India, officially the Republic of India, is the largest country in the Indian Subcontinent. It 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. Sri Lanka, the Maldives and Indonesia lie to the south-east in the Indian Ocean. India has two archipelagos: the Lakshadweep, coral atolls off India's south-western coast; and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, a volcanic chain in the Andaman Sea. It is the seventh largest country in the world by area and, with over a billion people, is second only to China in population. India is an extremely diverse country, with vast differences in geography, climate, culture, language and ethnicity across its expanse, and prides itself on being the largest democracy on Earth.
Gradually annexed by the British East India Company from the early eighteenth century and colonised by the United Kingdom from the mid-nineteenth century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by widespread nonviolent resistance.
Mountains, jungles, deserts and beaches, India has it all. It is bounded to the north, northeast and northwest by the snow-capped Himalayas, the tallest mountain range in the world. In addition to protecting the country from invaders, they also fed the perennial rivers Ganga, Yamuna (Jamuna) and Sindhu (Indus) on whose plains India's civilization flourished.
Befitting its size and population, India's culture and heritage is a rich amalgam of the past and the present: from the civilizations, fascinating religions, vast variety of languages and monuments that have been present for thousands of years to the modern technology, economy, and media that arises as the country opens up to a globalised world, India will never cease to awe and fascinate the visitor.
Whereas other Asian nations have seen the decline of traditional culture, Indians, particularly those away from the major cities, maintain their traditional way of life. Thus, traveling to India is very much an unforgettable experience, as it is in many ways confronting to Western notions. It is confronting when you set foot in Delhi, where pollution is likely to revolt you with its stench. And it is confronting when you notice Hindu's entrenched class system and ill-treated outcasts. But while India may send your Western ideas of humanity into torrents of outrage, it will also doubtlessly impress you with some of the less confronting aspects of Indian cultural heritage: the glorious Taj Mahal in Agra and dozens of other beautiful temples, the traditionally beautiful state of Kerala (often referred to as God's Own Country), rich cultural and architectural heritage in Rajasthan, Indians' love for cricket and a cuisine that is simply superb.
There are so many aspects to India's personality and it is definitely a place of extremes and strange contrasts. For this reason it can be an overwhelming place, but never dull or predictable. You never know what fascinating sight may confront or astound you around the next corner. It can be quite mind boggling at times so you definitely need to do your research before you go and keep an open mind, plus take a good travel guidebook with you for reference along the way.
India's coast is 7,517 kilometers (4,671 miles) long; of this distance, 5,423 km (3,370 mi) belong to peninsular India, and 2,094 km (1,301 mi) to the Andaman, Nicobar, and Lakshadweep Islands. So that India offers a wide range of tropical beaches with silver/golden sand to coral beaches of Lakshadweep. States like Kerala and Goa have exploited the potential of beaches to the fullest. However, there are a lot many unexploited beaches in states like Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat, Maharastra, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. These states have very high potential to be develop them as future destinations for prospective tourists.
According to World Travel and Tourism, tourism in India had the highest 10-year growth potential. The Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Report 2007 ranked tourism in India 6th in terms of price competitiveness and 39th in terms of safety and security. For example, India attracted about 4 million foreign tourists in 2006 who spent USD 8.9 billion. The tourism industry in India generated about USD 100 billion in 2008 and that is expected to increase to USD 275.5 billion by 2018 at a 9.4% annual growth rate.
General information
Continent:
Asia
Area:
3.29 million sq km (1.27 million sq mi)
Capital:
New Delhi
Government:
Federal republic
Population:
1.15 billion
Languages:
India has 22 official languages and 1,652 dialects. But if you can afford only one phrasebook, pick up the Hindi one, as it will enable you to get by in most of India. Hindi, spoken by 30% of the population, is the primary tongue of the people in Northern India. Many more people speak it as a second language. The exceptions are some states, most notably Tamil Nadu. Avoid speaking Hindi in Tamil Nadu, as the language is often met with varying degrees of hostility from the locals there.
English is widely spoken in major cities and around most tourist places, and acts as the lingua franca among all educated Indians. English has been spoken by Indians long enough that it has begun evolving its own rhythm, vocabulary, and inflection, much like French in Africa.
One of the most delightful quirks of Indian English is the language's adherence to Pre-1950s British English which may sound oddly formal to speakers in North America and Britain.
Bilingual Indians in informal conversation will often switch unpredictably between English and their native language when speaking to similar polyglots, thus effectively communicating in a hybridized language that relies on the listener's ability to speak both languages. This hybrid is sometimes referred to as 'Hinglish'. It seems that English and Hindi are indeed converging among the bilingual sections of society. While English, as a distinct language, is here to stay for now, it appears that it will eventually over hundreds of years be absorbed into the vast cultural fabric of the subcontinent.
English speaking Indians may also seem commanding to a westerner. You may hear "come here," "sit here," "drink this," "bring me that" which may sound direct and demanding to the point of being rude to northern Europeans and Americans, but is in no way meant to be impolite.
Religions:
Over 800 million Indians (80.5%) are Hindu. Other religious groups include Muslims (13.4%), Christians (2.3%), Sikhs (1.9%), Buddhists (0.8%), Jains (0.4%), Jews, Zoroastrians, Baha'is and others. Tribals constitute 8.1% of the population. India has the third-highest Muslim population in the world and has the highest population of Muslims for a non-Muslim majority country.
Time:
GMT +5:30
Currency:
Indian Rupee (INR)
Electricity:
230V / 50Hz, Indian (Old British) / European plugs
Calling Code:
+91
Internet Domain:
.in
Drives:
on the left
Visas:
Citizens of most countries with a few exceptions like Bhutan and Nepal need a visa to get in India. Depending on your purpose of visit, you can get a tourist visa (6 months), a business visa (6 months, one year or more, multiple entries) or a student visa (up to 5 years). A special 10 year visa (USD 150, business and tourist) is available to the US citizens only. Remember, that an Indian visa is valid from the day it is issued, not the date of entry. For example, a 6-month visa issued on January 1 will expire on June 30, regardless of your date of entry.
Many Indian embassies have outsourced visa processing in full or in part to third party companies, so check ahead before going to the embassy. In addition, many Indian embassies only offers visas to residents of that country: this means htat you should get your visa before you leave home, instead of trying to get in a neighboring country.
It is wise to ask for a multiple entry visa even if you aren't planning to use it - they cost the same, are handed out pretty liberally and come in handy if you decide last minute to dip into one of the neighboring countries.
Airports:
India's busiest airport and one of the main international gateways to the country is Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM). Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is the arrival point for many visitors into Delhi. The long-awaited new Bangalore (Bengaluru) International Airport (BLR) has been finally opened in May 2008. The airport is among India's busiest and most modern, with direct flights to many major European and Asian destinations. Hyderabad's new Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (HYD) is located at Shamshabad, 40 km away from the old airport at Begumpet, which is now closed. The new airport is one of the best aviation facilities in India and (as some people say) a real relief compared to the chaos of Delhi and Mumbai airports. Chennai (Madras) International Airport (MAA) is the third largest international gateway into the country. Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (CCU) connects Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) with South East Asia and receives some flights from Europe but is surprisingly small for a city of this size and hasn't been refurbished since the 1950s, although it is expected to be updated by 2011.
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This page was last edited at 16:43, May 04, 2009 by Koralex
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