KEY DATA OF INDIA:
Official Name: Bharat (Hindi)
Republic of India (English)
Area: 3,166.414 km²
Population: 1.129.866.000 (2007)
Official Languages: Hindi, English
Main Cities: New Dehli (capital)
Mumbai, Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai,
Ahmadabad, Pune, Hyderabad,
Kanpur, Surat, Jaipur
Per Capita income (per day): 2,6 $
Currency: Indian rupee
1 Re = 100 paise
1 $ = 43,7 Rupees (Rs)
LAND:
India is the 7th largest country on the world. It is located in South Asia on the
Indian subcontinent. It`s about 3.000 km wide and has a shore-line of about
7.000 km because of its peninsular shape.
The neighbour countries are Pakistan, China (mostly Tibet), Nepal, Bhutan,
Bangladesh and Myanmar (former Burma). Some of these borders are
disputed. Indian`s seventh neighbor is the island Sri Lanka.
Northeast India is isolated from the rest of the nation by the country Bangladesh.
It also includes the Andamas and Nicobar islands (east) and the
Lakshadweep Island (west).
It`s total land area is equal to one-third that of the USA.
The name “India” derives from the Indus River, not so known, but also an
official name is “Bharat”. It`s the secondmost populated country in the world.
India was not always attached to Asia. It was once a separate landmass, which
drifted northward and collided with Southern Asia about 40 million years ago.
It was that collision, which raised the Himalayas. India is still thrusting into
Asia, so the mountains are still rising.
India can be devided into three main topographic regions:
1.) The Himalayan mountain system on the north
2.) The Northern Plains with the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers
in north central India
3.) The Peninsular India in the south
1.) The Himalayas are parts of India`s borderline with Pakistan, Afghanistan
and Tibet in the west and with Nepal, Bhutan and Tibet in the east. The
highest mountains are in the Karakoram Range, where more than 30 peaks
rise above 7.300 m. South of the Karakoram are the Great Himalayas,
with “Nanda Devi” (7.817 m), the highest peak in the country.
Himalaya means “the land of snow”. The melting snow from these mountains tops
creates the three big rivers of the Indo-Gangetic-Plain.
2.) These Northern Plains have a length of about 1.600 km from east to west and are
320 km wide. This lowland is drained in the west by the Indus, in the east by the
Brahmaputra and in the rest of India by the Ganges. This fertile cultivated farmland
is the main agricultural area of India. It is the most populated part of India with such
cities as New Delhi, Kanpur and Varanasi.
But it also countains the driest area, the “Great Indian Desert” in the west.
3.) Peninsular India is geologically the oldes part of India and is dominated by
the Decan Plateau. The Peninsula has its own river system. Two mountain ranges,
the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, run close to the coast down the
southern point of India.
CLIMATE:
India has three major seasons:
.) winter (November to March, dry and cold)
.) premonsoonal season (April to June, hot and dry)
.) summer or monsoon-season (June to October, wet and hot)
During the monsoon season it usually rains at least once a day in most places. Most of the country is affected by the monsoon seasons, but there is also desert (The desert in the north-west of India), which has a semiarid (dry) climate and tropical rainforest. In summer the land heats up much more quickly than the ocean and monsoon winds are drown on the land from the surrounding seas. These winds bring heavy rainfall when they reach the coast. Flooding is common at this time.
The word “monsoon” comes from “mausim”, the arabic word for season.
Indian farmers depend on the monsoon rains. If the monsoon fails for example, it will cause a famine.
When the rains arrive they often arrive violently with heavy storms, landslides and mudslides. Too much rain is just as bad as too little.
AGRICULTURE + ANIMALS + PLANTS:
India is modernising its economy. Manufacturing and service industries provide good jobs. But most Indians continue to live in villages and rural areas. Agriculture remains the most important national industry. Two-third of all Indians work on the land, either on farms or in forests.
Wheat is grown on the western side of the Deccan Plateau and across northern India. Rice is grown through the country. Also Indian farmers grow sugar cane, tea and coffee. Tea grows best in the hills of north-eastern India, especially in Assam and the hills of Darjiling.
Indian now produces enough food for its population. But some sections of society eat very well and others often go hungry. Two-thirds of Indian farmland is watered only by the rain, one-third is irrigated.
Each year India produces about 400 million chickens, 94 million water buffalos, more than a million camels, also goats, sheeps, pigs and 219 million cattle. Water buffalos and camels are working animals. The other are raised for food, wool and skins and milk. India is the sixth largest producer of fish in the world. Because India has a wide variety of living areas (mountains, rivers, forests, plains and deserts), it has a wide variety of animals and plants:
These animals you can find in India:
tigers, leopards, elephants, rhinoceros, buffalos, yaks, monkeys, bears,
pythons, crocodiles and many more.
Plants which are crowing in India are:
palmtrees, bamboos, fruit trees such as mango, papaya and banana, ebony,
teak and many more.
POPULATION + LANGUAGES:
India is the second most populated country in the world after China. The country`s population is now about 1,1 billion and is still growing. Hindi is the national language of India, but there are 18 offical languages listed in the laws. Also there are several hundred dialects. English, which is understood by many, is widely used as the language for government and business.
TRANSPORT:
Trains and long-distance buses are still the most popular ways to travel in India, but the use of cars is increasing and the country is working to improve its crowded roads which are often in poor repair.
Air travel within India is slowly developing.
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