Indian customs and customs

Physical Geography

The Republic of India is located in southern Asia, in the center of the South Asian subcontinent. It borders Pakistan to the northwest, China, Nepal, Sikkim and Bhutan to the northeast, Myanmar and Bangladesh to the east, Sri Lanka and the Maldives across the sea to the south, the Bay of Bengal to the southeast, the Arabian Sea to the southwest, the Indian Ocean to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the north. Relying on the Himalayas. It is a maritime transportation hub for Asia, Africa, Europe and Oceania.

India is 3,119 kilometers long from north to south (the part that extends into the Indian Ocean is about 1,600 kilometers long), 2,977 kilometers wide from east to west, and has a coastline of 6,083 kilometers. According to its topographic characteristics, the country can be roughly divided into five parts: the northern Himalayan mountainous area, the southern Deccan Plateau area, the central Gangetic Plain area, the western Thar Desert area and the east-west sea island area.

India has many rivers, which can be divided into three major river systems based on water sources and topography: the Himalayan water system; the peninsular plateau water system; and the coastal water system. The main rivers are: Ganges, the largest river in the subcontinent, originating from the Gango Glacier in the southern foothills of the Himalayas. It has a total length of 2,700 kilometers and more than 10 tributaries. The total drainage area is 1.06 million square kilometers and flows into the Bay of Bengal. The Brahmaputra River has a total length of 1,130 kilometers, a total drainage area of ??580,000 square kilometers, and a section of 720 kilometers in India. The Yamuna River, the largest tributary of the Ganges, has a total length of 1,380 kilometers. The Nabada River has a total length of 1,310 kilometers and a drainage area of ??98,000 square kilometers. The Godavari River has a total length of 1,400 kilometers and a drainage area of ??260,000 square kilometers. The Krishna River has a total length of 1,400 kilometers and a drainage area of ??260,000 square kilometers. The Mahanadi River has a total length of 858 kilometers and a drainage area of ??130,000 square kilometers. (8) Tapti River, with a total length of about 720 kilometers and a total area of ??65,000 square kilometers.

India has a typical tropical monsoon climate. The country’s weather can be divided into cold season (also called winter or cool season, January to February), hot season (also called summer, March to June), and rainy season ( Mid-June to mid-September), the monsoon retreat season. In the cold season, the lowest temperature is 15°C in the north, -2.5°C in the mountainous areas, and the temperature in the south can be as high as 27°C. In the hot season, the temperature in various places can reach as high as 40°C. On the Deccan Plateau, it can reach as high as 49-50°C, while on the coast it is around 29-30°C. The minimum precipitation in the rainy season is 400 mm, and the maximum precipitation can reach 3000-4000 mm.

India has vast land and rich resources. Main mineral resources: Coal reserves are 121.36 billion tons, including 2 billion tons of lignite, ranking 8th in the world; iron reserves are 22.4 billion tons, ranking 4th in the world; oil reserves are 510.8 million tons; natural gas reserves are 59 billion cubic meters ; Copper reserves are 578 million tons, bauxite reserves are 2.653 billion tons; chromium reserves are 135 million tons; manganese reserves are 127.9 million tons; nickel reserves are 2.653 billion tons: bauxite reserves are 2 billion tons; lime reserves are 510 Billions of tons, and so on. Mica production ranks first in the world.

There are about 30,000 species of plant resources and more than 70,000 species of animal resources. Lions and tigers are the 'national animals'; elephants, cows and monkeys are the 'sacred animals' of India; and the peacock is the 'national bird' of India. '.

The forest area accounts for 22% of the country’s total territory, about 74 million hectares, and virgin forests account for about 70 to 80% of the total forest area.

