know India

The Republic of India, located in the south of Asia and comprising most of the Indian subcontinent, is the second most populous country in the world and is the world's largest democracy with over one billion people and more than one hundred distinct languages.
The Indian economy is the fourth-largest in the world, in terms of purchasing power parity.
The name India is derived from Sindhu, the local name for the river Indus.
The country is called Bharat (pronounced as bhaarat; after the wise and pious King Bharata of ancient times) among Indians.
India borders Bangladesh, Myanmar, China, Bhutan, Nepal and Pakistan on land, with Sri Lanka and the Maldives just across the Indian mainland in the Indian Ocean.
Bharat Ganarajya National motto: "Satyameva Jayate" (Sanskrit: Truth Alone Triumphs) Official language; Hindi (+17 other nat. lang.)
Capital; New Delhi Largest City; Mumbai (Bombay) President; APJ Abdul Kalam Prime Minister; Atal Behari Vajpayee Area; 3,287,590 km² Population; 1,049,700,118 Independence; - Date From the British Empire August 15, 1947 Currency; Indian Rupee (INR) Time zone; UTC +5.30 National anthem; Jana-Gana-Mana National song; Vande Mataram National game; Hockey? Cricket Internet TLD; .IN Phone Calling Code; 91
History
The Indus Valley civilisation (also called the Sindhu-Sarasvati Tradition) is one of the oldest cultural traditions in the world, that goes back to at least 3000 BC.
The rock art tradition of India has been traced to 40000 BC in the art in Bhimbetaka in Central India and other sites.
According to the Aryan invasion theory, Aryan tribes from the northwest of India invaded about 1500 BC, and their merger with the earlier inhabitants created the classical Vedic culture.
Arab incursions starting in the 8th century and Turkic in the 12th were followed by incursions by European traders beginning in the late 15th century.
It is noteworthy that the above-mentioned Aryan Invasion Theory is now being widely challenged with the use of modern & scientific tools such as satellite imagery from NASA.
Events mentioned in the Vedic texts have been astronomically calculated to date back to the 5th millennium BC.
By subjugating the Mughal empire in the 19th century, the British Empire had assumed political control of virtually all Indian lands.
Mostly non-violent resistance to British colonialism under Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru led to independence in 1947.
The subcontinent was divided into the secular state of India and the smaller Muslim state of Pakistan.
Pakistan occupied two non-contiguous areas, and a civil war between West and East Pakistan in 1971, in which India eventually intervened, resulted in the sedition of East Pakistan to form the separate nation of Bangladesh.
Fundamental concerns in India include the ongoing dispute with Pakistan over Kashmir, massive overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and ethnic and religious strife, all this despite impressive gains in economic investment and output.
Politics
India is a Union of states with an increasingly federal structure.
Officially it is declared as The Sovereign Socialist Secular Democratic Republic of India.
India has as head of state a president, whose duties are largely ceremonial.
The president and vice president are elected indirectly for 5-year terms by a special electoral college.
Their terms are staggered, and the vice president does not automatically become president following the death or removal from office of the president.
Executive power is centred in the Council of Ministers (cabinet), led by the prime minister.
The president appoints the prime minister, who is designated by legislators of the political party or coalition commanding a parliamentary majority.
The president then appoints subordinate ministers on the advice of the prime minister.
India's bicameral parliament consists of the upper house called 'The Council of States' (Rajya Sabha) and the lower House called 'The House of the People' (Lok Sabha), both of which were established by the Constitution of India.
The Council of Ministers is responsible to the Lok Sabha.
The legislatures of the states and union territories elect 233 members to the Rajya Sabha, and the president appoints another 12.
The elected members of the Rajya Sabha serve 6-year terms, with one-third up for election every 2 years.
The Lok Sabha consists of 545 members; 543 are directly elected to 5-year terms.
The other two are appointed by the president.
States and territories
India is subdivided into 28 states, 6 union territories and the national capital territory of Delhi:
Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Chandigarh, Chattisgarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Delhi, Goa, Gujarat, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Orissa, Pondicherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tamil Nadu, Tripura, Uttaranchal, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal.
Geography

