| India
Factfile |
Official
Country Name:
The Republic of India
Location:
India is located in South Asia, with China,
Nepal and Bhutan in the North; Bay of Bengal,
Bangladesh and Burma to the east; the Indian
Ocean to the South and Pakistan and the
Arabian Sea to the West. India shares land
boundaries with Bangladesh, Bhutan, Burma,
China, Nepal, and Pakistan.
India has Seven
major Physiographic Regions:
1. Northern mountains including the Himalayas
and the mountain ranges in the north-east
2. Indo-Gangetic plain
3. Central Highlands
4. Peninsular Plateau
5. East Coast
6. West Coast
7. Bordering Seas and Islands
Capital:
New Delhi
Population:
India's population is about 1.1 billion
(2004 census).
Area:
3.3 million sq. km, stretching from the
Himalayas in the north to the Indian Ocean
in the south.
Total: 3,287,590 sq km
Land: 2,973,190 sq km
Water: 314,400 sq km
Administrative
Divisions:
28 States and 7 Union Territories. |
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Andaman
& Nicobar (UT)
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Haryana
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Mizoram
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Andhra
Pradesh
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Himachal
Pradesh
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Nagaland
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Arunachal
Pradesh
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Jammu
& Kashmir
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Orissa
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Assam
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Jharkhand
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Pondicherry
(UT)
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Bihar
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Karnataka
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Punjab
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Chandigarh
(UT)
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Kerala
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Rajasthan
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Rajasthan
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Lakshadweep
(UT)
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Sikkim
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Dadra
and Nagar Haveli (UT)
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Madhya
Pradesh
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Tamil
Nadu
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Daman
and Diu (UT)
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Maharashtra
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Tripura
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Delhi
(UT)
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Manipur
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Uttar
Pradesh
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Goa
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Meghalaya
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Uttaranchal
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Gujarat
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West
Bengal
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Languages:
English enjoys associate status but is the
most important language for national, political,
and commercial communication. The official
language of the Indian Union is Hindi, which
is the primary tongue of 30% of the people.
Besides Hindi, some of the other official
languages include Bengali, Telugu, Marathi,
Tamil, Urdu, Gujarati, Malayalam, Kannada,
Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri and Sindhi.
Religions:
Hinduism (Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism), Islam
and Christianity.
Time Difference:
51/2 hours ahead of GMT (winter) and 41/2
hours ahead of GMT (summer).
Emergency:
Ambulance 102; Police 100; Fire 101.
Electricity:
Voltage in most places is 220v AC, 50 Hz.
Socket sizes vary, so it is recommended
to carry adapters.
National Holidays:
January 26 - Republic Day, August 15 - Independence
Day and October 2 - Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday.
Internationa
Dialling Code:
+91.
National Air
Carriers:
Indian (IC) and Air India (AI).
Currency:
The currency is the Rupee, abbreviated as
Rs. which is divided into 100 paisa. The
Rupee notes come in denominations of 1,
2, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000. Coins
are in denominations of Rupee 1, 2 and 5.
Currency Exchange:
There are no restrictions on the amount
of foreign currency or traveller cheques
a tourist may import, provided a declaration
form is completed on arrival. Cash, bank
notes and traveller cheques up to US$ 10,000
or equivalent need not be declared at the
time of entry. Only change money at banks
or authorised foreign exchange dealers.
There are 24-hour currency exchange facilities
available at all international hotels and
airports. Please also note that changing
money in the more remote areas can be difficult;
it is best to exchange currency in the metro
city locations.
Credit Cards:
Diners, Master, Visa and American Express
credit cards are widely accepted.
Tipping:
It is customary to tip waiters, porters
and guides. Most hotels include a service
charge on their bills. Where this is not
done, a tip of 10% is customary. Tipping
of taxi drivers is not customary.
Entry Requirements:
Citizens of all countries require a valid
national passport or valid travel documents
and valid visa granted by Indian Missions
abroad for entering India. There are no
provisions for visas upon arrival, and those
arriving in India without visas bearing
the correct validity dates and number of
entries are subject to deportation.
Customs on Arrival:
There are two customs clearance channels.
The green channel is for travellers carrying
no dutiable items while the red channel
is for travellers carrying dutiable items.
Customs Formalities:
Visitors in possession of more than US$
10,000 or equivalent thereof as in the form
of traveller cheques, bank notes or currency
notes are required to obtain a Currency
Declaration Form before leaving customs.
