India Facts

India is possibly the most diverse nation in the world. In area it is the seventh largest country, and in population second only to China. Within its geographical confines, stretching from the Great Himalayas in the north to the tropical peninsular south, there is a dazzling variety of languages, cultures, ethinic groups, beliefs, lifestyle and flora and fauna that few continents, leave alone countries, possess.

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Capital

New Delhi

Time Zone

GMT +5:30

Dialing code

+91

Population

1,241,491,960

Area

3,287,263 sq. km.

GDP

USD $ 1.848 Trillion

Currency

₹ Indian Rupee

States & Union Territories

28 & 7

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

Peacock

Bird

Lotus

Flower

Indian Fig Tree (Banyan)

Tree

Tiger

Animal

River Dolphin

Aquatic Animal

Ganga (Ganges)

River

Jan Gan Man

Anthem

Vande Mataram

Song

Mango

Fruit

Adaptation of Sarnath Lion Pillar

State Emblem

GEOPGRAPHY

India shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Nepal and Myanmar. India is a federation composed of 28 states and 7 union territories. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, coastline runs 7,517 kilometres (4,700 mi) in length.
India has varied landscapes from the majestic Himalaya and in north to the deciduous jungles of Central India, while arid Thar Desert covers much of Western India; from evergreen jungles and beaches of south to the wettest places on earth in northeast.

CLIMATE

India is a big tropical country and is famous for its diverse climatic features. The seasons in India can be broadly categorized into the following:

The months of January and February

Winter

The winter in India spans the months of November till the beginning of April. The coldest months of the year are January and December. During this period, the average temperature is approximately 50-59 °F (10-15 °C) in the northwestern parts of the country. The mercury soars as you move in the direction of the equator, and the maximum temperature in this area is close to 68-77 °F or 20-25 °C in the southeastern parts of the Indian territory.

The months of March to May

Summer

The summer months are the months of April to June. However, the summer refers to the months of April to July in the northwestern parts of the country. In the southern and western parts of the country, the month with the maximum recorded temperature is April. In case of the northern parts of the country, the month with the maximum recorded temperature is May. The average temperature registered during these months is close to 90-104 °F (32-40 °C) in majority of the inland areas of the country.

The months of June to September

Monsoon (rainy) season

The monsoon, also known as the rainy season, spans the months of June to September. This season is primarily influenced with the moist southwestern summer torrential rainfall that gradually moves throughout the nation. It starts in the end of May or the beginning of June. The precipitation starts to ebb from Northern India in the early October. Usually, the southern parts of the country get higher volume of precipitation than the northern parts of the country.

The months of October to December

Post-monsoon

The states in the Himalayan mountain ranges feature more clement climatic conditions. These states witness two more seasons and they are spring and autumn.

BIO-DIVERSITY

India contains a great wealth of biological diversity in its forests, its wetlands and in its marine areas. This richness is shown in absolute numbers of species and the proportion they represent of the world total.

Group	Number of species in India	Number of species in the world	Percentage in India
Mammals	350	4629	7.6
Birds	1224	9702	12.6
Reptiles	408	6550	6.2
Amphibians	197	4522	4.4
Fishes	2546	21730	11.7
Flowering Plants	15000	250000	6.0

RELIGION

Religion and ritual pervade almost every aspect of life in India. Hinduism is the majority religion with 80.5% of the population, Islam (13.4%), Christianity (2.3%), Sikhism (1.9%), Buddhism (0.8%) and Jainism (0.4%) are the religions followed by the people of India. Apart from the original Animism, or nature worship, the diversity of religious belief systems existing in India today is a result of – besides existence and birth of native religions – the assimilation and social integration of religions brought to the region by traders, travelers, immigrants, and even invaders and conquerors.

LANGUAGE

India is possibly THE most linguistically diverse of nations in the world, with 17 major regional languages and literally hundreds of dialects. Hindi is the official language, spoken by the largest number of people across the country. The English language is among the lasting legacies of British era in India. It is spoken mainly by pan-Indian elite, widely used as a link language, and is the surest passport to upward mobility.

India Facts

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