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India ID Card

click to see map of India

Full country name: Republic of India
Area: 3,287,590 sq km (1,229,737 sq mi)
Population: 1,014,003,817
Capital city: New Delhi
People: 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% other
Language: Hindi / English and 18 official languages languages and 1652 dialects
Religion: 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other
Government: Federal Republic
President:Pratibha Patil
GDP: US$2.2 trillion
GDP per head: US$2200
Annual growth: 7%
Inflation: 5.4%

Major industries: Textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry, fish Major trading partners: US, Hong Kong, UK, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Saudi Arabia

India

the land to travel to, a heaven of tourism delights, a civilization to tour through. Tourists come to India for its wealth of sights, cultural exuberance, diversity of terrain and in search of that special something, an extra punch that only India promises and delivers. Teeming with over a billion people who voice over a million concerns in fifteen hundred different languages, India is where people live with variety, thrive on diversity and are too familiar with largeness to let it boggle them. Mud huts and mansions face off across city streets. Lurid luxury and limp living are inhabitants of the same lane. But what exactly is it that gets two and a half million people to pack their bags, book their tickets, buy industrial size cans of suntan lotion and enough toilet paper to supply the entire population of Liechtenstein for a month, and wing their way to India? Given that this is the land of the Taj, granted too that tea, tobacco, tempestuous democracy and terrific travel are a great combination but surely that’s not reason enough. There must be more because between truisms and half-truths, India has inspired more than any one place’s fair share of travel lore. And, perhaps that’s what it is - the legends of India - that’s what inspires people from far and near to travel here, to sort out for themselves what’s true and what’s just a whole lot of tourism pamphlet hype.

If that’s what you’re going to be doing, here’s a bit of India tourism mantra to help you on your way: expect nothing and everything will be yours.

Facts for the Traveler

Visas: All visitors are required to carry a passport valid at least for the next 6 months. Visa exemptions include:

1- Bhutanese and Nepalese visitors who are staying for less than 3 months,

2- Nationals from the Maldives, if they are staying for a maximum of 90 days (this includes any periods they may have spent in India up to 6 months prior to the visit in question),

3- Transit passengers who have a follow-on ticket within 72 hours of arrival as long as they are not going to leave the airport. Special restrictions apply to Pakistani and Afghan nationals. Its always wise to check updated visa requirements prior to travel

Health risks: Cholera, dengue fever, dysentery, hepatitis, malaria, meningitis (trekking areas only) and typhoid. Many of India’s larger cities are highly polluted and travellers with respiratory ailments may wish to take precautionary measures.

Time: GMT plus five hours 30 minutes (GMT + 5 ½ hrs)
Electricity: 230-240V, 50 HZ
Weights & measures: Metric/Km (distance), Litre (liquids)
Currency: Indian Rupee (INR)
1 Rs = 100 paise

More about India

General Information to the traveler to India. Contains Maps, History, Hotels, Sightseeing & Tours, Festivals, Restaurants & Shopping, Wildlife and Adventure, Travel Agents etc.

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