India is a really something special. It is not a country, but a subcontinent. In this subcontinent monuments are to be found in almost every village. 
The different regions of India all have a distinct charm: Rajastan with its atmosphere of Arabian nights, the north with its mountains peaks and lovely valleys, the Kerala backwaters and the south with the beautiful temples. The bustling cities of Bombay, now officially called Mumbai, New Delhi, the capital city of India, Calcutta the capital of West Bengal, or Chennai, formerly known as Madras are all worth a stay of several days.


Full country name: Republic of India
Area: 3,287,590 sq km (1,229,737 sq mi)
Population: 1 billion 
Capital city: New Delhi
People: 72% Indo-Aryan, 25% Dravidian, 3% other
Language: Hindi
Religion: 80% Hindu, 14% Muslim, 2.4% Christian, 2% Sikh, 0.7% Buddhist, 0.5% Jains, 0.4% other
Government: Federal Republic
President: Kocheril Raman Narayanan
Annual growth: 5.4%
Inflation: 14%
Major industries: Textiles, chemicals, food processing, steel, transportation equipment, cement, mining, petroleum, machinery, rice, wheat, oilseed, cotton, jute, tea, sugarcane, potatoes; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats, poultry, fish
Major trading partners: US, Hong Kong, UK, Japan, Germany, Belgium, Saudi Arabia