Society [Population and Ethnicity]

India’s population ranks second in the world after China. Compared with the beginning of independence (360 million), the population has increased 1.3 times, making it the country with the largest annual population growth rate in the world. According to the Indian government's 1991 census results, India's population growth rate in the past 10 years was 23.5‰, and the natural population growth rate in 1991 was 21‰. 80% of the population lives in rural areas, with an average population density of 227 people per square kilometer. In the area between the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, the average population density is 400 to 600 people per square kilometer. In the delta plain of the Bay of Bengal, the average population density is as high as 1,000 people per square kilometer. More than one person. However, in the deserts of northwestern Rajasthan, the high mountain areas of the northern Himalayas, and the central Deccan Plateau, where natural conditions are relatively harsh, the population is as low as only 4 people per square kilometer, and in the western Kerch region, there are only about 16 people per square kilometer. Since independence, India's population has moved from rural areas to large cities such as Kolkata, Delhi, Madeira and Mumbai.

There are dozens of ethnic groups in India, including more than 300 "burakumin". Various ethnic groups account for about 94-96% of the country's total population, and 'burakumin' account for 4-6% of the total population. The main ethnic groups are: Hindustani, accounting for 46.3% of the country's population; mainly distributed in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and parts of Bihar. The Telugu ethnic group, accounting for 8.6%, is mainly distributed in Telenadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. Bengalis, accounting for 7.7%, are mainly distributed in West Bengal, Odisha and Bihar. The Maratha ethnic group, accounting for 7.6%, is mainly distributed in Maharashtra, Lat and Madhya Pradesh. (5) Tamil ethnic group, accounting for 7.4%, mainly distributed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. The Gujarati ethnic group, accounting for 4.6%, is mainly distributed in Gujarat. The Kannada ethnic group, accounting for 3.9%, is mainly distributed in Karnataka and neighboring states.

The Malayalam ethnic group, accounting for 3.9%, is mainly distributed in Kerala and adjacent states. The Oriya ethnic group, accounting for 3.8%, is mainly distributed in Odisha. The Punjabi ethnic group, accounting for 2.3%, is mainly distributed in Punjab.

The number of indigenous tribal people in India is about 38 million, accounting for 6.94% of the total population. There are 9 indigenous tribes with more than one million people. The smallest ones, such as the Andaman tribe, only have a few hundred people. They mainly live in the Northeast, Himalayas, Central, Western, Southern and Island regions.

There are about 180 languages ????and more than 700 dialects in the country. They belong to Indo-European, Dravidian, Sino-Tibetan and Austro-Asiatic languages. The official languages ??are Hindi and English.

The main religions in India are: Hinduism (82.7%), Islam (11.2%), Christianity (2.6%), and Sikhism (2%). In addition, there are Buddhism, Jainism, Judaism and Judaism, with believers each accounting for about 1%. Some tribal peoples in the mountainous areas believe in primitive religions. Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism are traditional religions that originated in the country, while the rest were introduced from outside. [Folk customs] Marriage and dowry According to Hindu customs, early marriage is prohibited, endocaste marriage is practiced, widows are advocated for sacrificing their husbands ('Sati' system) and widows are prohibited from remarrying. Most marriages are decided by parents and arranged by matchmakers. Usually, marriage is not only a union between a man and a woman, but also a union of families, groups and wealth. In rural areas, barbers are traditional matchmakers.

Expensive dowry is a traditional custom in Indian marriages, and it is also a heavy financial burden, which can even lead to social tragedy. The Dowry Prohibition Act was promulgated in 1961, but traditional and customary forces made it impossible to enforce the law.

Etiquette and Customs Indians are very polite when meeting friends. They usually put their hands together to express greetings. When putting your palms together, it should be high for elders, flat for juniors, and low for younger ones, to show respect, equality and care. The guests present wreaths to express their heartfelt welcome.

It is worth noting that Indians tend to shake their heads rather than nod when agreeing or agreeing with each other's opinions. Indian funerals and cremations are usually held on the banks of holy rivers; water burials, where the body is pushed into the water and allowed to drift away with the current; sky or wild burials, where the body is left in the wild or in the forest to be eaten by vultures or wild beasts. Muslims Carry out burial.

