninsula. |
1857-1859 | The Sepoy Rebellion erupted. Indian forces massacred British residents at Delhi, Lucknow, and many other places. British forces crushed the revolt, and the British government exiled the Mughal emperor and assumed direct control of India. |
1885 | The Indian National Congress was founded, marking the beginning of the Indian independence movement. |
1919 | British forces killed more than 400 Indians and wounded over 1200 in the Amritsar Massacre. |
1920-1921 | Mohandas Gandhi introduced nonviolent tactics that transformed the Indian independence movement into a popular campaign. |
1947 | British India was divided into the independent states of India and Pakistan. Jawaharlal Nehru became India's first prime minister. War broke out between India and Pakistan over the territory of Jammu and Kashmir |
1948 | Mohandas Gandhi was assassinated. |
1949 | India and Pakistan signed a cease-fire agreement that divided Jammu and Kashmir into two sectors, but the status of the region remained unresolved. |
1965 | Indo-Pak war |
1971 | Indo-Pak war 2 |
1974 | India exploded an atomic bomb, and as the first South Asian nation to do so, altered the balance of power in South Asia. |
1984 | Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by Sikh members of her security guard. |
1990s | Tensions increased between India and Pakistan over the continuing conflict in Jammu and Kashmir. |
1996 | Elections swept the Congress Party, which had dominated India's government since independence, from power. The Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party captured the highest number of parliament seats. No party won a majority, making a coalition government necessary. |
1999 | India tests series of Atomic bombs, tension increases as Pakistan exploded atomis bomb |
2001 | A huge eaarthquakes rocks Gujarat, killing over 20 thousand and injurying many hundreds of thousands, totally wiping out the city of Bhuj, village of Anjar and many more. India's wost natural disaster, captures the world attention. |