   
Located on the Indian subcontinent, India consists roughly of three major parts; in the north the massive Himalayas mountain range (with the highest point being the Kanchenjunga at 8,598 m) and the Indo-Gangetic plain (with deserts in the western end), and in the south the extensive Deccan plateau.
The latter is part of a large peninsula in between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west, with both being part of the greater Indian Ocean.
India is home to several major rivers such as the Ganges, the Brahmaputra, the Yamuna, the Godavari and the Krishna.
A small part of the upper course of the name-giving Indus lies within Indian territory.
The Indian climate varies from tropical monsoons in the south to more temperate climate in the north.
Economy
India's economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of support services, including software.
In fact, India's software exports alone are around $10 billion(2003).
However, a quarter of the population is still too poor to be able to afford an adequate diet.
India's international payments position remained strong in 2001 with adequate foreign exchange reserves, and moderately depreciating nominal exchange rates.
As measured by GDP in US Dollars, India's 2002 output of $481 billion ranked it 12th in the world.
As measured by GDP on Purchasing Power Parity basis, India's 2002 figure of $2.66 trillion makes it the fourth largest in the world.
Growth in manufacturing output has slowed, and electricity shortages continue in many regions.
India has large numbers of well-educated people skilled in the English language; India is a major exporter of software services and software workers.
Demographics
India is the second-most populous country in the world, with only China having a larger population.
Language, religion, and caste are major determinants of social and political organisation within the highly diverse Indian population today.
Hindi, in the Devanagari script, is the only official federal language and individual states and territories have adopted 17 other co-official languages.
These are the Dravidian languages of Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu, and the Indo-Aryan languages of Bengali, Marathi, Urdu, Gujarati, Oriya, Punjabi, Assamese, Kashmiri, Sindhi, Nepali, Konkani and the classical language of Sanskrit.
Many other languages belonging to both groups are spoken as well.
English, though only an associate or 'link' language, is still widely in use in law and government, particularly in the higher echelons.
Although 83% of the people are Hindus, India is home to the world's second largest Muslim population.
Other smaller religious minorities include Christians, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, jews and Parsis.
The caste system once reflected Indian occupational and religiously defined hierarchies.
Traditionally, there were four broad categories of castes (varnas), though they consisted of thousands of castes and subcastes, whose relative status varied from region to region.
The caste system was an important social factor for most Indians till the early 1900's.
The embracement of the lower castes into the mainstream community was brought about by Mahatma Gandhi who called them "Harijans" (people of God).
Presently, India has tough laws against discrimination on the basis of caste.
There is a policy for the socio-economic upliftment of the erstwhile lower castes, by the provision of free education till graduation, reservation of admission seats in institutions for higher education, a 50% quota in government jobs and faster promotions.
However, caste remains a significant factor in the political life of the country as well as in some social customs such as marriage.
Culture
Indian culture is an expression of the numerous and successive waves of influences in the subcontinent with the Northern part of India being subjected to this more than the South.
What follows constitutes just a small sample of a vast tradition.
In music, two important forms are the Carnatic and the Hindustani, the former from South India, a much purer form and the latter from North India deriving a lot from Muslim influences.
In literature, oral and written forms prevail.
Apart from the Vedas which are a sacred form of knowledge, there are other works such as the epics of Ramayana and Mahabharatha, treatises such as Vaastu Shastra in Architecture and Town planning and Artha Shastra in political science.
Urdu poetry is an example of a linguistic synthesis.
The literature of the Sangam period in Tamil is renowned.
Many dance forms exist in India - Bharata Natyam, Odissi, Kuchipudi, Kathak, Kathakali, etc., mostly they have a narrative form, telling stories.
Other forms such as street theatre and puppetry are also found.
Festivals can also be included as part of Indian culture because they are a way of life in India.
There are many of them -Diwali, Vijayadasami, Pongal, etc., they are not only religion-based but also include those glorifying important stages in a person's life, seasonal cycles, etc.
Indian science was advanced in ancient times - Aryabhatta and Bhaskara were important scientists who studied planetary motion.
The Arabic numerals are actually an Indian contribution.
Traditional dresses in India include the Sari (Saree), Salwar Kameez, Dhoti and Kurta.
In cuisine, rice and wheat form the staple diet.
Some popular dishes include Thali- a full fledged meal, Dosa, Idli and Chapati.
Movies are an integral part of everyday life in India, most notably the Hindi, Tamil and Telugu for their commercial bases, and Bengali and Malayalam for its artistic leanings.
Though each region has a specific culture, in recent times there is a growing tendency to merge boundaries and imbibe aspects from other regions.
Also, with increasing globalization, and due to the liberalisation of the Indian economy in the early 90's, there has been influence of Western culture.
So there is Indi-pop in music , Hinglish or Tanglish- English flavoured with terms from local language used most prominently in fields such as advertising, pizzas with indigenous spices, experimental dance and theatre forms, and so on.
The invasion of cable TV has spawned an entirely new popular culture.
Apart from these historical and context specific forms, what an Indian sees as important in Indian culture are abstract qualities such as hospitality, family values, acceptance and toleration of differences, resilience and co-existence.
Sports
As far as sports are concerned, though not India's national sport, cricket is a very popular game today and India's size has made it the game's financial powerhouse.
Some other popular sports - hockey, tennis, chess. (Chess is supposed to have originated in India).
Some traditional indigenous games -kabaddi, gilli-danda.