Society favors boys over girls, and Muslim women generally seldom appear in public, let alone interact casually with strangers, and are not allowed to shake hands with the opposite sex. Women mostly have auspicious moles in the center of their foreheads and like to wear necklaces, chest ornaments, earrings, nose rings, rings, anklets and other accessories.

Hindu Festivals (1) Durga Puja, the biggest festival for Bengalis, is held between September and October every year. (2) Wine Festival, transliterated as 'Holi Festival', is held at the end of February and early March every year. (3) The Festival of Lights, transliterated as 'Dilwali Festival', is the most solemn festival in Hinduism. It is held between October and November every year and is usually celebrated nationwide for 5 days to half a month. (5) The Sahasavadi Festival, which is translated as 'Saraswati Festival', means the 'Festival of the Goddess of Knowledge' and is held between January and February every year. (6) Zagna Ride Festival is held every year from June to July on the 15th day after bathing. (The above are all based on the Gregorian calendar)

Islamic Festivals (1) Eid al-Fitr is one of the two important festivals in Islam. September in the Hijra calendar (around February in the Gregorian calendar). (2) Eid al-Adha, one of the two major Islamic festivals, is translated as 'Eid al-Adha'. December 10th in the Hijra calendar (around April in the Gregorian calendar).

Sikh Festival Nanak’s Birthday, the first full moon in November in the Gregorian calendar.

Jain Festival Mahavira Festival is a festival commemorating the founder of Jainism, Mahavira Mahavira. It is a major Jain festival held every 15 years (March).

In addition, Indian Christians, like Christians around the world, also have to commemorate or celebrate Easter, Christmas and the respective festivals of a few Buddhists, Christians and Jews.

When India became independent in 1947, its productivity was stagnant and backward, and the agricultural labor force accounted for 80%. On the eve of independence, India's per capita income was 198 rupees, one of the lowest in the world at that time.

In order to get out of the predicament as soon as possible, the government regards accelerating industrial development, improving agricultural productivity and achieving economic diversification as the main strategic goals of economic development. To this end, it has formulated and begun to implement a public-private mixed economy and a planned economy ( From 1951 to 1990, a series of economic policies centered on seven Five-Year Plans were implemented. The gross national product has increased from 174.69 billion rupees in 1950-1951 to 3270.49 billion rupees in 1988-1989, an increase of approximately 18 times in 38 years. In 1989, the per capita national income reached about US$320, which has greatly exceeded the level of about US$150 at the beginning of independence (1950). In 1991, the per capita GDP was US$350, and the GDP growth rate was 4.5%. Foreign exchange reserves increased to US$2.7 billion in November 1991, while in June it was only US$1 billion. In early September 1992, India's total foreign exchange reserves reached US$6.3 billion.

Since independence, India’s economic development has generally gone through a period of economic recovery (1947~1956), a period of formulating industrialization strategies and forming an industrial system (1957~1966), and a period of adjusting the economic structure and focusing on the development of agriculture (1967~ 1984); the period of establishing the strategic goals of realizing technological modernization and accelerating economic development (1985~1990). After Rao came to power in June 1991, economic measures such as the devaluation of the rupee, reduction of deficits, and adjustment of industrial policies were adopted to improve the economy.

Since the implementation of industrialization policies in the 1950s, Indian industry has developed rapidly. In 1950-1951, the national industrial output value was only 17.5 billion rupees. In 1985-1986, it reached 1,028 rupees, an increase of more than five times. From 1986 to 1987, the national industrial output value accounted for approximately 26% of the gross national product, and the average annual industrial growth rate was approximately 6%. Industrial production grew by 7.5-8% in 1990, slightly lower than the 8.3% growth rate in 1989. In 1991, India's industrial production growth rate was 0.1%, the first time in the past 10 years. In 1992, the growth rate of industrial production was 4.5%.

In the steel industry, at the beginning of independence, India had only three steel companies including Tata, with a steelmaking capacity of 1.5 million tons. By the end of 1988, India had built six large steel plants with a steelmaking capacity of more than 1 million tons, including Bhilai, Durgapur, Roulkala, Pokaro, India and Tata Steel.

