About
Indian History
Location: Southern Asia,
between Bangladesh and  Pakistan,
bordered by the Arabian Sea and the Bay of
Bengal
Map references: Asia
Area:
Total area: 3,287,590 sq.km.
Land area: 2,973,190 sq.km.
Comparative area: slightly
more than one-third the size of the US
Land boundaries: Total 14,103
km; Bangladesh 4,053 km; Bhutan 605 km; Burma
1,463 km; China 3,380 km; Nepal 1,690 km;
Pakistan 2,912 km
Coastline: 7,000 km
Marine time claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: 200 nm
or to the edge of the continental margin
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm
India has hot tropical weather with variations
occurring region to region. Because of India's
size, its Weather of Indiaclimate 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.
India is regarded as a unity in diversity.
This is one country in the world where diversity
could be seen in every sphere-the beauty of
her landscape, geography, demography, culture,
traditions and religion. Infact, India can
rightly be called a canvas of many shades.
One of the oldest civilisations in the world,
Indian landscape is dotted with many magnificent
temples of the ancient and medieval period.
Although it is difficult to pick examples,
the temples of Khajuraho, caves of Ajanta
and Ellora and Sun Temple in Orissa speak
of the splendour of India's golden past. Similarly,
a myriad of monuments dot every nook and corner
of India. Some are legacies of the great medieval
rulers like Mughals, some are reminders of
British colonial rule in India. Taj Mahal-
the monument of love in white marbles built
by Shahjahan is a monument whose beauty and
grandeur could not be matched by ny other
monument in the world. India is also a land
of great natural beauty. There are hundreds
of picturesque hill stations in various parts
of India. Shimla, Kullu, Manali, Mussorie,
Ooty and Darjeeling are some of the most popular.
A country with a long coastline, India is
also full of scenic beaches. The Indian state
of Goa is regarded as a haven for beach holidaying.
The states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu also boast
of many beautiful beaches.
The sheer size of India means that the country
also has a varied climate and terrain. The
Himalayan mountain ranges are in the north,
the deserts of Thar is in the west, elongated
plains could be seen in the central region
and plateaus in the south. There is also a
7,500 km long coastline basically to her south
and rain-fed dense tropical forests in the
country's North East. Furthermore, the country
is bordered by the Arabian sea to its west,
the Bay of Bengal to its east and the Indian
Ocean to the south. The country is also full
of vivacious rivers, lakes, streams and waterfalls.
The Ganges, Brahmaputra, Krishna, Kaveri and
Godavari are five big rivers of India.
Summers in India are generally from April
to the middle of June. The mercury may rise
above 40 degrees centigrade in many parts
of northern, central and southern India. The
monsoons normally hit India during late June
and the rainy season may prevail till August.
However, rainfall is not uniform and the north
eastern part of the country receives the highest
rainfall. Winters set in during late November
and may last till February. Great variations
in temperature is also seen in different parts
of the country during winters. Kashmir may
remain below freezing point in winters but
southern India rarely experiences temperatures
below 15 degrees.
India is also a country where colourful festivals
are celebrated. As the country is inhabited
by many different communities, they all celebrate
their own festivals with great pomp and gaiety.
All communities join the festivities without
any parochial feelings resulting in grand
celebrations. Punjab celebrates Baishakhi,
Tamil Nadu celebrates Pongal, Kerala celebrates
Onam and Assam celebrates Bihu in a big way.
Durga Puja celebrations in West Bengal and
Ganesh Chaturthi in Maharashtra are also memorable
experiences. The country is also the home
of all great religions of the world. The vast
majority are Hindus, but there are also sizeable
numbers of Muslims and Sikhs. Followers of
Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity and Zorastrianism
also live harmoniously in the country.
India is also known for her delicious cuisines.
Every state has a cuisine of her own and each
cuisine is markedly different from the other.
A country of such great diversity, tourism
in India is sure to be an enthralling.
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