PHYSICAL
FEATURES
India, with an area of 3.3 million sq. km, is a
subcontinent. The peninsula is separated from mainland Asia by the Himalayas. The country
lies between 8° 4' and 37° 6' north of the Equator and is surrounded by the Bay of
Bengal in the east, the Arabian Sea in the west and the Indian Ocean to the south.
The Himalayas form the highest mountain range in the
world, extending 2,500 km over northern India. Bounded by the Indus river in the west and
the Brahmaputra in the east, the three parallel ranges, the Himadri, Himachal and
Shivaliks have deep canyons gorged by the rivers flowing into the Gangetic plain.
River Systems
The rivers may be classified as follows: (a) the
Himalayan, (b) the Deccan, (c) the coastal and (d) the rivers of the inland drainage
basin. The Himalayan rivers are generally snow-fed and flow throughout the year. During
the monsoon months (June to September), the Himalayas receive very heavy rainfall and the
rivers carry the maximum amount of water, causing frequent floods. The Deccan rivers are
generally rain-fed and, therefore, fluctuate greatly in volume. A very large number of
them are non-perennial. The coastal rivers, specialty on the west coast, are short and
have limited catchment areas. Most of these are non-perennial as well. The rivers on the
inland drainage basin are few and ephemeral. They drain towards individual basins or salt
lakes like the Sambhar or are lost in the sands, having no outlet to the sea.
Climate
The Himalayan range in the north acts as the perfect
meteorological barrier for the whole country. Despite the country's size and its varied
relief, the seasonal rhythm of the monsoon is apparent throughout. Although much of
northern India lies beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has a tropical climate
marked by relatively high temperatures and dry winters.
Natural Vegetation
The Himalayan region, which is rich in vegetative
life, possesses varieties that can be found practically from the tropical to tundra
regions. Only the altitude influences the distribution of vegetation. In the rest, of the
country, the type of vegetation is target determined by the amount of rainfall. Outside
the Himalayan region, the country can be divided into three major vegetation regions: the
tropical wet evergreen and semi-evergreen forests, the tropical deciduous forests, and the
thorn forests and shrubs.
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PEOPLE
India is a country with probably the largest and most
diverse mixture of races. All the five major racial types - Australoid, Mongoloid,
Europoid, Caucasian and Negroid - find representation among the people of India, who are
mainly a mixed race.
The people of India belong to diverse ethnic groups.
At various periods of India's long history, successive waves of settlers and invaders
including the Aryans, Parthians, Greeks and Central Asians came into the country and
merged with the local population. This explains the variety of racial types, cultures and
languages in India.
Languages
India has about 15 major languages and 844 different
dialects. The Sanskrit of the Aryan settlers has merged with the earlier Dravidian
vernaculars to give rise to new languages.
Hindi spoken by about 45 per cent of the population
is the national language. English has also been retained as a language for official
communication.
Religions
Hinduism: The Hindu religion had its origin in
the concepts of the early Aryans who came to India more than 4,000 years ago. It is not
merely a religion but also a philosophy and a way of life. It does not originate in the
teachings of any one prophet or holy book. It respects other religions and does not
attempt to seek converts. It teaches the immortality of the human soul and three principal
paths to ultimate union of the individual soul with the all pervasive spirit.
The essence of Hindu faith is embodied in the Lord's
Song, the Bhagavad Gita: "He who considers this(self) as a slayer or he who thinks
that this(self) is slain, neither knows the Truth. For it does not slay, nor is it slain.
This (self) is unborn, eternal, changeless, ancient, it is never destroyed even when the
body is destroyed."
Jainism and Buddhism: In the sixth century
before Christ, Mahavira propagated Jainism. His message was asceticism, austerity and
non-violence.
At about the same time, Buddhism came into being.
Gautama Buddha, a prince, renounced the world and gained enlightenment. He preached that
"Nirvana" was to be attained through the conquest of self. Buddha's teachings in
time spread to China and some other countries of South-East Asia.
Islam: Arab traders brought Islam to South
India in the seventh century. After them came the Afghans and the Moghuls, among whom the
most enlightened was the Emperor Akbar. Akbar almost succeeded in founding a new religion
Din-e-Elahi, based on both Hinduism and Islam, but it found few adherents.
Islam has flourished in India through the centuries.
Muslim citizens have occupied some of the highest positions in the country since
independence in 1947. India today is the second largest Muslim country in the world, next
only to Indonesia.
Sikhism: Guru Nanak, the founder of Sikhism in
the 15th century, stressed the unity of God and the brotherhood of man. Sikhism, with its
affirmation of God as the one supreme truth and its ideals of discipline and spiritual
striving, soon won many followers. It was perhaps possible only in this hospitable land
that two religions as diverse as Hinduism and Islam could come together in a third, namely
Sikhism.
Christianity: Christianity reached India not
long after Christ's own lifetime, with the arrival of St. Thomas, the Apostle. The Syrian
Christian Church in Southern India traces its roots to the visit of St. Thomas. With the
arrival of St. Francis Xavier in 1542, the Roman Catholic faith was established in India.
Today, Christians of several denominations practice their faith freely.
Zoroastrianism: In the days of the old Persian
Empire, Zoroastrianism was the dominant religion in West Asia, and in the form of
Mithraism, it spread over vast areas of the Roman Empire, as far as Britain.
After the Islamic conquest of Iran, a few intrepid
Zoroastrians left their homeland and sought refuge in India. The first group is said to
have reached Diu in about 766 A.D.
Their total world population probably does not exceed
130,000. With the exception of some 10,000 in Iran, almost all of them live in India, the
vast majority concentrated in Mumbai. The Parsees excel in industry and commerce, and
contribute richly to the intellectual and artistic life of the nation.
Judaism:
Jewish contact with the Malabar Coast in Kerala, dates back to 973 BC
when King Solomon's merchant fleet began trading for spices and other
fabled treasures. Scholars say that the Jews first settled in Cranganore,
soon after the Babylonian conquest of Judea in 586 BC. The immigrants
were well received and a Hindu king granted to Joseph Rabban, a Jewish
leader, a title and a principality.
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