About India
The South Asian country of India includes a peninsula extending into the Indian Ocean, and it is a land of great contrasts in geography. Along India’s northern border rises the world’s tallest mountain system, the barren snow-capped Himalayas. South of the Himalayas, the fertile Ganges Plain is India’s most populated region. The Great Indian Desert lies in the west but eastern India receives some of the highest rainfall in the world during the monsoon season (June to October). India is second only to China in population but India is growing faster (some 16 million a year) and may surpass China by the year 2030. Although 81 percent of the people are Hindu, India also has 126 million Muslims - - one of the world’s largest Muslim populations.
Hindu culture emerged out of the mingling of the indigenous Dravidian peoples and Aryan-speaking nomads who arrived from Central Asia in 1500 B.C. Islam spread across the subcontinent starting in the eighth century A.D. From the 17th century to the mid-20th century India was the pride of the British Empire. In 1947, guided by Mahatma Gandhi, India won nationhood. From the British rule they inherited deep poverty but also parliamentary government, the English language, and a far-flung rail system which helped pull this multiethnic country into a secular democracy.
Violence born of separatist yearning or religious differences tears at the fabric of national unity and takes lives. Since the 1980s Sikh revolts have left thousands dead. Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated; seven years later her son, Rajiv, was killed by a bomb. Other problems include an overburdened democracy and ill-working government, illiteracy, a high birthrate, exploitation of women and children, human trafficking, and border disputes with Pakistan and China. The Hindu caste system reflects Indian economic and religious hierarchies. One out of six Indians suffer in the lowest caste known as Untouchables. Indians can escape these rigid caste systems that are more firmly entrenched in the rural areas by traveling to India’s chaotic cities. Mumbai (Bombay) is India’s largest city. Bangalore is India’s Silicon Valley. India does, however, have a growing middle class and has made great strides in engineering and technology.
Economy
Industry:
Textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining
Agriculture:
Rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, cattle, fish
Exports:
Textile goods, gems and jewelry, engineering goods, chemicals, leather products
India Flag
Fast Facts
Population: 1,103,596,000
Capital: New Delhi
Area: 3,287,270 square kilometers, (1,269,221 square miles)
Language: Hindi, English, 14 other official languages
Religion: Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Parsi
Currency: Indian rupee
Life Expectancy: 63 years
Literacy Percent: 60
GDP per Capita: U.S. $2,600
Text Source: National Geographic Atlas of the World, Eighth Edition, 2004.
Food in India
Most people in India eat several small meals a day. Many families begin the day at dawn with prayers. A light meal of chai (Indian tea) and a salty snack will follow. Breakfast usually takes place a couple of hours later, and may include a traditional Indian dish such as aloo paratha (a flatbread stuffed with potato and fried), or toast with eggs. Other popular breakfast dishes include halwa (made with ground wheat, butter, sugar and sliced almonds) or uppma, which is a spicier version of halwa.
Students often eat a mid-morning snack, such as a banana with juice or tea, at school. Lunch usually includes one or two cooked vegetable dishes, rice and chapati (a flat-bread that resembles a Mexican tortilla). Many students carry their lunches from home in containers known as tiffins. Many students also eat sandwiches.
An afternoon snack often is served around 5 or 6 P.M. It includes tea and namkeen (snacks or appetizers), and sometimes may involve a visit to a restaurant or street stall that sells spicy snacks such as samosa (a small turnover stuffed with potatoes and peas) or bhel puri (a combination of puffed rice, yogurt, tamarind sauce, and boiled potatoes). In addition, fruits such as mango, pomegranate, grapes, and melon may be served. Dinner traditionally is served quite late, and includes two or three vegetable dishes along with rice and chapati. In many households, both adults and children take a cup of hot milk, flavored with sugar and a touch of cardamom before going to sleep.
Source: http://www.foodbycountry.com/Germany-to-Japan/India.html