Duty Free:
Duty free items which you may bring to India
include personal effects like clothing and
other articles but not if this is commercial
merchandise. All expensive electronic equipments
must be declared at the customs which will
be rechecked on departure. Visitors may
bring in free of duty 200 cigarettes or
50 cigars or 250 grams of tobacco and 1
litre of alcohol.
Mishandled /
Lost Baggage:
If your baggage is mishandled or lost in
transit, obtain a certificate to this effect
from the airline and have it countersigned
by the customs.
Valuables:
Travel with the absolute minimum. It is
not advisable to carry valuable jewellery.
Money should be taken in traveller's cheques,
with the receipt numbers retained separately
in case they are lost or stolen. Cash kept
on your person should be minimum. Where
possible, leave any valuables, documents
and passports in your hotel safety deposit
box. Your luggage is particularly vulnerable
at airports, railway stations or where crowds
gather.
Water:
It is advisable to drink only bottled or
distilled water, which is widely available.
Order the same when you are at a restaurant.
As far as possible, avoid drinking any kind
of water or juices from roadside carts and
vendors.
Hospitals &
Chemists:
There are state-operated facilities in all
towns and private consultants and specialists
in urban areas. It is recommended to carry
your own medicines, since all medications
in India are locally manufactured and you
may not find the same brand names. There
are very good drug stores and doctors everywhere,
and they can advise on substitute medication.
If the necessity arises, ask your hotel
to recommend a doctor.
Health Regulations:
No vaccinations are necessary to travel
to India, however, foreign tourists should
be in possession of a Yellow Fever Vaccination
certificate conforming to International
health regulations, if they are originating
or travelling through Yellow Fever endemic
countries. It is advisable to carry insect
repellent at all times.
Shopping:
India is a shopper's paradise. Shopping
is recommended from Government Emporiums
and suggested shops by us. Most of the large
stores will ship your purchases for you,
though, for convenience and to avoid postal
delays, it is advisable to carry your shopping
with you or to book it as baggage.
Among the good buys available to you, are
fabrics (including silks), clothing and
shawls, paintings and prints, religious
iconography, oriental carpets, tea, saffron,
batiks, items made of brass, wood, marble,
copper, bronze, jute, crystal, bamboo. Well-made
souvenirs are available from most good hotels,
but for the real Indian buying experiences,
head for any local market. Any item more
than 100 years old is classified as an antique,
and you will need an export license to take
it home.
Note: Shopping is a way of life in
India and many local guides assume visitors
will automatically want to shop. If you
do not wish to be taken to any shops, please
make this clear to your guide.
Travel Tips: |
- Your travel arrangements
should be made well in advance, especially
if you are travelling between October-March
(high tourist season) and May-June,
the Indian holiday season. Travel facilities
are limited in relation to demand so
prior bookings are a must. If travelling
by air, you should include one or more
trips by rail or road so that you can
experience rural India. When planning
your trip, it is good to include an
Indian festival in your itinerary, enhancing
your Indian experience.
- English is spoken
at almost all tourist centres, but we
can also book Government-trained and
approved language speaking guides (German,
French, Spanish, Japanese, Italian or
Russian). Tour guides will assist you
not only during sightseeing, but will
also help you understand India better.
- Do not wear footwear
or shorts, sleeveless tops or revealing
clothes inside Hindu, Sikh, Muslim or
Jain places of worship. Both men and
women need to keep their shoulders and
legs covered, especially in temples
and it is handy for women to carry a
scarf they can use to cover their heads
if necessary. Certain areas of temples
are not open to Non-Hindus.
- Visitors should
be wary of strangers. Do not walk in
isolated spots on your own especially
after dark.
- All foreign nationals
have to pay their hotel bills in foreign
currency (cash, traveller cheques or
credit card) only. However, Indian rupees
are accepted if supported by proof of
certificate of encashment in India of
foreign currency or traveller cheques.
- Concessional tickets
like Indrail Pass, Youth fares, Discover
India Fares and Air Fares are to be
paid for in foreign exchange only.
- Where possible,
use a pre-paid taxi when on the streets
to get a legal fare. Taxi and auto-rickshaws
fares keep changing; therefore, they
do not always conform to readings on
meters. To avoid confusion, insist on
seeing the latest fare chart available
with the driver and pay accordingly.
- Do not hire any
type of transportation from unlicensed
or unapproved operators. Leave this
to your travel agent to organize
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