Genaral information about India

Map of India




India, officially Known as ‘Republic of India’ (in Hindi known as Bharat or Hindustan), is the seventh largest and second most populous country in the world. India is vast and has a huge population of 1 billion. You will become fascinated with India, its cultures, its people, and the continuous stream of activity going on around you.

India is bordered on the north by Pakistan, China, Nepal, and Bhutan; on the east by Bangladesh, Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), and the Bay of Bengal on the south by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar (which separates it from India) by the
Indian Ocean and on the west by the Arabian Sea and Pakistan. At one point, ‘Lands End’ at Kanyakumari, three seas meet - the Indian Ocean, the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
The sights, sounds, and scenery of India are unique and amazing with grandiose temples, lush paddy fields and stunning beaches. In the north, Shrub-land and desert create a sublime backdrop and a visit to the ‘Golden Triangle’ (Delhi/Agra/Jaipur/Delhi) will take your breathe away.

It is divided into 26 states and 6 union territories, and has 17 major languages with 844 dialects, making this country and its people culturally diverse.

Religion plays an important role in the life of the country, and is one of the few countries in the world which have such an ancient and diverse culture. Their arts and crafts are world renowned with sport being one of their favourite past times, and cricket still acting as one of the most popular activities.


Republic of India

National name: Bharat

National Flower: Lotus

National Bird: Peacock

National Animal: Tiger

National language: Hindi

Religions: Hindu, Islam, Christian, Sikh.
currency: Rupee

Land area: 1,147,949 sq mi (2,973,190 sq km);

total area: 1,269,346 sq mi (3,287,590 sq km)

Population : 1,095,351,995 (growth rate: 1.4%);

birth rate: 22.0/1000;

density per sq mi: 954

Capital : New Delhi, 15,334,000 (metro. area), 9,817,439 (city proper)

Largest cities:
Bombay (Mumbai), 18,336,000 (metro. area), 11,914,398 (city proper);
Calcutta (Kolkata), 14,299,000 (metro. area), 4,760,800 (city proper);
Bangalore, 4,461,100;
Madras (Chennai), 4,382,100;
Ahmedabad, 3,653,700;
Hyderabad, 3,585,600;
Kanpur, 2,631,800


Principal languages: Hindi, English, Bengali, Gujarati, Kashmiri, Malayalam, Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, Tamil, Telugu, Urdu, Kannada, Assamese, Sanskrit, Sindhi.



National anthem: Jana-gana-mana, composed originally in Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore
Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Punjab-Sindh-Gujarat-Maratha
Dravida-Utkala-Banga
Vindhya-Himachala-Yamuna-Ganga
Uchchala-Jaladhi-taranga.
Tava shubha name jage,
Tava shubha asisa mage,
Gahe tava jaya gatha,
Jana-gana-mangala-dayaka jaya he
Bharata-bhagya-vidhata.
Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he,
Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!