In terms of energy, India is an oil-poor country and relies mainly on imported oil. It spends about 70% of its foreign exchange earnings on imported oil every year. In 1989, India imported 19.9 million tons of oil and produced 34 million tons of oil annually. In 1991, the annual oil production was 31 million tons. At present, offshore oil fields are mainly exploited, and the output of offshore oil fields accounts for more than 1/2 of India's crude oil production. Electrical energy sources include hydropower, thermal power and atomic power generation. After independence, the electric power industry developed rapidly. Nuclear power has a considerable scale, and four atomic power plants have been built with an equipment capacity of 1.7 million kilowatts.

The chemical industry was founded in the 1930s and 1940s. It has developed rapidly after the "First Five-Year Plan". The average annual growth rate of chemical industry (including petrochemical products) products is 8.7%. Its growth rate is the fastest among all industries in the country. The top of the sector, its output value accounts for 12% of the total industrial output value.

After independence, the machinery industry has become the largest production sector in Indian industry, with its output value accounting for 30% of the country's total industrial output value. The large and small manufacturers belonging to the machinery industry system account for about 1/3 of the total number of registered manufacturers in the country. India has become self-sufficient in general machinery and equipment, motors and electrical appliances, automobiles, motorcycles, locomotives, tractors, ships and aircraft manufacturing, and certain products have become one of the industrial sectors that earn the most foreign exchange through exports.

The light textile industry mainly includes cotton spinning, jute, food, paper making, etc., which are all traditional industrial sectors in India. Especially in the cotton spinning industry, more than 1/3 of the country's cotton spinning mills, 2/5 of the sand spindles and 2/3 of the looms are concentrated in Mumbai and Ahmedabad.

Agriculture plays an important role in the development of the national economy. There are 173 million hectares of cultivated land and 127 million hectares of food crops, of which about 62 million hectares are irrigated. The number of people engaged in agricultural labor is about 500 million. The planting industry is dominated by food crops. In 1990, agricultural production increased by 3.5 to 4%. The food output that year was 1% and 7.8 billion tons, an increase of 8.8% over 1989, setting a historical record. The most important food crops are rice and wheat. Beans and corn follow. Rice accounts for 30% of the crop area and approximately 27% of the world's rice sown area, ranking first in the world. The wheat sown area accounted for approximately 1% of the agricultural growth rate in 1991 and 11% of the total cultivated land, ranking among the top 10 wheat producing countries in the world.

The sown area of ??cash crops in India accounts for about 1/5 of the total sown area. The main cash crops include cotton, tea, tobacco, rubber, and coffee. Oil crops include peanuts, sesame, bananas, and mangoes. Among them, cotton production accounts for about 10% of the world's total production, and jute production ranks second in the world. The peanut planting area reaches 7 to 7.5 million hectares, and the annual output is about 5 to 7 million tons, accounting for about 30% of the world's total output. It is currently one of the world's largest peanut producers. The annual tea production accounts for about 30% of the world's total production, ranking first in the world. In addition, the output of economic crops such as tobacco, sugar cane, mango, cashew nut, coconut, banana, walnut, citrus, coffee, hemp, silk and rubber is also very impressive, and they can all be among the top 10 in the world.

India's livestock industry output value accounts for about 15% of the net agricultural output value, and the number of cattle in India ranks first in the world.

The main sources of national fiscal budget are direct taxes and indirect taxes. Since independence, the state budget has grown rapidly. In 1950-1951, it was 4.06 billion rupees, and in 1988-1989, it was 366.88 billion rupees.

The source of the national capital budget mainly comes from domestic debt and foreign aid, which is used for five-year plans and defense construction expenditures. Over the past 40 years, the capital budget growth rate in 1987/1988 increased by 196.8 times compared with 1950-1951.

In 1990, India's total external debt was US$67 billion. In 1991, total foreign debt increased to US$69.8 billion. From 1991 to 1992, the balance of payments deficit was US$6.04 billion. A decrease of 39% from the previous year.

