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General Information:
India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country, and the largest democracy in the world.
India is a republic consisting of 28 states and seven union territories with a parliamentary system of democracy. It has the world's twelfth largest economy at market exchange rates and the fourth largest in purchasing power.
Capital: New Delhi
Population 2008 estimate: 1.15 billion
Official languages: Hindi, English
Indian is the official language; Hindi, Urdu, Tamil, Bengali, Kashmiri, Kannada, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu/ Essential: English
India Climate:
Climate in India varies greatly, from the arid deserts of Rajasthan to the cool highlands of Assam, allegedly the wettest place on earth. But basically India has a three-season year - the hot, the wet and the cool. The heat starts to build up on the northern plains around February and by April it becomes unbearable - expect 35-45°C (95-113°F) days in most places. The first signs of the monsoon appear in May, with high humidity, short rainstorms and violent electrical storms. The monsoon rains begin around 1 June in the extreme south and sweep north to cover the whole country by early July. The monsoon doesn't really cool things off, but it's a great relief - especially to farmers. The main monsoon comes from the southwest, but the southeastern coast is affected by the short and surprisingly wet northeastern monsoon, which brings rain from mid-October to the end of December. The main monsoon ends around October, and India's northern cities become crisp at night in December. In the far south, where it never gets cool, the temperatures are comfortably warm rather than hot.
Time: +5.30 hours GMT/UTC
Electricity:
India’s electrical current is 230-240 volt AC and utilises different plugs and sockets, there fore travelers should carry a plug adapter kit.
Currency:
Name Indian Rupee Symbol Rs Rupee notes come in denominations of 10, 20, 50, 100, 500 and 1000 (the Rs1000.00 note is not as commonly found, especially outside of big cities).
The rupee (Rs) is divided into 100 paise (p). The paise comes in coin denominations of five, 10, 20 (all no longer being issued) 25 and 50. There are also rare rupee coins in denominations of one, two and five.
Visas:
Passport Requirements valid for 6 months beyond stay, and with at least one blank visa page available for visa stamp(s). The Amendment pages in the back of the passport can't be used for visa stamp.
Visa Application Form one visa application form(s) per applicant properly completed and signed. Signature must be original on each application. Improperly completed forms may delay the processing of your visa.
People and Culture:
- India's culture is marked by a high degree of syncretism and cultural pluralism. It has managed to preserve established traditions while absorbing new customs, traditions, and ideas from invaders and immigrants and spreading its cultural influence to other parts of Asia.
- Traditional Indian dress varies across the regions in its colours and styles and depends on various factors, including climate. Popular styles of dress include draped garments such as sari for women and dhoti or lungi for men; in addition, stitched clothes such as salwar kameez for women and kurta-pyjama and European-style trousers and shirts for men, are also popular.
- Traditional Indian family values are highly respected, although urban families now prefer the nuclear family structure due to the socio-economic constraints imposed by traditional joint family system. Overwhelming majority of Indians have their marriages arranged by their parents and other respected family-members, with the consent of the bride and groom. The marriage is thought to be for life, and the divorce rate is extremely low.
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