Where in the world is India?
India is a unique Asian nation not only because of its people, but also because of its wide variety of terrain. In the North, there is the giant Himalayan mountain range that supports rare animals such as the snow leopard. There is also the Thar Desert that covers 77,000 square miles of land. This desert, though dry, also supports incredible animals such as black bucks. Another amazing ecosystem is a gigantic mangrove forest called the Sundarbans, where tigers, sea turtles and saltwater crocodiles all swim together. India supports more than 65,000 animal species and 12,000 different plant species.
Hinduism is the most popular religion in India and is popular all over South Asia, too. It is the world’s third most popular and oldest existing religion. It was first developed in northern India and traces its roots back to Brahminism. It is also not a single religion, but rather describes a way of thinking and the many groups that developed out of the philosophy. Hinduism focuses more on actions rather than belief. And through doing good things, the eternal soul can be released from the cycle of rebirths called reincarnation. The four different paths that Hindus can focus on are knowledge, meditation, devotion and good works.
• The capital city is New Delhi.
• The currency is the rupee.
• It is a peninsula, surrounded by water on three sides.
• The major religion is Hinduism.
• The country gained independence in 1947.
• It was ruled by Britain in 1858.
• It is officially known as the Republic of India.
• The population is more than 1.2 billion people.
• The highest mountain is Kanchenjunga, and it is 28,209 ft. tall.
• The main languages are Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil and Urdu.
• India as ruled by Britain split into the Republic of India and the Republic of Pakistan.
• The most popular sport is cricket.
