India
The Republic of India (India)
India is situated in South Asia and its neighboring countries are Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma, China, Nepal and Pakistan. The Indian subcontinent is set apart from the other parts of Asia by the Himalayas, the highest mountain chain in the world.
India’s natural beauty, cultural exuberance and diversity, attracts tourists from all walks of life. Whether it’s the breath-taking temples of south India, Backwaters of Kerala, or even the mind-blowing Taj Mahal, India never stops surprising us. India is truly a country of vivacious culture, age old traditions, lush landscapes, delicious food and diversity. India continues to amaze all kinds tourists with it’s mesmerizing monuments, beguiling beaches, breathtaking mountain ranges, picturesque nature spots and serene sand dunes.
A couple of renowned tourist destinations in India today are Agra, Delhi, Himalayas, Kerala, Jaipur, Goa, Rajasthan and Maharashtra.
Other Important Information
The Taj Mahal is on the list of The New 7 Wonders of the World .
India has been ranked 5th amongst the 134 most liked tourist destinations in the world.
People: Indian
Currency: Indian Rupee
History
The Europeans arrived in India in the 1600s. They seized territories in India and were both friends and rivals among the rulers of India as they were greatly involved in political affairs. Eventually, the British managed to control almost all of India and as a result made the country one of their own colonies.
India Finally got its Independence in the year 1947. They managed to obtain it by fighting hard with the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi (A.K.A The father of the nation). As a result of the Independence, India became 2 countries. After becoming Independent, India has developed in leaps and bounds and is the world’s largest democracy.
Geography
India extends across an area of 32,87,2631 sq.kilometers and is entirely in the northern part of the hemisphere. India’s mainland measures three thousand two hundred and fourteen Kilometers (3214 km) between the north and south utmost latitudes and roughly about two thousand nine hundred and thirty three Kilometers (2933 km) from the east to the west between utmost longitudes. The country features a land frontier of roughly about fifteen thousand two hundred Kilometers (15200 km).
India is located amid 8º4' and 37º6' north of our Equator. The country is surrounded by the Arabian Sea in the west, the Bay of Bengal which is in the east and the Indian Ocean to the south. The whole length of the coastline of the mainland, the Lakshwadeep cluster of islands and the Andaman and Nicobar cluster of islands is around 7,516.5 kilometers.
Language
There are essentially eighteen (18) official languages and one thousand six hundred and fifty two (1652) dialects. Hindi is the common language spoken, though English is also used quite a lot.
Transportation
Air
The main international airports are Delhi, Mumbai (Bombay), Kolkata (Calcutta) and Chennai (Madras). The Other known international airports with fewer international flights are Bangalore, Ahmedabad and Kochi.
Rail
One of the best ways to observe India’s beauty is by traveling all across India in a train. The Indian railways is known as the largest rail channel in Asia. They are also the world's 2nd largest under a single management. The Indian Railways cover around 6,856 no. of stations everyday. Indian Railways are divided into 16 zones:
Central Railway - based in Mumbai CST
Eastern Railway – based in Kolkata
Northern Railway – based in New Delhi
North Eastern Railway – based in Gorakhpur
North East Frontier Railway – based in Maligaon, Guwahati
Southern Railway – based in Chennai
South Central Railway – based in Secunderabad
South Eastern Railway – based in Kolkata
Western Railway – based in Church Gate, Mumbai
South East Central Railway – based in Bilaspur
East Coast Railway – based in Bhubaneswar
North Central Railway – based in Allahabad
North Western Railway – based in Jaipur
South Western Railway – based in Hubli
West Central Railway – based in Jabalpur
South Western Railway – based in Hajipur
Road
There are two hundred and fifty nine National Highways in India. The National Highways assist in linking a large number of important towns and not to mention commercial hubs . They pass through the following well-known cities and also towns: Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Calcutta, Chennai, Chandigarh, Shimla, Jammu, Kullu, Kangra, Lukhnow, Gorakhpur, Amritsar, Agra, Bagdogra, Guwahati, Jorhat, Patna, Ranchi, Varanasi, Allahabad, Jaipur, Kanpur, Jodhpur, Gwalior, Udaipur, Vadodara, Bhopal, Rajkot, Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Aurangabad, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Indore, Bhubaneswar, Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Banglore, Manglore,Tirupati , Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, Coimbatore, and Thiruvanathapuram.
Tourist Attractions
Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri and Agra Fort in Agra. Lotus Temple, Jama Masjid and Qutub Minar in Delhi, Munnar Hill station, Kerala Backwaters and Ayurveda in Kerala. Darjeeling Toy Train and also Tea estates in Darjeeling. Beaches in Goa. Hawa Mahal and City Palace in Jaipur. Dal Lake, Kashmir, Himalayas, 5 major states within it. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Uttaranchal & North Eastern States.
Weather
India is generally known as a tropical country. There are 8 climatic zones in India and the monsoon season is common in all 8 zones. The general pattern of climate in India is as follows: Winter (January and February), Summer (March to May), Monsoon season (June to September) and post-monsoon season (October to December).
Food
India is known for being the only place in the world to create a revolution of sensory stimulation in meals. In fact, India’s cuisine is quite diversified with a range of recipes for various regions and also occasions . The two main categories of food in India are:
North Indian Food
As the name suggests, It is generally liked by the people who live in the north part of India. An ideal full North Indian meal will include “chapatis” or "rotis" which are basically unleavened bread that are baked, rice and a whole lot of curries, dals, vegetables, pickles, chutneys and not to mention curds. Common Desserts include shahi tukra (bread pudding), kulfi (nutty kind of ice cream) and Kheer ( some form of sweet rice pudding).
But when we really speak of desserts in India, The sweets from Bengal are simply mouth-watering. Some of the common desserts are gulab-jamun, rasagulla,rasamalai and sandesh.
South Indian Food
Food in south India is generally preferred by the people who live in the south part of India. Various forms of Rice are used in every meal. Rice is normally served with a thin kind of soup known as rasam. Sambhar is also another curry that is usually served. Vegetable curries ,other dry vegetables and pachadi(curd preparation) are quite commonly eaten with rice. The dosa of South Indian which is basically rice pancakes, idli which is basically steamed rice cakes and vada (made of fermented rice and dal) are very popular across the nation. One of the most significant ingredient in South Indian food is the Coconut.South Indian dosa (rice pancake), idli (rice cake that is steamed) and vada,(consists of fermented rice and dal) are quite popular all across the nation.The Famous dish from the state of Kerala is the appam which is basically rice pancakes with the combination of thick stews. Common Desserts from south india include payasum and the renowned Mysore pak.