GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT INDIA

States of India
Capital of India
Climate
Flag code
National emblem
Anthem od India
National bird
National animal
National flower
National tree
National fruit
Currency of India



Wersja polska

India, officially Republic of India (Hindi Bharat), country in southern Asia , located on the subcontinent of India.
It is bounded:
on the north by Afghanistan, 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 Sri Lanka) and the Indian Ocean;
and on the west by the Arabian Sea and Pakistan. India is divided into many states.
New Delhi is the country's capital.

States of India
North India ( Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh , Chandigarh)
South India (Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Islands Pondicherry )
East India (Andaman Islands, Bihar, Orissa, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram,Tripura)
West India ( Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, Daman & Diu, Dadar & Nagar Haveli )
Central India (Madhya Pradesh)

The world's seventh largest country in area, India occupies more than 3 million sq km , encompassing a varied landscape rich in natural resources. The Indian Peninsula forms a rough triangle framed on the north by the world's highest mountains, the Himalayas, and on the east, south, and west by oceans. Several major rivers, including the Ganges, Brahmaputra, and Indus, flow through India.

ANDHRA PRADESH

Area: 3 lakh sq. kms.
Capital: Hyderabad
Language: Telugu and Urdu

ARUNACHAL PRADESH

Area: 84,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Itanagar
Language: Monpa, Miji, Aka, Sherdukpen
Crops: Rice, maize, millets, wheat, pulses, potato, sugarcane and oilseeds, pineapple, orange, lemon, papaya, plum, pear, guava, cherries, walnut and peach
Minerals: Coal, crude oil, dolomite, limestone, graphite, quartzite, kyanite, mica, iron and copper

ASSAM

Area: 78,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Guwahati
Language: Assamese

BIHAR

Area: 174,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Patna
Language: Hindi
Crops: paddy, wheat, maize and pulses.
Cash crops: sugarcane, potato, tobacco, oilseeds, onion, chillies, jute and mesta
Industries: steel, iron, heavy vehicles, aluminium, oil refining, railway wagons, copper smelting, cement and communication cables Minerals: coal, iron, copper, mica, pyrite, limestone, bauxite, and graphite.

CHATTISGARH

Area: 1,35,100 sq. km.
Capital: Raipur
Language: Hindi

DELHI

Capital of India
Area: 1,500 sq. kms.
Capital: Delhi
Language: Hindi

GOA

Area: 4,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Panaji
Language: Konkani, Marathi, Gujarati

GUJARAT

Area: 2,00,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Gandhinagar
Language: Gujarati
Season: between Oct to March
Industry: textiles, chemicals, petro-chemicals, fertilizers, drugs, pharmaceuticals, dye-stuffs, engineering goods

HARYANA

Area: 44,212 sq. kms.
Capital: Chandigarh
Language: Haryanvi(a dialect of Hindi), Hindi, Punjabi
Season: between Oct to March

HIMACHAL PRADESH

Area: 56,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Shimla
Language: Pahadi, Hindi
Season: between April to Oct & Dec to Jan

JAMMU & KASHMIR

Area: 2,00,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Jammu
Language: Kashmiri, Dogri, Ladakhi
Season: between April to Oct & Dec to Jan

JHARKHAND

Area: 79,714 sq. km.
Capital: Ranchi
Language: Hindi

KARNATAKA

Area: 1,92,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Bangalore
Language: Kannada

KERALA

Area: 39,000 sq. kms.
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Language: Malayalam

MADHYA PRADESH

Area: 4,43,406 sq. kms.
Capital: Bhopal
Language: Hindi

MANIPUR

Capital: Imphal

MEGHALAYA

Capital: Shillong
Area: 22,000 sq kms.
Languages: Khasi, Garo and English

MIZORAM

Capital: Aizwal
Area: 21,000 sq kms.
Languages: Mizo and English

NAGALAND

Capital: Kohima

ORISSA

Area: 1,55,707 sq kms
Capital: Bhubaneswar
Language: Oriya

PUNJAB

Area: 50,000 sq kms
Capital: Chandigarh
Language: Punjabi, Hindi

RAJASTHAN

Area: 3.5 lakh sq. kms.
Capital: Jaipur
Language: Rajasthani, Hindi
Crops: Rice, Barley, Gram, Wheat, Oilseeds, Pulses, Cotton, Tobacco, Red chillies, Mustard, Cumin seeds, Fenugreek seeds and Asafoetida.
Minerals: Zinc and Copper

