Agra, Delhi, Jaipur, Shimla, Udaipur

CAPITAL CITY OF India: New Delhi
LANGUAGE OF India: English
CURRENCY OF India: Indian rupee (INR)
COMMENTS ABOUT India:
India is the largest country in the Subcontinent and shares borders with Pakistan to the west, China and Nepal to the north, Bhutan to the north-east, and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east.
Cities : Delhi (capital), Bangalore, Chennai, Cochin, Jaipur, Kolkata, Mumbai, Shimla, Varanasi
Best Places : Bodh Gaya, Ellora, Ajanta, Goa, Golden Temple, Hampi, Khajuraho, Lake Palace, Meenakshi Temple, Taj Mahal
Electricity : 230V/50Hz, Indian/European plugs
Calling Code : +91
Time Zone : UTC+5.5
The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkish in the 12th were followed by European traders, beginning in the late 15th century. By the 19th century, Britain had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands. Indian armed forces in the British army played a vital role in both World Wars. Nonviolent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU led to independence in 1947. The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan. A third war between the two countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.
CLIMATE OF India: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
RELIGION OF India: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
POPULATION OF India: 1,065,070,607 (July 2004 est.)>>>
ECONOMY OVERVIEW OF India: India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services. Government controls have been reduced on foreign trade and investment, and privatization of domestic output has proceeded slowly. The economy has posted an excellent average growth rate of 6% since 1990, reducing poverty by about 10 percentage points. India is capitalizing on its large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language to become a major exporter of software services and software workers. Despite strong growth, the World Bank and others worry about the continuing public-sector budget deficit, running at approximately 60% of GDP.