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India is a country in southern Asia that ranks as the second largest country in the world in population.India is also one of the most densely populated countries in the world and one of the largest in area. Its capital is New Delhi. Mumbai, formerly called Bombay, is its largest city.India is a land of great variety and contrast. The mighty snow-capped Himalaya, the world's tallest mountain system, rises along its northern border. A vast, scorching desert lies in the west, but parts of eastern India receive some of the highest rainfall in the world. The country also has broad plains, winding rivers, lush rain forests, and tropical lowlands. Ancestry India's people belong to a variety of ethnic groups. The two largest groups are the Dravidians and the Indo-Aryans. Most Dravidians live in the south. Most Indo-Aryans live in the north |
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| Languages People in India speak over 1,000
languages and dialects--more than in any other part of
the world. Most Indian languages belong to two main
language groups: Indo-Aryan, which is a branch of the
Indo-European family of languages, and Dravidian. Modern
Indo-Aryan languages are based on an ancient language
called Sanskrit. About three-fourths of the Indian
population, mainly in north and central India, speak one
or more of the main Indo-Aryan languages. These languages
include Assamese, Bengali, Gujarati, Hindi, Kashmiri,
Marathi, Oriya, Punjabi, and Sindhi. The four principal
languages of southern India--Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil,
and Telugu--belong to the Dravidian family of languages.
About a fifth of the population speaks these languages.In
the Himalayan region of the northeast and along the
border with Myanmar many people speak Kuki, Manipuri,
Naga, and other Sino-Tibetan languages. Some groups in
the northeast and certain central areas use Mundari and
Santali, which belong to the Mon-Khmer, or
Austro-Asiatic, family of languages. India's national
language is Hindi, one of the Indo-Aryan languages. More
than two-fifths of the people speak one or more of the
dialects of this language, and at least some Hindi is
understood by as many as two-thirds of the
population..English has an official status as an
associate national language. It is the common language
among educated people across India, and much of the
nation's official business is conducted in English. In
cities especially, many parents try to send their
children to English-language elementary and secondary
schools. English is widely used at colleges and
universities. Religion plays a vital role in the lives of most Indians. India has no official religion, and people of various faiths practice their religion freely. More than 80 percent of the people are Hindus. About 12 percent are Muslims. Smaller percentages of Indians practice other religions. They include Buddhists, Christians, Jains, and Sikhs Christianity existed in several small communities
when Europeans came to India about 1500. But it spread
mainly after the Europeans arrived. Indian Christians
live largely in the southern states of Kerala
and Tamil Nadu, and in the tribal regions of northeast
India. |
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KERALA Kerala is a small, densely populated state in India. It occupies a long strip of land along the southwest coast of India. Kerala is relatively poor in natural resources but rich in scenic beauty. It has a long literary and artistic tradition. Kerala covers an area of 15,005 square miles (38,863 square kilometers). Its capital is Trivandrum. Hindus form the largest religious group in Kerala. There are also large Christian and Muslim minorities. A tiny number of people are Buddhists, Jains, or Jews. Most of Kerala's inhabitants speak Malayalam, a Dravidian language. Kerala has a literary heritage dating from the A.D. 100's. There are a great many works of literature in the Malayalam language, especially poetry. Kumaran Asan is a celebrated Keralan poet. Most Kerala dramas are a mixture of poetry, music, and dance, featuring stories from the Indian folk epics. One of Kerala's best known dance forms is Kathakali. It is performed by male dancers |
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 www.kerala.com |
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