General information about India
Official name
Republic of India or भारत गणराज्य (Bhārat Gaṇarājya)
Population
1 173 000 000 (from 2010)
Capital
New Delhi, population about 14 000 000 (from 2010)
India's States and their capitals:
Andhra Pradesh, Capital City: Hyderabad
Arunachal Pradesh, Capital City: Itanagar
Assam, Capital City: Dispur
Bihar, Capital City: Patna
Chhattisgarh, Capital City: Raipur
Goa, Capital City: Panaji
Gujarat, Capital City: Gandhinagar
Haryana, Capital City: Chandigarh
Himachal Pradesh, Capital City: Shimla
Jammu & Kashmir, Capitals: in Summer: Jammu, in Winter: Srinagar
Jharkhand, Capital City: Ranchi
Karnataka, Capital City: Bangalore
Kerala, Capital City: Thiruvananthapuram
Madhya Pradesh, Capital City: Bhopal
Maharashtra, Capital City: Mumbai (Bombay)
Manipur, Capital City: Imphal
Meghalaya, Capital City: Shillong
Mizoram, Capital City: Aizawl
Nagaland, Capital City: Kohima
Orissa, Capital City: Bhubaneswar
Punjab, Capital City: Chandigarh
Rajasthan, Capital City: Jaipur
Sikkim, Capital City: Gangtok
Tamil Nadu, Capital City: Chennai
Tripura, Capital City: Agartala
Uttarakhand, Capital City: Dehradun
Uttar Pradesh, , Capital City: Lucknow
West Bengal, Capital City: Kolkata (Calcutta)
Weather
Summer - March to June
India starts being very hot from February, first in the northern parts and then the rest of the country. By April, many places are experience daily temperatures more like 40 degrees Celsius. It stays cooler in the south of India with temperatures reaching around 35 degrees Celsius although it’s a lot more humid.
In late May or beginning of June signs of the approaching monsoon start appearing. There are many thunderstorms and dust storms.
Monsoon - June to October
India has two monsoons – the southwest monsoon and the northeast monsoon. The main southwest monsoon comes in from the sea and starts in west coast in early June. By mid July, most of the country is covered in rain. This starts clearing from most places by October.
The northeast monsoon affects India’s east coast (Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala) during November and December. It’s a short but intense monsoon. The best place in India during monsoon season is Ladakh.
Winter (November to February)
It is the best time to visit India. The weather is pleasant throughout the country with minimal rainfall in most places. The temperature difference between states in the north and south are marked. Southern states can have around 24°C and northern 10 – 15°C.
Religion
As established by the customs and law of the country, diversity and tolerance of religions are playing an important role in the lives of people in India. At present, the dominant religious in India is Hinduism - 80,5%. It is one of the ancient religions in the world. After Hindus, Muslims hold the second dominant position in India - 13%. Christians constitute almost 2.3% and Sikhs 1,9%. These religions exist simultaneously and peacefully.
Language
There are officially 211 distinct languages, of which Hindi, English and 15 regional languages are officially recognized. There are 24 languages that are each spoken by a million or more persons. Hindi in Devanagari script is the official language. English is spoken as the native tongue by an estimated 10–15 million Indians and is also recognized for official purposes.
Time zone
UTC/GMT +5:30 hours
International airports
New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkata, Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Hyderabad, Guwahati, Amritsar, Bangalore. Ahmedabad, Vasco da Gama, Cochin