Geography of Italy

Geographically, Italy is a boot shaped peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean sea. It is approximately 1,130 kilometres long and has a total area of approximately 301,238 square kilometres comprising some of the most varied and scenic landscapes on earth. Italy's land borders are with Switzerland, France, Austria and Slovenia. There are two independent states within Italy's borders: San Marino and Vatican City.

The Mountains

Italy is mostly mountainous with ranges over 700 metres covering a third of the country. The best known ranges are the Alps, the Dolomites and the Appenines.
The Italian Alps are divided into three main groups. The first group, the Western Alps run north to south from Aosta to the Cadibona Pass, with the highest peaks of Mount Viso 3,841 metres and Gran Paradiso 4,061 metres which is regarded as the highest mountain completely within Italy. The second group, the Central Alps run west to east from the Western Alps to the Brenner Pass, leading into Austria and the Trentino - Alto Adige valley. This group also has high peaks, such as Monte Bianco (Mont Blanc) with a summit of 4,807 metres just over the border in France, Monte Cervino (Matterhorn) 4,478 metres, Monte Rosa with a summit of 4,634 metres just over the border in Switzerland, and Mount Ortles 3,905 metres. The last group, the Eastern Alps run west to east from the Brenner Pass to Trieste and include the Dolomites and Mount Marmolada 3,343 metres. The Italian foothills of the Alps, which reach no higher than 2,500 metres, lie between these great ranges and the Po valley.
The Apennines form the backbone of the country running down the full length of the Italian peninsula from the Cadibona Pass to the tip of Calabria, continuing onto the island of Sicily. The range is about 2,000 kilometres long. Although narrow at each end, only about 32 kilometres wide, it is about 190 kilometres wide in the Central Apennines, east of Rome, where the "Great Rock of Italy" (Gran Sasso d'Italia) provides the highest Apennine peak at 2,912 metres. This area also includes the only glacier in Italy, Calderone, the southernmost in Europe.

The Plains

Between the Alps and the Appenines lies the Padan Plain. This is drained by the longest river of Italy, the Po, stretching for 652 kilometres eastward from the Cottian Alps to the Adriatic. Plains cover less than a quarter of the total area of Italy, and the Padan Plain is the most extensive and important in Italy. It occupies more than 44,000 of the 77,000 square kilometres of Italian plain land. It ranges in altitude from sea level up to 550 metres but most of it lies below 100 metres. The waters of the Po River and all its tributaries, together with the Reno, Adige, Piave, and Tagliamento rivers, eventually provide vital irrigation for the intensive agriculture of the fertile lower plain.
Other notable plains include the Maremme of Tuscany and Lazio, the Pontine Marshes, the fertile Campania Plain around Vesuvius and the rather arid Apulian Plain. In Sicily the Plain of Catania is a good area for growing citrus fruit.

The Lakes

There are about 1,500 lakes in Italy. Most of these are small Alpine lakes that are used for hydroelectric schemes. Other lakes, such as Bolsena and Albano in Lazio, occupy the craters of extinct volcanoes. There are also coastal lagoons, such as Lakes Lesina and Varano in Puglia, and lakes resulting from prehistoric faulting, such as Lake Alleghe, near Belluno. The best-known, largest, and most important of the Italian lakes are Lakes Garda, Maggiore, Como, Iseo, and Lugano. They are situated in the north of Italy around Milan. They have a semi-Mediterranean climate and are surrounded by groves of olive and citrus trees. Italy also has considerable areas in which, as a result of porous rock, the water systems run underground, forming subterranean streams, sinkholes, and lakes. These are often associated with caves, the most famous of which are those of Castellana, in Puglia.