The largest consortiums in India are: Thakou Consortium, Birla Consortium, Mafatlal Consortium, Singhania Consortium and Thapar Consortium. Their total assets are more than 4 billion to 13 billion rupees. In 1991, India's inflation rate reached 12.5%.

Over the past 40 years of independence, India’s foreign trade has developed greatly. Especially since the 1970s, the proportion of exports in GDP increased from 4.7% in 1985 to 1986 to 6.1% in 1988 to 1989. However, there has been a long-term foreign trade deficit. In 1991, the export volume was US$19.3 billion, with a negative balance of US$8.9 billion. In terms of imported goods, since the 1970s, traditional products such as textiles, tea and iron ore that used to be the top export products have taken a backseat to handicrafts, ready-made clothing and machinery products. In terms of imported products, consumer goods such as grains that used to be at the forefront have also relegated to second place, replaced by petroleum, chemical raw materials and their products, edible oil, fertilizers, paper, etc.

In 1853, India built its first railway, the Mumbai-Tana line, with a total length of 32 kilometers. At present, the total length of railways is 61,850 kilometers, with more than 20 main trunk lines. Big cities such as New Delhi, Kolkata, and Mumbai are the country's railway hubs. In 1991, the railway passenger mileage was 263.4 million kilometers, ranking fourth in the world.

India’s total road length is 1.932 million kilometers, ranking second in the world after the United States.

The total length of navigable rivers (including canals) is about 14,000 kilometers, and there are more than 180 large and small ports, including 10 largest ports. The annual throughput of the top ten ports is approximately 125 million tons. There are about 66 shipping companies in the country, the largest shipping companies are the Shipping Company of India and the Mughal Shipping Company.

India has two major national airlines: Air India, established in August 1953, mainly operates regional routes between domestic and South Asian countries (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Maldives, Sri Lanka and Afghanistan) . Air India, established in 1972, mainly operates international routes covering five continents in the world.

Cities

Indian cities emerged earlier. It developed rapidly after independence. According to statistics, there are 57 cities in India with a population of more than 300,000, and 10 cities with a population of more than 1 million. Among them, New Delhi (the ancient capital Delhi), Calcutta, Mumbai and Madras are the most important cities in India. In addition, there are Agra, Allahabad, Bangalore, Cochin, Goa, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Lek, Madurai, Shimla and Varanasi.

New Delhi, the capital of the Republic of India, is located on the west bank of the Yamuna River, with an area of ??1,485 square kilometers and a population of 5.73 million (together with Delhi). It was newly built in 1911. The city is centered on Children's Park Square, with streets radiating out in all directions. Among the modern and majestic buildings, standing on the west side of the city center, is the Parliament Building with Central Asian style architecture and the Presidential Palace with a hemispherical dome.

The ancient astronomical observatory (1710), composed of four strange-shaped buildings, located in Qinlunpantuo Park on Congress Street, adds an alluring brilliance to this ancient and modern city. Connaught Place at the west end is semi-circular in shape and has three inner and outer floors. It is the most prosperous business district in New Delhi.

Delhi is also a center of culture and education. There are many famous museums, memorial halls, institutions of higher learning and scientific research institutions here. The famous Jawaharlal Nehru University is located on the outskirts of the city.

Delhi enjoys the reputation of India's 'Capital of Seven Dynasties'. It is located in the center of the subcontinent, on the north bank of the Yamuna River.

Delhi has the ruins of an old fort built during the Mauryan Dynasty and the famous Ashoka Pillar. The Qutub Minar in the suburbs was built in the early 13th century. It is 72 meters high and has five floors. It is magnificent. The Red Fort, an ancient palace built in 1638, is one of the famous Islamic buildings. Echoing the Red Fort is the Jama Maszat Grand Mosque (also known as the Jama Temple), which is entirely built of red sandstone. It is 75.5 meters long and 24 meters wide. It covers an area of ??1,170 square meters and can accommodate 25,000 people at the same time. Muslims pray.

There are also magnificent buildings such as Humayun’s Tomb on the outskirts of the city.

