Interesting facts about India

India is known for its diversity and its cultures. Though people from various religions, customs and traditions lives here, but still there is unity prevailing all around them. Following are some facts about India that will help you to know about India.

Interesting facts about India

Following are the interesting facts about India that you should know.

• Language:  Hindi is an official language used in many regions, English is also commonly used in many regions. There are many popular regional languages like Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Kannada and Marathi spoken and officially used in their respective regions.There are 1,652 dialects and languages spoken in India. It is not at all unusual for an Indian to speak at least two and often more languages well.
• Value of PI: Baudhayana, an Indian mathematician first calculated the value of PI. He had also discovered some mathematical theorems still in use.
• University: The first university is said to have been started in Takshila in 700 B.C. Thousands of students from all over the world studied a variety of subjects.
• Population: After China, India is the second country to have the largest population count with over 1.2 billion people, India is second only to China and will likely overtake China if current growth continues.
• Land size: In order to accommodate the huge population, India does have the seventh largest land area in the world.
• Millionaires count: There are over a million Indian millionaires. However, the gap between the rich and poor is still very big, with many living on a poverty level.
• Wonder: The Taj Mahal is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It was built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan in memory of his wife.
• Origin of India name: The name “India” comes from the Indus River, which is where earliest settlers made their homes. The Indus valley is one of the world’s earliest urban civilizations.The official Sanskrit name for India is Bharat Ganarajya. Even today, it is often called Bharat by young and old.
• Independence: On August 15, 1947, India gained independence from the British, after a successful nearly non-violent independence movement.
• Diamonds: Until 1986, the only place where diamonds had been officially found was in India.
• Borders: India shares land borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka and the Maldives are neighboring ocean countries.
• Invented zero: A commonly known, but not to be neglected India fact is that the number and concept of zero was invented and documented first by Indians.
• IT: The Pentium chip and Hotmail were created by Indians—Vinod Dahm and Sabeer Bhatia respectively. The Indian IT population is growing and is highly sought after all over the world.
• Highest peaks: The Himalaya includes the highest peak in the world—Everest. The mountain range stretches about 1,500 miles long and is over 23,600 ft at its highest.
• Sacred River: The Ganga is the longest river in India and is considered sacred by Hindus. It has the most populated river basin in the world.
• Vishnu Temple: This temple in Tirupathi is the most visited pilgrimage destination in the world, even more than Mecca or the Vatican.
• Flag with meaning: The Indian flag is ‘tri colored’. Saffron—courage and sacrifice; white—truth, peace, and purity; green—prosperity. The Ashok Chakra—righteousness.
• National Emblem: The Sarnath Lion depicts four lions back to back from which the national emblem stems. It symbolizes courage, confidence, and strength.
• National bird: The peacock is the national bird of India and can be seen in many parks, even in the cities.
• National flower: The beautiful and fragile lotus is the national flower of India. It’s very common in many bodies of water.

• National tree: The national tree of India is the bunyan or fig tree. It’s featured in many stories and legends.
• National game: The national game of India is field hockey, India has won several gold medals over the years.
• Mathematics: Indians made noteworthy contributions to trigonometry, calculus, and algebra. In 100 B.C. the decimal system was invented here.
• Festivals: Most Indian festivals are religious in origin. The most popular and widely known are Diwali, Holi, Durga Puja, and Ganesh Chaturthi. Festivities can go on for days.

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