India, a country located in southern Asia, is the world’s second largest country in the world in population.  Only China is larger.  It’s capital city is known as New Delhi.  The largest city in  India is called Mumbai.  It used to be known as Bombay.India's land forms a peninsula that extends into
the Indian Ocean. It is surrounded by the countries of Pakistan, China, Nepal and Bhutan.  The
Arabian Sea borders it on the west.  The world’s tallest mountain system, the Himalayas, rise along
its northern border.  India  also has a desert in the west, broad plains, tropical lowlands and rain
forests, and winding rivers.
     The national languages in India are English and Hindi, though there are more languages than
those two. Their national bird is the peacock.  The national tree is the Banyan and the national
fruit is a mango. The national flower is the lotus, the animal is the tiger, and the national sport
is hockey. The basic unit of money is the Indian rupee.
.....The people practice a number of religions, The largest group are Hindus (81%) but India has one of the largest groups of Muslims (13%) also. Family ties are very important in India. A
really popular god of Vishnu is Krishna, known as the blue god of love. The Ganges River was also
known to have the power to take away people’s sins.   Most Indians live in villages and are farmers.
They depend on the rain to grown their crops. India is the sixth largest producer of fish in the world.  Rice, wheat, and other grains are the main foods of India.  Indian cooking is very varied around the country. Most meals are cooked using a variety of spices such as colander, cumin, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds.The Hindus do not believe in eating beef and the Muslims do not eat pork.  Many Indians are vegetarians. The favorite sport in India is cricket. Other popular sports are field hockey and soccer.  Chess and playing cards are also favorite pastimes.
     India’s flag was adopted in 1947.  It has three horizontal stripes of orange yellow, white and freen.  The wheel in the middle white stripe is a symbol of an ancient Wheel of Law called the Dharma Chakra. The government is a Federal Republic, with a President as the head of state. The legislature has two houses – one has 545 members and other has a maximum of 250 members.  The president and prime minister are the executive branch.  The prime minister selects the members of the Council of Ministers.They are then appointed by the President. There are 28 states and 7 teritories.
..... The most famous landmark is India is the Taj Mahal in Agra, India.  Though it looks like a palace, it is actually a mausoleum, or burial tomb for an Indian ruler from the 1600’s and his wife.

It was voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in 2007!

Click on your tour guide below to learn more about The Taj Mahal.