Facts About India

India, home to more than one billion people, constitutes for 18% of the world's population.

Indus Valley Civilization (circa 2500-1700BC), earliest known civilization
of South Asia, corresponding to the Bronze Age cultures of ancient Egypt,
Mesopotamia, and Crete (Kríti). The remains of settlements belonging to
this culture have been found throughout the Indus River valley in
Pakistan, westward along the coast to the Iranian border, in India's
northwestern states as far east as New Delhi, and on the Oxus River in
northern Afghanistan. The Indus Valley civilization encompasses one of the
largest geographical areas covered by a single Bronze Age culture.

AREA: 1.3 million sq miles (3.3 million sq km) stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Indian ocean in the south. India shares borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh.

Sanskrit is the mother of all the European languages as well as Hindi predominately used in India.

Main exports: Gems and jewelry, ready made garments, cotton yarn and fabrics, handicrafts, cereals, marine products, transport equipment. Main imports: Crude oil, petroleum products, chemicals, machinery, electrical machinery, fertilizers, iron, steel, pearls, precious and semi-precious stones.

India, which traces its civilization back 5,000 years, won independence from Britain in 1947 in a welter of sectarian bloodshed as the subcontinent was partitioned into predominantly Hindu India and Muslim Pakistan. India has since fought three wars with Pakistan, two of them over disputed Kashmir. In 1962, India also fought a short border war with China.

Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by India's wealth.

Bombay (Mumbai), home to India's largest stock exchange and its reserve bank, has vast slums sitting on some of the most expensive real estate of the world.

India is the world's largest consumer of gold. And, by year 2000 the Indian market for gold will reach 1000 tons.

Dating from the Vedic period, the Neem plant is considered to be very auspicious, not only for it's medicinal values, but also for it's use in religious rites. Neem is also revered for it's unmatched use as a biologically sound pesticide and an air purifier. The magical properties of the neem have now been revealed to the world.

India is one of the biggest players in the international fashion arena. Buyers such as Macys, Levi's, Wrangler, etc. all folk to India for its vast array of cloths and prints.

Mohandas Karamchand) Gandhi was born on October 2, 1869 in Porbandar, India. He became one of the most respected spiritual and political leaders of the 1900's. Gandhi helped free the Indian people from British rule through nonviolent resistance, and is honored by his people as the father of the Indian Nation. The Indian people called Gandhi Mahatma, meaning Great Soul.

India is the biggest diamond-cutting center for small roughs. These diamonds are eventually sold in shops on Fifth Avenue.

The caste system was created as an means for providing social status in the community. A family's caste was determined by the family's main occupation. The classifications of the caste system are: Brahman (the priest), Kshatriya (the warrior), Vaisya (the trader), and Sudra (the laborer).

Since the beginning of history the Ganges (THE GANGA, Holy River) has been a precious source of water in the hot climate of India, providing water for drinking, irrigation, bathing, and most recently, electrical energy. For providing such sustenance the river is worshipped by millions of Indian as Mother Ganges. By bathing in the Ganges, one can wash away all sins and begin again, cleansed from the imperfections of the past.

YOGA: The ancient Hindu system of mental and physical exercise is practiced the world over. The belief that yoga can improve one's health and peace of mind, has prompted thousands of foreigners to try it out.

India has 3.5 million professionals trained in medicine or other technical sciences. Ranking India as one of the ten largest emerging markets in the world.

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Links to more facts and figures:

India Facts and Figures from Encarta
CIA, The World Fact Book, INDIA