India is a country of diverse religions and cultures with total area of 3.28 million sq. kms. The northern part of Indian subcontinent is separated from other parts of Asia by Himalayan wall of mountains. It touches the Indian Ocean in south, Bay of Bengal in the east and Arabian Sea in the west. This also offers a great sea route for trading with a coastline of about 7000 kms.

Indian civilization dates back to 4000 B.C. Different rulers ruled it as a series of smaller kingdoms than as a country across centuries. The impact of this diversity can easily be seen in diverse cultures, castes and languages of its citizens. India got its independence from the British rule in 1947 A.D. and has 29 states and 6 Union territories at present.

The total boundary for India is 14,103 kms. It shares its borders with Pakistan (2,912 kms), China (3,380 kms), Bangladesh (4,053 kms), Nepal (1,690 kms), Burma (1,463 kms) and Bhutan (605 kms).

India represents about 15 % of the world's population. It stands second after China in this regard. It is a very densely populated country with only 2% of the total world's land. About 80% of these are Hindus, 10% are Muslims and Buddhists, while Sikhs, Jains and Christians make up for the rest.

India has a large number of rivers that makes agriculture a major occupation for about two-third of its population. Hindi is the national language whereas English is associate official and a major language of trade and service sector. There are 18 other official languages and about 37 total spoken languages.

India is politically very active with several national and regional political parties. It is a Democratic country and the poll period is 5 years. Supreme Court of India is the final word for the judicial system with a series of High courts and District courts to cover up the entire country. India is the world's largest democracy.

India experienced extensive liberalization after 1991 when government turned from public to private sectors for investments and controls. As a result of this, Indian economy experienced a positive strong growth. This made India a coveted destination for foreign direct and portfolio investment. A growth in well-educated skilled professionals who have a good command over written and verbal English has made India a major exporter of software services and software professionals. The only major consideration for its environmental, social and economic problems still remains its huge and ever growing population.

Climate and Weather:

The climate follows the terrain in India and it also depends on the time of the year. While the southern end is the Deccan plateau and has tropical monsoon climate, western region has deserts and a coastline. The eastern plains have a similar climate with lots of rains while the northern India has a moderate temperature with extremes during winters and summers.

In winters, northern India is cold between November and March whereas southern India is coolest between November and January only. June is the month with extremes of hot temperature and this develops surface winds that cause rains in the entire Indian sub-continent in the months of July to September. These rains are commonly known as the monsoons and cause heavy rains in the southwest region. The northeast monsoons bring heavy rains to the eastern coast between October and December.

Speaking the Language:

In India, Hindi is the National language and is also the mother tongue of about 30% Indians. However, English is the language for most official, political and commercial communications. There are 18 other official languages that are basically regional languages and are spoken in different states of India. An Indian currency note contains its denomination printed in 15 languages

Tourism has grown in almost all Indian states and therefore most of the Indians are well versed with English language. The literacy rate is also average, so not only the local guides but also the shopkeepers, taxi drivers and common men speak English with their regional language.

It is best to buy a language converter guide in whichever part of the country you are in so as to get well versed with the regional languages there. However, with English in the supporting role, it is easier to remain conversant with the local people there.

Healthcare and Medical Treatment:

India has second highest population in the world but its healthcare facilities have an average reach to lower class people partially because of the cost involved and partly because of the awareness level. The middle and upper class people could take advantage of the medical facilities spread across the nation.

However, in last 5 decades, government, private and voluntary sectors have built up a vast health infrastructure and manpower at primary, secondary and tertiary care. There are a number of medical and para-medical institutes, which turn out professional manpower to run these facilities. A lot of these also go to Europe and mid-East and take up employment there.

Most of the private hospitals have the facilities of pathology labs, physiotherapy, X-ray, Ultrasound and other scanning, surgical operations, ENT and pediatrics. Certain other hospitals have specialized facilities as for heart and coronary diseases, etc.

Education and Schools:

India has a number of government, semi-government and private schools in almost every part of country. Most of the schools are either affiliated with Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) or with local state boards. There are some schools that offer education on the pattern of GCE 'O' levels or IGCSE 'A' levels; one may contact the British Council for details.

Foreigners prefer to come to India for their studies because of affordable education costs and the excellent scenic beauty available there. There are some very good boarding schools on hill stations of Mussoorie, Dalhousie etc. that impart education on the British level ICSE pattern. Most of the schools offer a range of co-curricular activities like games and sports, theatre, dance and music, gymnasium and cyber cafes.

However if someone wants to come to India on the study visa then the following formalities must be taken care of:

- A letter confirming one's admission to a recognized institute must accompany the application form.
- Evidence of financial arrangements for stay in India must be given.
- A letter of Approval or NOC from the Ministry of Health, government of India is required for admission to medical or para-medical courses.
- A letter of Approval or NOC from the Ministry of HRD is required for admission to graduate or post-graduate courses in engineering/ technical institutions in India.
- The student visa is valid for the period of study in India.

Communications:

India has a well-set communications network with fiber optic cables, satellite and radio communications, telephone networks, mobile cellular service (both GSM and CDMA) and Internet facilities.

Telephone:

There are a number of multinational players along with the Government owned BSNL (called MTNL in Delhi and Mumbai) who offer fixed landline facilities and local, STD and ISD calling at nominal rates. Main telephone lines in use are 48.917 million (2003)

Mobile:

In 2003, there were about 26,154,400 mobile cellular connections. The major service providers are the BSNL, Bharti Telecom, Hutch, Reliance, Idea cellular etc. Mobile handsets are available from NOKIA, Samsung, LG, Motorola, and Sony Eriksson etc.

Broadcast Stations:

There are about 153 AM, 91 FM and 68 short-wave radio broadcast stations (1998) and 562 television broadcast stations (1997).

Internet:

India's Internet country code is ".in". There are about 86,871 Internet hosts and 18.481million Internet users (2003).

Dial up is still common in smaller towns and cities however the bigger cities deliver more promising broadband Internet facilities. The major players are govt owned BSNL, private owned Sify, and Dishnet DSL etc. Most of the mobile operators and fixed wireless phone providers like Reliance infocom, Tata Indicom, Airtel etc. also provide dial up Internet facilities.

Taking Your Pets:

In India, every incoming passenger can import upto two pets at one time. These include all domestic animals such as dogs, birds, cats etc. subject to production of required health certificate from their country of origin. However, the concerned quarantine officer examines these pets.

Imports of pets over and above this quantity is allowed only against an Import sanitary permit issued by the department of animal husbandry and dairying or against an import license issued by the DGFT.

Capital: New Delhi

Population: 1,080,264,388 (July 2005 est.)

Languages: English enjoys associate status but is the most important language for national, political, and commercial communication; Hindi is the national language and primary tongue of 30% of the people although there are 14 other official languages

Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist, Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)

Currency: Indian rupee (INR)

Timezone: GMT+5.5