Country Name | Conventional long form - Republic of India Conventional Short form – India |
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Sanskrit Name | “Bharat” the name of a legendary king in the epic Mahabharat |
States & Union Territories: | States (29) Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Telangana, Uttarakhand , Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal Union Territories (7) Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Delhi, Daman and Diu, Lakshadweep, Pondicherry |
Capital | New Delhi |
Government Type | Federal Republic (Largest Democracy in the world) |
Location | Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and Pakistan |
Area | 3,287,263 sq. km. |
Latitude | Between 8 4' and 37 6' North |
Longitude | Between 68 7' and 97 25' East |
Coastline | 7516.5 (including Lakshadweep and Andaman Nicobar Islands) |
Land Frontier | 15,200 km |
Highest Mountain Range | Himalayas (altitude more than 7500 m) |
Highest Mountain Peak | K2 (8,611 above sea level) |
Largest River Basin | Ganga - Brahmaputra Basin |
Father of the Nation | Mahatma Gandhi |
Independence on | 15 August 1947 |
Constitution Laid on | 26 January 1950 |
Religion | 80% Hindu; 14% Muslim; 2.4% Christian; 2% Sikh; 1.6% Others |
Main Gateways | Delhi (North Zone), Mumbai (West Zone),Kolkatta (East Zone), Chennai (South Zone) |
Data Code | IN |
International Dialing Code | +91 |
City Dialing Codes | Delhi-11, Mumbai-22, Kolkatta-33, Chennai-44, Bangalore-80 |
Currency | Indian Rupee (INR) , 100 paise = 1 INR |
International Airports | Amritsar, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Ahmedabad, Goa, Kolkatta, Mumbai, New Delhi, Thiruvantapuram & Varanasi |
Parliament Elections | Every 5 years |
Population | 1,147,995,898 |
Males | 591,681,864 |
Females | 556,314,014 |
Best Season to visit | Comfortable and Cooler Months - October to March Hill Station experience - April to June Humid Weather - July to September |
Time Zone | GMT +5 ½ hours |
Popular Tourist Destinations | Delhi, Agra, Rajasthan, Goa, Kerala to Visit for first timers |
Financial Year | 01 April to 31 March |
Languages | Hindi - National Language |
English | Widely Spoken 15 languages specified in Eighth Schedule of the Constitution |
Literacy | 59.5% ( Male : 70.2% ; Female : 48.3% ) |
Legislative Council | Rajya Sabha (Council of States) Lok Sabha (House of the People) |
National Flag | Horizontal tricolour of deep saffron at the top, white in the middle and dark green at the bottom in equal proportions. In the centre of the white band is Ashoka Chakra with 24 spokes in navy blue |
National Emblem | Adaptation of the Lion capital of Ashoka |
National Anthem | Jana-Gana-Mana |
National Calender | The national calender of India is based on the Sake Era with Chaitra as its first month and a normal year of 365 days. The national calender of India was adopted on March 22nd 1957. Dates of the Indian national calender have a permanent correspondence with the Gregorian calender date - 1 Chaitra falling on 22 March normally and on 21 March in leap year |
National Bird | Indian Peacock |
National Animal | Tiger |
We are sure that you will be amazed by Indian scenery ranging from snow-capped mountain ranges to deserts, plains, tropical rain forests, hills, and highlands. An area of 3.3 million Sq. Km it is the seventh largest country in the world. It consists of twenty-nine states and seven Union Territories. India is also the second largest populous country in the world, next to China. Its population is around 1317 million. Around 17% of the world’s population lives in India. However, regarding area, India accounts for only 2.42% of the total world area.
India is bordered by Pakistan the north-west, China, Bhutan and Nepal to the north, Myanmar to the east and Bangladesh to the east of West Bengal. Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia are island nations to the south of India. Bay of Bengal in the east is surrounding the country, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean in the south.
North India, is the country's largest region. It begins with Jammu and Kashmir, a dynamic area with terrain varying from arid mountains in the far north to the lake country and forests near Srinagar and Jammu. Falling south along the Indus river valley, the North becomes flatter and more hospitable, widening into the fertile plains of Punjab to the west and the Himalayan foothills of Uttar Pradesh and the Ganges river valley to the East. Cramped between these two states is the capital city, Delhi. The southwestern extremity of the North is the large state of Rajasthan, whose principal features are the Thar Desert and the stunning "pink city" of Jaipur. To the southeast is southern Uttar Pradesh and Agra, home of the famous Taj Mahal.
West India contains the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and part of the massive, central state of Madhya Pradesh. The west coast extends from the Gujarat down to Goa, and it is lined with some of India's best beaches. The land along the coast is typically lush, with rainforests reaching southward from Bombay all the way to into Goa. A long mountain chain, the Western Ghats, separates the verdant coast from the Vindya Mountains and the dry Deccan plateau further inland.
East India begins with the states of Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, which comprise the western most part of the region. East India also contains an area known as the eastern triangle, which is entirely distinct. This is the last gulp of land that extends beyond Bangladesh, culminating in the Naga Hills along the Burmese border.
South India, begins with the Deccan in the north and ends with Cape Comorin, where Hindus believe that bathing in the waters of the three oceans will wash away their sins. The states in South India are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Kerala, a favorite leisure destination. The southeast coast, mirroring the west, also rests snugly beneath a mountain range---the Eastern Ghats.
India, also popularly known as Bharat or Hindustan, offers big regional variations in its climate, from cool mountain beside the glaciers, through windy plateau, to warm river valleys and burning deserts. This diversity in the climatic conditions throughout the country is also reflected in its rich flora and fauna.