India Tourist Guide
India has mountains, jungles, deserts and beaches. India has a long coastline. The west borders the Arabian Sea and the east coast the Bay of Bengal, both parts of the Indian Ocean. To the north, northeast and northwest India is bordered by the Himalayas, the tallest mountain range in the world. In addition to protecting the country from invaders, the Himalayas also feed the perennial rivers Ganges, Jamuna, Brahmaputra and Indus on whose plains India's civilization flourished.
India's history goes back to around 3,200 BC when Hinduism was founded. Many other religions like Buddhism, Christianity and Islam all exist within the country today. As a consequence of India's size, the history of the country has seldom been the same for two adjoining territories, and its great natural wealth has lured a succession of traders and foreign influences to it, each leaving their imprint in the country. The modern state was created in 1948, when the British colonisers left the region, which was split between India, Pakistan and Bangladesh.
With a total area of 3,287,590 sq km (1,269,338 sq mi) India is the seventh largest country in the world, and with a population of around 1.2 billion it is second only to China in population. The capital of India is Delhi (New Delhi) with a population of around 15 mill. people. The most populous city in India is Mumbai (Bombay) with a population of more than 18 mill. people. Kolkata (Calcutta) is the third most populous city with more than 14 mill. inhabitants.