Chandni Street or Silver Street in Old Delhi was historically one of the richest streets in the world and is still the commercial center and open-air market of Delhi.

Kolkata India's largest city. The capital of West Bengal. Bordering the Bay of Bengal, it is located on the left bank of the Hooghly River in the Ganges Delta.

The urban area is centered on Dahexu Square, where the state government office building, state parliament building and high court are located. The "Qiaolingqi Square" in the city center gathers the city's big hotels, restaurants, shops and entertainment venues, making it very prosperous.

Kolkata has developed industries, including textiles, steel, machinery, chemicals, papermaking, leather, printing, clothing, ceramics, etc. It is also the center of the jute industry. 1/3 of the country's cargo is handled by the ports here. As one of the cultural and educational centers of India, Kolkata has museums, libraries, art galleries, and an atomic energy research institute. The center of Hindu activities, the Kali Goddess Temple is also here.

Mumbai is the second largest industrial and commercial city in India, the capital of Maharashtra state, and one of the largest ports in the country. Located in the west of India, close to the Arabian Sea, it is a natural harbor. The arch-shaped India Gate, built in 1991, combines the architectural styles of Hinduism and Islam. Bombay is also the cultural and educational center of West India. The University of Mumbai is located here and many famous film studios are also located here. As one of the industrial centers, the city's textile factories account for about 40% of the country's textile factories and 30% of the country's spindles and looms. Cotton yarn is sold at home and abroad. Industries such as machinery, automobiles, petrochemicals, papermaking, electronics, shipbuilding, fertilizers, medicine, and food are also relatively developed. Mumbai is also a land, sea and air transportation hub on the west coast of India, and the country's largest airport, Santakles International Airport, is located here.

Madras is a transportation hub in South India, the capital of Tamil Nadu, the fourth commercial city in India and the largest artificial port. It is located at the mouth of the Cooum River, bordering the Bay of Bengal. Area is 128 square kilometers. The city is centered on Fort St. George and stretches in three directions: south, north and west. To the north of the Old City (Fort St. George) is the commercial district, with the port on the seaside; to the south of the Old City is the residential area with many historical buildings. There are 120 temples alone. Among them, Mahabalipuram, known as the 'City of Seven Towers', is located on the seaside 60 kilometers south of the city and is famous for its huge rock temples. Madras houses the St. Thomas Church, the oldest university in Madras, the oldest university in India. The Port of Madras has an annual throughput of more than 7 million tons and is one of the important cargo distribution centers. Textile, leather, chemical, machinery, rubber and film industries are all developed.

Tourism

The Fort Cemetery mainly includes the Red Fort, Humayun’s Tomb, Taj Mahal and Gandhi Mausoleum. The Red Fort is the largest ancient palace in India. It is located on the banks of the Yamuna River in the northeast of Delhi. Built between 1638 and 1648, it was the palace of Emperor Shah Jahan of the Mughal Empire. It was entirely built with red sandstone. Therefore it is called the Red Fort. Humayun's Tomb, the tomb of Humayun, the second emperor of the Mughal Empire. It is also located on the banks of the Yamuna River in the eastern suburbs of Delhi. Built in 1565. The Taj Mahal was built in 1631. Standing on the south bank of the Yamuna River in the suburbs of Agra, its magnificence and majesty make it one of the seven architectural wonders of the world. The mausoleum is 583 meters long, 304 meters wide, and has red sandstone walls. The entire mausoleum covers an area of ??170,000 square meters. Gandhi's Mausoleum is located on the banks of the Yamuna River in Delhi where his remains were cremated. There are also several Buddhist holy places and monuments, such as Sarnath, Bodh Gaya, Kushinagar, Wushe City, Savatthi City, Nalanda Temple, Sanchi Stupa, as well as Ajanta Caves, Ellora Caves, Etch. Rifinda Caves, Golden Temple in Amritsar, Kajlaho Temple Complex, Kolmiyag Temple, etc. are all places worth visiting.

The best time to travel is from October each year to February to March of the following year.