SIKKIM

Capital: Gangtok
Area: 7,000 sq kms
Languages: Lepcha, Bhutia, Nepali and Limbu
Crops: maize, rice, wheat, potato, cardamom, ginger and orange
Cash Crops: Ginger, potato, orange and off season vegetables

TAMIL NADU

Area: 1, 30, 000 sq. km.
Capital: Chennai
Language: Tamil
Crops: rice, pulses and oil seeds
Commercial Crops: sugarcane, cotton, tea, rubber, cashew and coconut
Industries: cotton textiles, chemical fertilizers, paper and its products, printing and allied industries, diesel engines, automobiles and its ancillaries, bicycles, cement, iron & steel, railway wagons and coaches
Minerals: limestone, magnesite, mica, quartz, felspar, salt, bauxite, lignite and gypsum

TRIPURA

Capital: Agartala
Area: 10,486 sq kms.
Languages: Kakkorak, Manipuri, Bengali
Crops: Paddy, Wheat, Jute, Mesta, Potato, Sugarcane and Oil- seeds
Minerals: Natural gases
Industry: Tea, Handloom Cotton

UTTARANCHAL

Area: 55,845 sq. km.
Capital: Dehradun
Language: Hindi

UTTAR PRADESH

Area: 2,94,000 sq. km.
Capital: Lucknow
Language: Hindi
Crops: foodgrains, sugarcane, potatoes
Industries: sugar, cement, vanaspati, cotton cloth and cotton yarn
Minerals: limestone, silica-sand, magnesite pyrophyllite, dolomite and diaspore

WEST BENGAL

Area: 89,000 sq. km.
Capital: Kolkata
Language: Bengali
Crops: potatoes, oilseeds, betelvine, tobacco, wheat, barley, maize, rice
Industries: steel, engineering, electronics, automobiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, aluminium, ceramics, leather, footwear, bonemetal, bicycle, jute, cotton, textiles, tea, paper, glass, timber and wagon building
Minerals: coal and china clay

CAPITAL OF INDIA

New Delhi - The Capital of Bharat

Area - 1483 sq. kms
Population - 14 million approximately
Altitude - 239 meters above sea level
Population wise, Delhi is the third largest city in India. First being Calcutta and then Mumbai.
Languages Spoken - Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi and English
Best Time to visit - October to March
Telephone country code: +91
Delhi Area Code: 11
Time Differential - GMT + 5 Hours and 30 Minutes
Chief Minister of Delhi: Mrs. Shiela Dikshit
Temperature: Summer Max 44 C and Minimum 21 C
Winter Max 34 C and Minimum 2 C

Delhi is standing on the West bank of the river Yamuna. Delhi's strategic location is the primary reason for successive dynasties having chosen it as their seat of Power. What constitutes Delhi today is a combination of seven cities.
The seven cities of Delhi are:
1. Quila Rai Pithora
2. Mehrauli
3. Siri
4. Tughlakabad
5. Firozabad
6. Shergarh
7. Shahjehabanad

For more information http://delhigovt.nic.in

Delhi's history dates back to one millennium BC, when it was known as Indarprastha. Lal Kot was the centre of the first of the seven cities of which Delhi is made up off. The Tomar Rajputs built it. Delhi became a Union Territory on the 1st of November, 1956. Delhi is a very historic city and two of its many monuments have been declared as World Heritage Sites. These are the Qutab Minar and the Humayun's Tomb. For a more detailed history of Delhi and places to visit please visit http://delhigovt.nic.in . This is the official website of Delhi.

