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India
AsiaSouthern Asia
3.29 Million km²
Quick Facts
Capital
New Delhi
Area
3,287,263 km²
Language
Hindi & English (+ 20 official)
Currency
Indian Rupee (INR)
Calling Code
+91
Drives On
Left
Internet
.in
Timezone
IST (UTC+5:30)
Script
Devanagari & 11 others
Government
Federal Parliamentary Republic
Independence
1947
Map tiles by CARTO. Data by OpenStreetMap.
India is a subcontinent masquerading as a country. With 1.4 billion people speaking 22 officially recognized languages across 28 states, it is the most linguistically and culturally diverse nation on Earth. The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world's oldest, flourished here around 3300 BCE - and the traditions it seeded still pulse through daily life in everything from temple rituals to spice blends perfected over millennia.
The scale of India defies easy summary. It is the birthplace of four major world religions - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism - the source of the number zero and the decimal system, and home to both the Himalayas and tropical beaches within the same border. Bollywood produces more films per year than Hollywood. The railway system carries 23 million passengers daily. And yet India's greatest asset might be its street food - a dizzying variety of flavors that changes every hundred kilometers.
Largest Cities in India
1
Delhi
Capital territory where Old Delhi's Mughal heritage meets New Delhi's grand colonial avenues
16,300,000
2
Mumbai
Financial capital and home of Bollywood, built across seven islands on the Arabian Sea coast
12,500,000
3
Bangalore
India's Silicon Valley and tech hub, known for its pleasant climate and thriving startup scene
8,400,000
4
Chennai
Gateway to South India, center of classical Carnatic music and Bharatanatyam dance
4,600,000
5
Kolkata
Cultural capital of India, city of Rabindranath Tagore, Mother Teresa, and the iconic Howrah Bridge
4,500,000
6
Jaipur
The Pink City of Rajasthan, with stunning hilltop forts, royal palaces, and vibrant bazaars
3,100,000
Famous People from India
Mahatma Gandhi
PoliticsLed India's independence movement through nonviolent civil disobedience, inspiring civil rights movements worldwide
Rabindranath Tagore
LiteratureFirst non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature (1913), wrote the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh
Srinivasa Ramanujan
ScienceSelf-taught mathematical genius who made extraordinary contributions to number theory and infinite series
Sachin Tendulkar
SportCricket legend with 100 international centuries, the highest run scorer in both Test and ODI history
Satyajit Ray
FilmDirector of the Apu Trilogy and recipient of an honorary Academy Award, one of the greatest filmmakers in cinema history
A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
ScienceMissile scientist who became India's President, led the development of ballistic missile and space launch vehicle technology
Ravi Shankar
MusicSitar virtuoso who introduced Indian classical music to the Western world and influenced The Beatles
C.V. Raman
ScienceWon the Nobel Prize in Physics (1930) for discovering the Raman Effect in light scattering
Traditional Cuisine of India
Biryani
Fragrant layered rice dish with meat, saffron, and whole spices, with fiercely debated regional variations from Hyderabad to Lucknow
Butter Chicken
Creamy tomato-based curry created in Delhi in the 1950s, now one of the most recognized Indian dishes worldwide
Dosa
Crispy fermented rice and lentil crepe from South India, served with sambar and coconut chutney
Samosa
Deep-fried pastry filled with spiced potatoes and peas, the ultimate Indian street snack found on every corner
Tandoori Chicken
Chicken marinated in yogurt and spices, cooked in a clay tandoor oven until charred and smoky
Chole Bhature
Spicy chickpea curry served with puffy deep-fried bread, a beloved North Indian breakfast
Masala Chai
Spiced tea brewed with milk, cardamom, ginger, and cinnamon - India's unofficial national drink
Gulab Jamun
Soft milk-solid dumplings soaked in rose-scented sugar syrup, the undisputed king of Indian desserts
Nature & Landmarks in India
Himalayas
MountainThe world's highest mountain range forming India's northern border, including Kangchenjunga at 8,586 meters
Thar Desert
DesertIndia's largest desert spanning Rajasthan, known for camel safaris and the golden city of Jaisalmer
Kerala Backwaters
WaterwayNetwork of interconnected canals, rivers, and lakes along the Malabar Coast, explored by traditional houseboats
Sundarbans
MangroveThe world's largest mangrove forest shared with Bangladesh, home to the elusive Royal Bengal tiger
Western Ghats
MountainUNESCO-listed mountain range along India's western coast, one of the world's eight hottest biodiversity hotspots
Ganges River
RiverIndia's holiest river flowing 2,525 km from the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal, sacred to over a billion Hindus
Valley of Flowers
National ParkUNESCO World Heritage Site in Uttarakhand, a high-altitude Himalayan valley blanketed with endemic alpine flowers
Andaman Islands
IslandRemote archipelago in the Bay of Bengal with pristine beaches, coral reefs, and dense tropical rainforest
Sports in India
Cricket
By far the most popular sport, won the Cricket World Cup (1983, 2011) and the ICC T20 World Cup (2007, 2024)
Field Hockey
Eight Olympic gold medals, the most successful team in Olympic field hockey history
Kabaddi
Ancient Indian contact sport with a massively popular professional league and dominant international record
Badminton
Rising global force with PV Sindhu winning Olympic silver (2016) and bronze (2020) medals
Chess
Viswanathan Anand was World Chess Champion (2007-2013), India has become a dominant chess nation
Did You Know?
1
India has 22 officially recognized languages, but over 19,500 distinct dialects are spoken across the country
2
The Indian railway network carries about 23 million passengers every day - roughly equal to the entire population of Australia
3
India is the birthplace of four major world religions: Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism
4
The number zero was invented in India - the concept was first described by the mathematician Brahmagupta in 628 CE
5
Bollywood produces over 1,500 films per year, making India the world's largest film industry by number of movies
6
The Kumbh Mela religious gathering is the largest peaceful assembly of humans on Earth, with up to 120 million attendees
7
India's space program (ISRO) reached Mars orbit in 2014 on its first attempt, with a budget smaller than the movie Gravity
8
Meghalaya in northeast India is the wettest place on Earth, receiving about 11,871 mm of rainfall per year
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