India is a country located in much of South Asia. Its capital is New Delhi that was built in the 20th century. Its government is a constitutional republic representing a very diverse people with thousands of ethnic groups and possibly hundreds of languages. Do you know, India is the second most populous country, after China!
It is known from archaeological evidence that the most complex urban culture - Indus civilization - dominated the northwestern part of the continent from about 2600 to 2000 BCE. From then on, India served as an independent political and cultural center, producing a unique culture associated with it. Especially Hinduism, the roots of which were closely followed by Indus civilization. Other religions, especially Buddhism and Jainism, originated in India - though their existence is relatively small - and over the centuries the residents of the South African continent developed a rich life in fields like mathematics, astronomy, literature, music, and fine arts.
Population: 1.2 billion people
Total area: 1.269 million sq. Km. Miles (3.287 million sq. Km)
Major cities : Mumbai (Bombay), Delhi, Bangalore, Kolkata (Calcutta), Chennai (Madras), Hyderabad, Ahmedabad
Currency: Indian rupee
India has 28 States and 8 Union Territories
States and Capitals of India
|
S.No |
State |
Capital |
|
1 |
Andhra Pradesh |
Hyderabad |
|
2 |
Arunachal Pradesh |
Itanagar |
|
3 |
Assam |
Dispur |
|
4 |
Bihar |
Patna |
|
5 |
Chhattisgarh |
Raipur |
|
6 |
Goa |
Panaji |
|
7 |
Gujarat |
Gandhinagar |
|
8 |
Haryana |
Chandigarh |
|
9 |
Himachal Pradesh |
Shimla |
|
10 |
Jharkhand |
Ranchi |
|
11 |
Karnataka |
Bangalore |
|
12 |
Kerala |
Thiruvananthapuram |
|
13 |
Madhya Pradesh |
Bhopal |
|
14 |
Maharashtra |
Mumbai |
|
15 |
Manipur |
Imphal |
|
16 |
Meghalaya |
Shillong |
|
17 |
Mizoram |
Aizawl |
|
18 |
Nagaland |
Kohima |
|
19 |
Odisha |
Bhubaneswar |
|
20 |
Punjab |
Chandigarh |
|
21 |
Rajasthan |
Jaipur |
|
22 |
Sikkim |
Gangtok |
|
23 |
Tamil Nadu |
Chennai |
|
24 |
Telangana |
Hyderabad |
|
25 |
Tripura |
Agartala |
|
26 |
Uttar Pradesh |
Lucknow |
|
27 |
Uttarakhand |
Dehradun |
|
28 |
West Bengal |
Kolkata |
Union Territories and Capitals of India
|
Union Territories |
Capital |
|
Andaman and Nicobar Islands |
Port Blair |
|
Chandigarh |
Chandigarh |
|
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu |
Daman |
|
Delhi |
New Delhi |
|
Jammu and Kashmir |
Srinagar |
|
Lakshadweep |
Kavaratti |
|
Puducherry |
Pondicherry |
|
Ladakh |
Leh |
Politics and Democracy in India
India became the world's largest democracy when it embraced the power of all adults in 1951 following the enactment of the Constitution of the “Divine Democratic Republic and Union of States” of India on January 26, 1950.
Independence
In the second half of the 19th century, Indians became increasingly politically aware. During World War I, Great Britain received a lot of support from the Indians. They hoped that, after the end of the war, they would be given the status of "sovereign", which would make them part of the British Empire. However, this did not happen. As a result, nationalism in India continued to grow.
In 1919, Mahatma Gandhi emerged as the leader of an Indian national organization. Despite the British efforts to put an end to the revolution, the non-violent protests by the Gandhi-led protesters and other figures eventually led to India's independence on August 15, 1947. British India was divided into India and Pakistan. This led to several battles between the two, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands of people.
The tongue
India's constitution officially recognizes 21 languages. Apart from those, another 392 (local) languages are used in India, the official languages. Hindi is the most widely used language in India, which is still only used by 40% of the population. In most of the scientific and legal texts in India, English is spoken, which is spoken by about 12 percent of the population. Tourists and business travelers can control themselves in English in many places. However, it is recommended that an interpreter be used when deviating from tourist attractions and businesses.
Money
India uses Indian Rupee (INR). Overseas bank transfers and credit cards are accepted in most areas, but many Indians prefer cash. Cash withdrawals in India are cheaper by using your payment card at an Indian cashier. When withdrawing rupees, choose "without conversion", which is less expensive as the exchange rate will be determined by your bank, not the bank from which you are withdrawing money.
Most fundraisers can be found in urban areas, but they can be scarce in rural areas, so keep this in mind. Note: to avoid fraud, many banks have made their cards invalid in India. Please note and modify this yourself, which can usually be done online with your bank.
Caste program
The UN describes the class system in India as “work-based discrimination against ancestors”. Although the caste system exists or is present in many countries, it is nowhere to be found as in India. The community is divided into sections divided into thousands of different castes (different in each region), numbered from top to bottom.
According to Hindu mythology, the stage at which a person is born depends on his karma accumulated in past lives, which manifest itself in certain families with a specific list. The official status of Dalit (casteless) and Shudra (the lowest class) was abolished in 1949.
However, the resistance to the transformation of the Indian people is so strong that in fact, a large number are placed on the descent and (earlier) family class. Because of this, it is almost impossible for people from the lower class to have a job, which is said to be compensated by earning a higher degree in the next life.
Culture
India is very poor, and the gap between rich and poor is huge. However, poverty in India is declining rapidly; in 1993, 45% of Indians had to make less than $ 3.10 a day (= ± £ 960 a year). In the urban areas of India, more is on average than in rural areas, but due to the high cost of living in the city there is very little difference in purchasing power.
India has a growing number of rich people, living mainly in cities. For example, Mukesh Ambani, the richest man in India and the richest man who still lives, lives in Mumbai in a 700-pound apartment building.