Distance of other cities: - Agra = 203 Kms
Jaipur = 265 Kms

Places to visit in Delhi: -
ˇ Raj Ghat
ˇ Red Fort
ˇ Qutab Minar
ˇ Jama Masjid
ˇ India Gate
ˇ Jantar Mantar
ˇ Safdarjung Tomb
ˇ Humanyun's Tomb
ˇ Rajpath
ˇ The Parliament House
ˇ Lakshmi Narayan Temple
ˇ The Bahai Temple / Lotus Temple
ˇ National Museum
ˇ National Gallery of Modern Art

Shopping in Delhi:
ˇ Connaught Place (CP)
ˇ Karol Bagh
ˇ Sarojani nagar
ˇ South Extension I and II
ˇ Delhi hatt

Shopping in Delhi is a wonderful experience. One can choose from several markets depending on what one wishes to buy. In addition to several modern and world-class malls that have come up, there are ofcourse the old markets. The Malls have a presence of all international brand names. India does not follow a system where all markets are closed on one single day. If one market were closed the others would be open. Hence Shopping is a 7-days a week experience for those who love shopping.

Transportation in Delhi: Transportation can take many forms
1. Cycle Rickshaws
2. Auto Rickshaws
3. Buses
4. Taxis
5. Metro - Underground subway

Send by Madan Sharma

CLIMATE

India's shape, geographical position and unusual topography give it a diverse climate.
Most of India has a tropical or subtropical climate, with little variation in temperature between seasons. The northern plains, however, have a greater temperature range, with cooler winters and hotter summers.
The mountain areas have cold winters and cool summers. As elevations increase sharply in the mountains, climate type can change from subtropical to polar within a few miles. India's seasonal cycle includes three main phases: the cool, dry winter from October to March; the hot, dry summer from April to June; and the southwest monsoon season of warm, torrential rains from mid-June to September.

Average daily temperatures in January range from 13° to 27°C (55° to 81°F) in the northeastern city of Kolkata (formerly Calcutta); from 8° to 21°C (46° to 70°F) in the north central city of New Delhi; from 19° to 30°C (67° to 85°F) in the west central coast city of Mumbai (formerly Bombay); and from 19° to 29°C (67° to 85°F) in the vicinity of Chennai (formerly Madras) on the southeastern coast.

Temperatures in May India's hot and dry season reaches its peak during May, when temperatures as high as 49°C (120° F) are commonly recorded in the northern plains. Temperatures in the southern peninsula are somewhat lower, averaging 35° to 40°C (95° to 104°F). At higher altitudes, as in the Western Ghats and the Himalayas, temperatures are considerably cooler. The intense heat breaks when the summer monsoon season arrives in June. For most of the year the monsoons, or seasonal winds, blow from the northeast.

In July the average daily temperature range is 26° to 32°C (79° to 89°F) in Kolkata; 27° to 35°C (80° to 94°F) in New Delhi; 25° to 30°C (78° to 86°F) in Mumbai; and 26° to 36°C (79° to 96°F) in Chennai.

FLAG CODE

The Indian flag was designed as a symbol of freedom. The late Prime Minister Nehru called it a flag not only of freedom for ourselves, but a symbol of freedom to all people.

The flag is a tricolour . All the three colours have a great significance. The three colours are at the top, saffron *kesari*, in the middle white, and at the bottom, green in equal proportion . The ratio of the width of the flag is two to three. There is a navy blue wheel, *chakra* in the white band. The wheel , *chakra* consists of twenty four spokes.

Symbolic significance of colours:
The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation; the white, for purity and truth; the green for faith and fertility.

INDIA's NATIONAL EMBLEM

The national emblem is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capital of Emperor Ashoka.
The Lion Capital was erected in the third century BC by Emperor Ashoka to mark the spot where Buddha first proclaimed his gospel of peace and emancipation to the four quarters of the universe. The National emblem is thus symbolic of contemporary India's reaffirmation of its ancient commitment to world peace and goodwill.

The four lions (one hidden from view) - symbolizing power, courage and confidence - rest on a circular abacus. The abacus is girded by four smaller animals - guardians of the four directions: the lion of the north, the elephant of the east, the horse of the south and the bull of the west. The abacus rests on a lotus in full bloom.
The motto *Satyameva Jayate* inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script means *truth alone triumphs*.

