Where is India ?

India lies to the north of the equator between 8.4 and 37.6 degrees north latitude and 68.7 and 97.25 degrees east longitude. This also means that India's standard time is 5.30 hrs ahead of the Greenwitch mean time. India measures 3214 kms from north to south and 2933 kms from east to west. It has a land frontier of 15,200 kms and a coastline of 7516.5 kms

India shares its political borders with Pakistan and Afghanistan on the west, Bangladesh and Burma in the east, Nepal, China, Tibet and Bhutan in the north.

India is topped by the great Himalayas in the northern end and surrounded by huge oceans on the other three sides. While the Arabian Sea surrounds the south west side, the south east is lulled by the Bay of Bengal and the southern tip, and Kanya Kumari (Cape Cameron) is washed by the waves of the Indian Ocean. However such natural barriers like mountains and the sea never presented any hinderance in India's interaction with the rest of the world.

India proudly boasts of having the world's highest mountain range, the Himalayas and the ideal places to laze on the golden beaches stretched along the 7,516.5 km coastline. On the east side, we have cruises through the bayous and creeks hemmed in by silent mangrove swamps where the Royal Bengal Tiger prowls. Then there are the jade-green backwaters of the South and the coffee covered slopes of the Shevaroy mountains.

Weather

The Summer and the Monsoon months take most of the months in an Indian year except for Northern parts of India where the cold wave is as long as the Summer. Summer exists from March onwards reaching the peak during May when temperatures reach upto 35 - 40 degrees in most parts of India.

The Monsoons come along in June and stay around till August for most parts. The Autumn months are September & October in the North & North East, while it's a heat wave in Central and South India. Winter sets in around mid-OCtober to February, Jan being the peak month.

Summer exists from March onwards reaching the peak during May when temperatures reach upto 35 - 40 degrees in most parts of India. That's when most Indians also head towards the hill stations for a respite.

Monsoons come along in June and stay around till August. On the South India Coast like Kerala the rains arrive by the first week of June. They then make their way northwards, reaching West & Central India in the middle of the month & North India by early July. The Bay of Bengal also gets active around July with the rain clouds and the North East is also all wet.

Autumn months are September & October in the North & North East, while it's a heat wave in Central and South India.

Winter sets in around mid-October to February, Jan being the peak month. In Winter, temperaturs can go as low as 3-7 degrees in North India while the rest of the country steadies to around late 20's. South India sees an October heat wave.

Attractions

One of the most beautiful buildings in the world is Taj Mahal (1653), near Agra. It is a symbol of love. Emperor Shah Jehan built this most beautiful tomb for his wife when she died giving birth to their 14th child. It's made of pure white marble decorated with gold and semiprecious stones

India has more than 460 museums. Some of them are: the National Museum and the Crafts Museum in New Delhi; the Indian Museum in Calcutta, the Government Museum and National Art Gallery in Chennai, the Prince of Wales Museum in Mumbai, the Calico Museum of Textiles in Ahmadâbâd and. many others.

Rich collections of sculptures, miniature paintings, and other historical and archaeological treasures are in museums in Mathura and Vârânasi, and in several locations associated with archaeological sites.

Food

Food in India varies from its culture, racial structures, location and its climate. Good cooking in India includes using the correct amount of aromatic spices. The skill lies in the subtle blending of a variety of spices to enhance rather than overwhelm the basic flavor of a particular dish.

Besides spices, the other main ingredients of Indian cooking and Indian meals are milk products like ghee (used as a cooking medium) and curd or dahi. Lentils or dals are also common across the country and regional preferences and availability determine the actual use in a particular area. Vegetables naturally differ across regions and with seasons. The style of cooking vegetables is dependent upon the main dish or cereal with which they are served.

A typical North-Indian meal would consist of chapatis or rotis (unleavened bread baked on a griddle) or parathas (unleavened bread fried on a griddle), rice and an assortment of accessories like dals, fried vegetables, curries, curd, chutney, and pickles.

South Indian food is largely non-greasy, roasted and steamed. Rice is the staple diet and forms the basis of every meal. It is usually served with sambhar, rasam (a thin soup), dry and curried vegetables and a curd preparation called pachadi. Coconut is an important ingredient in all South Indian food. The South Indian dosa (rice pancakes), idli (steamed rice cakes) and vada, which is made of fermented rice and dal, are now popular throughout the country.

A meal is rounded off with the after-dinner paan or betel leaf which holds an assortment of digestive spices like aniseed, cloves, arecanut, and cardamom.

Population

India currently has a population of 967 million which will most slightly surpass China in population size by middle of next century. Currently, India population is growing at a rate of 1.7 % annually which is about 70 percent higher than China and India will continue to grow faster than China.

India has a young population which will grow somewhat older largely as a result of the fertility decline which is already underway. Between now till 2020, both the working age population and the number of women in child bearing will grows more rapidly