Cities India
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Country information |
country code: IN
continent: Asia
capital: New Delhi
languages: Hindi, English, other languages
EU membership: no
NATO membership: no
GSM: 900/1800
GPS: 20 00 N, 77 00 E
electricity: 230V/50Hz
currency:
Indian Rupee: INR
1INR = 0.022 USD
1INR = 0.017 EUR
phone code:
+91-11
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Travel advices and warnings India
Tourism |
Tourism in India is the largest service industry, with a contribution of 6. 23% to the national GDP and 8. 78% of the total employment in India. India witnesses more than 17. 9 million annual foreign tourist arrivals and 740 million domestic tourism visits. The tourism industry in India generated about 100 US$ billion in 2008 and that is expected to increase to US$275. 5 billion by 2018 at a 9. 4% annual growth rate. [1] In the year 2010, 17. 9 million foreign tourists visited India. Majority of foreign tourists come from USA and UK. Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are the top 5 states to receive inbound tourists. [2] Domestic tourism in the same year was massive at 740 million. Andhra Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra received the big share of these visitors. [3][4] Ministry of Tourism is the nodal agency to formulate national policies and programmes for the development and promotion of tourism. In the process, the Ministry consults and collaborates with other stakeholders in the sector including various Central Ministries/agencies, the State Governments/ union Territories and the representatives of the private sector. |
Culture |
India's languages, religions, dance, music, architecture, food and customs differ from place to place within the country, but nevertheless possess a commonality. India is the only country in the world to have so many religions and beliefs. The culture of India is an amalgamation of these diverse sub-cultures spread all over the Indian subcontinent and traditions that are several millennia old. [1]
Regarded by many historians as the "oldest living civilization of Earth", the Indian tradition dates back to 8000 BC[2] and has a continuous recorded history since the time of the Vedas, believed variously to be 3, 000 to over 5, 500 years ago. [3] Several elements of India's diverse culture — such as Indian religions, yoga and Indian cuisine — have had a profound impact across the world. |
Cuisine |
Indian cuisine consists of thousands of regional cuisines which date back to thousands of years, it was also influenced by the British when they were ruling India during the pre-independence period, The dishes of India are characterized by the extensive use of various Indian spices, herbs, vegetables and fruit. It is also known for the widespread practice of vegetarianism in Indian society. Each family of Indian cuisine includes a wide assortment of dishes and cooking techniques. As a consequence, it varies from region to region, reflecting the varied demographics of the ethnically-diverse subcontinent.
Hindu beliefs and culture have played an influential role in the evolution of Indian cuisine. However, cuisine across India also evolved as a result of the subcontinent's large-scale cultural interactions with Mongols and Britain making it a unique blend of some various cuisines. The spice trade between India and Europe is often cited as the main catalyst for Europe's Age of Discovery. The colonial period introduced European cooking styles to India, adding to the flexibility and diversity of Indian cuisine. Indian cuisine has influenced cuisines across the world, especially those from Southeast Asia and the Caribbean. |
Climate |
Analyzed according to the Köppen system, the climate of India resolves into six major climatic subtypes; these give rise to desert in the west, alpine tundra and glaciers in the north, humid tropical regions supporting rain forests in the southwest, and island territories flanking the Indian subcontinent. Regions have starkly different—yet tightly clustered—micro climates. The nation is largely subject to four seasons: winter (January and February), summer (March to May), a monsoon (rainy) season (June to September), and a post-monsoon period (October to December). |
Language |
The languages of India belong to several language families, the major ones being the Indo-European languages—Indo-Aryan (spoken by 72% of Indians) and the Dravidian languages (spoken by 25% of Indians). [1] Other languages spoken in India belong to the Austro-Asiatic, Tibeto-Burman, and a few minor language families and isolates. |
Shopping |
India is a shopper's paradise. You'll find everything from clothes to ceramics, and metal work to musical instruments. The only problem is how to get all your purchases back home! Read on to discover what to buy and where to shop 'til you drop. |
Costs |
If you stay in cheap hotels, always travel 2nd class on trains and learn to subsist on dhal and rice, you could see India on just US$10 a day. If you prefer a few more creature comforts, like a simple private room with a bathroom, a varied diet, and occasional 1st class rail travel on long journeys, count on around US$20-25 a day. Staying in mid-range hotels, eating in decent restaurants, and occasionally hiring a car and driver will cost around US$30-35 a day. If you don't want to trespass beyond converted maharaja's palaces, and five-star international hotels, budget as if you were travelling comfortably in the West. |
Currency |
The Indian Rupee is the original official currency of India. The English translation of "Rupee" is "silver, " and the name exists because it was previously a silver coin. This very fact had severe consequences in the 19th century, when the strongest economies in the world were on the gold standard. The discovery of vast quantities of silver in the U. S. and various European colonies resulted in a decline in the relative value of silver to gold. |
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From wikipedia about India
India, officially the Republic of
India (भारत गणराज्य '; see also official names of
India), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1. 2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast, it shares land borders with
Pakistan to the west;
Bhutan, the People s Republic of
China and
Nepal to the northeast; and
Bangladesh and Burma to the east. In the Indian Ocean,
India is in the vicinity of
Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with
Thailand and
Indonesia.
Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilization and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by the British East
India Company from the early 18th century and colonized by the
United Kingdom from the mid-19th century,
India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence which was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.
The Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest economy by nominal GDP and fourth largest economy by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991,
India has become one of the fastest growing major economies, and is considered a newly industrialized country; however, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption and inadequate public health. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks tenth in military expenditure among nations.
India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. It is one of the 5 BRICS nations.
India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.