A Brief Description

The ancient diamond-shaped country of India, the largest part of the Indian Subcontinent, extends from the Himalayan Mountains in the north, south into the tropical reaches of the Indian Ocean. It's the second most populous country on the planet, and certainly one of the most intriguing. This diverse and fertile country, which once included the lands we now call angladesh and !a"istan, was plundered over eons of time. It was su#se$uently coloni%ed and controlled #y ritain during much of the &'th and ()th centuries. Then, in &'*+, India declared independence and formed its own country. It's home to some of the most significant natural and man-made wonders on the planet, and thus, a powerful exotic tourism magnet. The modern open-door policies of India have put the tourist industry here on the fast-trac", as luxury hotels and #each resorts are constantly under construction. ,ith numerous ma-or languages .hundreds of dialects/, do%ens and do%ens of large cities and over +)),))) villages - somehow India wor"s, #oth in the classic, traditional methods of its many cultures, and in the fast-moving world of the (&st century.

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Facts and Figures

Name India .long form/ 2epu#lic of India Population &,)3),(4*,*)) Population & Density .all countries/ here Capital City 5ew 6elhi .&).3 million/ Currency Indian 2upee .I52/ Currency Converter here anguages Hindi, engali and &7 other .official/ languages, including Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, 8rdu, 9u-arati, Malayalam, :annada, Oriya, !un-a#i, 0ssamese, :ashmiri, ;indhi, and ;ans"rit. Hindustani is widely spo"en in the north, and <nglish is, for the most part, the language of modern #usiness. Flag here National Day =anuary (4 !eligions Hindu .3)>/, Muslim .&7>/, others

"eographic Coordinates
atitude# ongitude .Capital City/ (3? 7+' 5, ++? &7' < !elative ocation India is in #oth the eastern and northern hemispheres. It's positioned on the Indian subcontinent in south-central 0sia. It's #ordered #y the 0ra#ian ;ea, ay of engal, 9ulf of Mannar, Indian Ocean, and the countries of !a"istan, 0fghanistan, @hina, 5epal, hutan, angladesh and urma .Myanmar/.

and Statistics
Coastline *,7A) miles .+,))) "m/ and Areas .land/ &,&*+,'AA s$ miles .(,'+7,&') s$ "m/ .water/ &(&,7') s$ miles .7&*,*)) s$ "m/ .TOTAL/ &,(4',7*A s$ miles .7,(3+,A') s$ "m/ and Area .all countries/ here andforms The Himalayas form the highest mountain range in the world, and slope southward into a large fertile plain that covers much of India. Three mountain ranges extend from the Indus 2iver in the northwest, to the rahmaputra 2iver in the east, including the Himadri, Himachal and ;hivali"s - all with deep canyons gorged #y the fast-flowing water.

The land rises slightly into two plateaus, #ordered in the central and south #y lower mountains . Ghats/, that gently slope into narrow coastal plains. 5umerous rivers drain the land, and without $uestion, the 9anges is the heart#eat of India and one of the most significant rivers on the planet. $ighest Point :anchen-unga - (3,()3 ft. .3,A'3 m/ o%est Point Indian Ocean - ) ft. .) m/ and Divisions (3 states, including 0ndhra !radesh, 0runachal !radesh, 0ssam, ihar, @hhattisgarh, 9oa, 9u-arat, Haryana, Himachal !radesh, =ammu and :ashmir, =har"hand, :arnata"a, :erala, Madhya !radesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mi%oram, 5agaland, Orissa, !un-a# and 2a-asthan. In addition, there are + union territoriesB including 0ndaman and 5ico#ar Islands, @handigarh, 6adra, 5agar Haveli, 6aman, 6iu, 6elhi, Ca"shadweep and !ondicherry.