Indian history dates back to 3000 BC. Excavations in Punjab and Gujarat reveal that the Indus Valley civilisation was a highly developed urban civilisation. In fact the two cities of Harappa and Mohenjodaro, situated on two sides of the river Ravi, are known to have been built on a similar plan. But that only meant a new wave of urbanisation was taking place along the Ganges around 1500 BC. This has been recorded in the Rig Veda - the earliest known literary source composed in this period that sheds light on India's past.
The health care sector in India has witnessed an enormous growth in infrastructure in the private and voluntary sector. The private sector which was very modest in the early stages, has now become a flourishing industry equipped with the most modern state-of-the-art technology at its disposal. It is estimated that 75-80% of health care services and investments in India are now provided by the private sector. An added plus had been that India has one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world. It is self sufficient in drug production and exports drugs to more than 180 countries.
India is the seventh largest country in the world with a total land area of 3.3 million square kilometers. It is 2933 kms wide and the 3214 kms long. The Indian sub-continent is unique from the rest of Asia. In the North are the towering Himalayas which slope out into the great Indo-Gangetic plains. In Central India, the Vindhya ranges separate the Deccan Peninsula from the northern plains. On the east coast of the country is the Bay of Bengal, while on the west coast is the Arabian Sea. The southern-most tip of the country projects into the Indian Ocean.
Deccan Plateau
The Deccan plateau is the oldest portion of India and was part of the single land mass comprising South America, Africa, Australia and Antarctica. As the continents drifted apart, the moving Deccan plate collided with the Tibetan block of South Asia about 50 million years ago. Over the years, the persistent pressure of the Deccan drifting northwards created the Himalayan mountains, a process that is still continuing.
Indo-Gangetic Plain
The Indo-Gangetic plain is formed by the basins of three great rivers, the Indus, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra. The other major rivers in the country are the Mahanadi, Godavari, Krishna, Narmada, Kaveri, Pennar, Tapti, and Periyar - all of which have which created deltas and flood-plains on India's east and west coast.
Varied geography
Apart from the mountains, plains and the seas, India has just about every geographical feature as well. In the West of the country lies the Thar desert in Rajasthan. A little south of it are the unique marshlands of Kutch, while on the east where the Ganges drains out into the sea is the world' s largest delta and a unique mangrove forest. Indian islands include the Andaman and Nicobar islands in the Bay of Bengal and the Lakshadweep Islands in the Indian ocean. These unique features mean that the country has a wide variety of flora, fauna and a climate that ranges from tropical to arctic. |
| Climate |
Hot tropical weather with considerable regional variations. The climate is dominated by the Asiatic monsoon. From Jun-Sep the country is influenced by the rainy monsoon from the south west. At this time rainfall can be very heavy, particularly over the higher regions facing the sea. The coolest time with the driest weather is between Dec-Feb. The weather gets hotter from Mar-May with continuing drought. The rains tend to start in late May in the south, arriving up to 6 weeks later in the north |
| Local Time |
GMT +5½ |
| Customs |
Import
Allowances
For persons of 17 years of age or older:
a) 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250gr of tobacco
b) 1 lit of alcohol
Currency
For persons of 17 years of age or older:
a) 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250gr of tobacco
b) 1 lit of alcohol |
| Passport & Visa |
The following details relate to holders of adult normal passports (requirements for children may be different), if any other type of passport or travel document is held, entry requirements should be checked with the relevant embassy or consulate
Required by all
Passports must be valid for at least 6 months from date of travel
The following DO NOT require a visa:
1) Nationals of India
2) Nationals of Bhutan & Nepal provided they are not missionaries or intending to take up employment or businessactivities |
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