It
is impossible not to be astonished by India. Nowhere on
Earth does humanity present itself in such a dizzying,
creative burst of cultures and religions, races and
tongues. Every aspect of the country presents itself on a
massive, exaggerated scale, worthy in comparison only to
the superlative mountains that overshadow it. Perhaps the
only thing more difficult than to be indifferent to India
would be to describe or understand India completely
Location, Geography,
& Climate
Set
apart from the rest of Asia by the supreme continental
wall of the Himalayas, the Indian subcontinent touches
three large bodies of water and is immediately
recognizable on any world map. It is the huge, terrestrial
beak between Africa and Indonesia. This thick, roughly
triangular peninsula defines the Bay of Bengal to the
east, the Arabian sea to the west, and the India Ocean to
the south.
(Note::
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India's
puzzleboard of 26 states holds virtually every kind of
landscape imaginable. An abundance of mountain ranges and
national parks provide ample opportunity for eco-tourism
and trekking, and its sheer size promises something for
everyone. From its northernmost point on the Chinese
border, India extends a good 2000 miles (3200 km) to its
southern tip, where the island nation of Sri Lanka seems
to be squeezed out of India like a great tear, the synapse
forming the Gulf of Mannar. India's northern border is
dominated mostly by Nepal and the Himalayas, the world's
highest mountain chain. Following the sweeping mountains
to the northeast, its borders narrow to a small channel
that passes between Nepal, Tibet, Bangladesh, and Bhutan,
then spreads out again to meet Burma in area called the
"eastern triangle." Apart from the Arabian sea,
its western border is defined exclusively by Pakistan.
India can
be organized along the compass points. North India, shaped
like a throat and two lungs, is the country's largest
region. It begins with the panhandle of Jammu and Kashmir,
a dynamic area with terrain varying from arid mountains in
the far north to the lake country and forests near Sringar
and Jammu. Falling south along the Indus river valley, the
North becomes flatter and more hospitable, widening into
the fertile plains of Punjab to the west and the Himalayan
foothills of Uttar Pradesh and the Ganges river valley to
the East. Cramped between these two states is the capital
city, Delhi. The southwestern extremity of the North is
the large state of Rajastan, whose principal features are
the Thar Desert and the stunning "pink city" of
Jaipur. To the southeast is southern Uttar Pradesh and
Agra, home of the famous Taj Mahal.
West India
contains the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa, and part
of the massive, central state of Madhya Pradesh. The west
coast extends from the Gujarat peninsula down to Goa, and
it is lined with some of India's best beaches. The land
along the coast is typically lush, with rainforests
reaching southward from Bombay all the way to into Goa. A
long mountain chain, the Western Ghats, separates the
verdant coast from the Vindya mountains and the dry Deccan
plateau further inland.
Home of the
sacred Ganges river and the majority of Himalayan
foothills, East India begins with the states of Madhya
Pradesh, Bihar, Orissa, which comprise the westernmost
part of the region. East India also contains an area known
as the eastern triangle, which is entirely distinct. This
is the last gulp of land that extends beyond Bangladesh,
culminating in the Naga Hills along the Burmese border.
India
reaches its peninsular tip with South India, which begins
with the Deccan in the north and ends with Cape Comorin,
where Hindus believe that bathing in the waters of the
three oceans will wash away their sins. The states in
South India are Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and
Kerala, a favorite leisure destination. The southeast
coast, mirroring the west, also rests snugly beneath a
mountain range---the Eastern Ghats.
Because of
India's size, its climate depends not only on the time of
year, but also the location. In general, temperatures tend
to be cooler in the north, especially between September
and March. The south is coolest between November to
January. In June, winds and warm surface currents begin to
move northwards and westwards, heading out of the Indian
Ocean and into the Arabian Gulf. This creates a phenomenon
known as the south-west monsoon, and it brings heavy rains
to the west coast. Between October and December, a similar
climatic pattern called the north-east monsoon appears in
the Bay of Bengal, bringing rains to the east coast. In
addition to the two monsoons, there are two other seasons,
spring and autumn.
Though the
word "monsoon" often brings to mind images of
torrential floods and landslides, the monsoon seasons are
not bad times to come to India. Though it rains nearly
every day, the downpour tends to come and go quickly,
leaving behind a clean, glistening landscape.
Culture & People
With nearly 1
billion citizens, India is the second most populous nation
in the world. It is impossible to speak of any one Indian
culture, although there are deep cultural continuities
that tie its people together. English is the major
language of trade and politics, but there are fourteen
official languages in all. There are twenty-four languages
that are spoken by a million people or more, and countless
other dialects. India has seven major religions and many
minor ones, six main ethnic groups, and countless
holidays.
Religion is central
to Indian culture, and its practice can be seen in
virtually every aspect of life in the country. Hinduism is
the dominant faith of India, serving about 80 percent of
the population. Ten percent worship Islam, and 5 perscent
are Sikhs and Christians; the rest (a good 45 million) are
Buddhists, Jains, Bahai, and more
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