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at a glance
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Geographical area
3,287,263 sq km (slightly more than one third the size of the USA). India shares borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan. At its southernmost tip is Sri Lanka. The country’s topography is varied and extreme. The Himalayas rise out of India in the north. The west gives way to the mighty Thar Desert in Rajasthan, whilst marshland known as the Rann of Kutch separates the Indian state of Gujarat from Pakistan in this region. The Indian Ocean surrounding the southern portions, the Bay of Bengal in the east and the Arabian Sea in the west make India a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides. The fabled Ganges, the holiest and one of the most important rivers in India, originates in the northern Himalayas and flows into huge, flat plains. The plains run into the Deccan Plateau in the monsoonal south. The southwest is richly adorned with tropical coastline and backwaters.
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Capital
Delhi (approx. 8 million inhabitants)
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Population
Approximately 1.065 billion people. India’s population is the world’s second largest after China.
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People
Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%. Mongoloid and numerous ethnic minorities comprise the remainder.
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Language
English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people; there are 14 other official languages: Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, and Sanskrit; Hindustani is a popular variant of Hindi/Urdu spoken widely throughout northern India but is not an official language. See our ‘How do you say’ section for simple Hindi words and phrases.
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System of Government
India is a constitutional democracy. There are 28 states and 7 union territories. Parliament is bicameral; the lower house is known as the Lok Sabha (House of the People) and the upper house is known as the Rajya Sabha (Council of States).
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Currency
Indian Rupee (INR). 1 Rupee = 100 Paise (p). The Rupee is non-exportable and available only in India.
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Religion
More than 80% Hinduism. The remaining 20% comprise followers of Islam (12%), Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism, Buddhism and other minority beliefs.
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Exchange rate (July 08)
1GBP = INR 85 / 1 USD = INR 43 / 1 EUR = INR 68 (subject to fluctuation)
Notes come in the following denominations:
1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 Rupee notes.
Coins are also in circulation and come in the following values:
5,10, 25 and 50 Paise, and Rupee coins of 1, 2 and 5.
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Time Zones
Indian Standard Time (IST) is 5.5 hours ahead of GMT). During British Summer Time (end of March through to end of October), India is 4.5 hours ahead of GMT.
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Trading hours
Banks are open from 1000hrs - 1400hrs Monday through Friday and 1000hrs-1200 Noon on Saturday. Variations occur, so please check. In some tourist centres, there may be Bureaux de Changes that remains open later. Shops are open 0930hrs – 1800hrs Monday through Saturday. In established markets, shopping hours usually stretch on ‘til night falls. Market trading days and business hours vary. Check in advance.
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Voltage
Standard voltage is 230-240V (usually 240V). Pack a universal travel adaptor that will allow you to use a hairdryer, electric shaver, charge a mobile ‘phone or minidisc/CD Walkman. Take care with your choice of adaptor. Be sure that it is suitable for India, as Indian sockets accept round 3 pin plugs that are similar but not identical to European plugs.
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Weather
The climate of the Indian sub-continent is dominated by the great wind system known as the Asiatic monsoon. India is so vast that the climatic conditions in the far north bear little relation to those in the extreme south. Indeed, the country is conveniently divided into no less than seven climatic regions. However, for the purpose of abbreviating tedious meteorological information, India has a three-season year known as the hot, the wet and the cool.
The Cool - The coolest time to visit is October through April. Temperatures during this time are ideal for sightseeing. During this time of the year, everything is lush and green and the temperatures are a delight. Not too hot and not too cool, it is the best time to visit. Although it can become quite cool, in fact cold at night in the north, in the south it remains comfortably warm.
The Hot - Following the cool period is the hot season that runs from around April through July. Conditions are perfect for sightseeing and photography, though Rajasthan can become very hot and dry. Temperatures can reach up to 40 C. It’s a very parched time of the year, with little or no rain.
The Wet - Sweeping in from the south, the wet reaches the north around the beginning of July. July signals the start of the monsoon or wet season that continues until around the end September. Although the weather is humid, the days are punctuated by intermittent rainfall. The rain tends to come down in buckets for a while, followed again by very sunny spells.
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