NATIONAL ANTHEM OF INDIA

The song Jana Gana Mana was composed by great Indian poet Rabindranath Tagore and first sung on December 27, 1911 at the Calcutta session of the Indian National Congress.
On January 24, 1950, the Constituent Assembly adopted the song as the National Anthem of India.

Orginal version Jana-gana-mana-adhinayaka, jaya he Bgarata-bhagya-vudgata Punjab-Sindhu-Gujarata-Maratha- Dravida-Vtkala-Banga Vchchala-Jaladhi-taranga Tava shubha name jage Tavashubha ashish maange Gaye tava jaya-gatha Jana-gana-mangala-dayaja jaya he Bharata-bhagya-vidata Jaya he, jaya he, jaya he, Jaya jaya jaya, jaya he!

English translation Thou art the rulers of the minds of all people, Dispenser of India's destiny. Thy name rouses the hearts of Punjab, Sind, Gujarat, and Maratha, Of the Dravida and Orissa and Bengal; It echoes in the hills of The Vindhyas and Himalayas, Mingles in the music of the Yamuna and Ganga And is chanted by the waves of the Indian Sea. They pray for thy blessings and sing thy praise, The saving of all people waits in thy hand, Thou dispenser of India's destiny Victory, Victory, victory to thee.

INDIA's NATIONAL BIRD

The Indian peacock, Pavo cristatus (Linnaeus) is a colourful, swan-sized bird, with a fan-shaped crest of feathers, a white patch under the eye and a long, slender neck. This bird does not sound as beautiful as he look - he have a harsh call.

The male of the species is more colourful than the female, with a glistening blue breast and neck, and a spectacular bronze-green train of around 200 elongated feathers. The female is brownish, slightly smaller than the male, and lacks the train.

The peacock enjoys immense protection. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

INDIA's NATIONAL ANIMAL

The magnificent Tiger, Panthera tigris is a rich-coloured well-striped animal with a short coat. It is known for its grace, strength, agility. Out of eight races of the species known, the Indian race known as the Royal Bengal Tiger, is found throughout the country except the north-western region, and also in the neighbouring countries such as Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
The tiger occupies a variety of habitats from dry open jungles, humid ever-green forests to mangrove swamps.
There are very few tigers left in the world today. A decade ago the tiger population in India had dwindled to a few hundreds. The Government of India, under its Project Tiger programme, started a massive effort to preserve the tiger population. Today, thanks to Project Tiger, India's population of tigers has considerably increased.

INDIA's NATIONAL FLOWER

Lotus is the national flower of India.
The leaves and flowers float and have long stems that contain air spaces. It occupies a significant place in Indian mythology. It is associated with Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth.It symbolizes purity, beauty and everything that is good.
The lotus is generally found in white or pink colours but blue flowers are also not unknown.

INDIA's NATIONAL TREE

This is an indian fig tree - banyan tree (Ficus bengalensis) - symbol of India.
The banyan tree is the focal point of village life and the village council meets under the shade of this tree, Even today.
This tree whose branches root themselves like new trees over a large area. The roots then give rise to more trunks and branches. Because of this characteristic and its longevity, this tree is considered immortal and is an integral part of the myths and legends of India.

INDIA's NATIONAL FRUIT

Mangoes, have been cultivated in India from time immemorial.
A fleshy fruit, eaten ripe or used green for pickles etc., of the tree Mangifera indica, the mango is one of the most important and widely cultivated fruits of the tropical world. Its juicy fruit is a rich source of Vitamins A, C and D.
In India there are over 100 varieties of mangoes, in different sizes, shapes and colours,

THE CURRENCY OF INDIA

The currency of India is Rupee.
1 Rupee = 100Paises

1 Polish Zloty = 12.15105 Indian Rupee
1 Indian Rupee (INR) = 0.08230 Polish Zloty (PLZ)

1 US Dollar = 45.53000 Indian Rupee
1 Indian Rupee (INR) = 0.02196 US Dollar (USD)
   (Monday, December 22, 2003)