The Coast

Including islands, Italy has a total coastline of 7,600 kilometres, much of which is extremely varied. Along the two Ligurian rivieras, on either side of Genoa, the coast alternates between high, rocky zones and level gravel. The most famous of the rocky areas is called Cinque Terre, running from Sestri Levante down to La Spezia. The coast southwards from Tuscany to Campania consists of long, sandy, crescent beaches mixed with higher, more rocky stretches. The Tyrrhenian coasts of basilicata and Calabria are high and rocky, though sometimes broken by short beaches, many of them with spectacular white sand, particularly towards the south. The coast of Puglia is flat, as is most of the Adriatic coast of Italy, although it is dominated by terraced hills behind. The majestic delta of the Po River, extending from Rimini to Monfalcone, is riddled with the lagoons most famously around Venice. The Carso, the limestone coastal region between Trieste and Istria, is rocky.  

The Islands

Italy is surrounded by sea on three sides. To the north west is the Ligurian sea, to the west and south west the Tyrrhenian sea, to the south and south east is the Ionian sea and to the east is the Adriatic sea. The two largest islands in the Mediterranean, Sicily and Sardinia, are both a part of Italy. There are many other island groups too:


Tuscan Islands | Pontine Islands | Napolitan Islands | Aeolian Islands
Egadi Islands | Tremeti Islands | Pelagie Islands

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About Italy

Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia. Italy shares its northern Alpine boundary with France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within the Italian Peninsula, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland.

The total land area of Italy is approximately 301,328 square kilometres. It is approximately 1,130 kilometres long and 160 kilometres wide for most of the peninsular. At its widest point in the north, it is 480 kilometres wide and at its narrowest point in the center, it is 112 kilometres wide. Geographically, It is mostly mountainous, with narrow coastal plains. In general, Italy has a Mediterranean climate. It is mainly mild on the coast, becoming colder inland in the mountains. It can be extremely hot everywhere in the summer, and extremely cold in the north during the winter.



Map of Italy Italy has a rich and colourful history. It has been the home of many European cultures, such as the Etruscans and the Romans, and later was the birthplace of the movement of the Renaissance, that began in Tuscany and spread all over Europe. Italy's capital, Rome, has been the centre of Western civilization, and Vatican City, located in Rome, is the centre of the Catholic Church. The warring factions of the middle ages finally gave way to a nationalist movement in the 19th century, with Italy acheiving unification around the turn of the century.

Today, Italy is a democratic republic, and a developed country with the 7th-highest GDP, the 8th-highest Quality-of-life index, and the 20th-highest Human Development Index rating in the world. It is a founding member of what is now the European Union (having signed the Treaty of Rome in 1957), and also a member of the G8, the Council of Europe, the Western European Union, and the Central European Initiative. Beginning January 1, 2007, Italy became a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council. Italy has a population of approximately 60 million. It is the sixth most populous country in Europe, and the twenty-third most populous in the world.

Italy is divided into 20 regions. Five of these: Sardinia, Sicily, Trentino-Alto Adige, Aosta Valley and Friuli-Venezia Giulia have special status and a greater degree of independence. The regions are divided into provinces, 110 in all, varying dramatically in size. These provinces are divided into comunes, of which there are 8,100. The government is increasing delegating powers to the regions some of which, particularly in the north of Italy, are impatient with the pace and breadth of these reforms.

Italy has made an incalculable contribution to the culture of Europe and the rest of the world. writers such as: Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio - artists such as: Giotto, Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio and Michelangelo; and composers such as: Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Rossini, Verdi and Puccini have all had a tremendous and lasting influence on the development of Western civilization. Contemporary Italian artists, writers, filmmakers, architects, composers, and designers continue to contribute significantly to Western culture.

Tourism is one of the biggest contributors to the Italian economy. More than 40 million tourists a year flock to the country mainly for its art, cuisine, history, fashion and culture. Not forgeting its beautiful coastline and beaches, its mountains, and priceless ancient monuments. There are 24 National Parks in Italy and more UNESCO World Heritage sites than in any other country.

Italy has a long sporting tradition and has been extremely successful at international level in various sports.

In Olympic history, Italy has finished in the top five of the medal count eleven times in the Summer Olympic Games and three times in the Winter Olympic Games.

Football (soccer) is the most popular sport in Italy and the Italian National Football team (the 'Azzurri') are currently the second most successful football team in the world after Brazil, having won four FIFA world cup titles.

Cycling is also an extremely popular sport in Italy. Italians have won more World Cycling Championships than any other country except Belgium. The Giro d'Italia is a world famous long distance bicycle race held every May and constitutes one of the three Grand Tours along with the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, each of which lasts approximately three weeks.

Italy is one of the main basketball nations of Europe, with the national team winning a Silver Medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2004.

The Italian men's national volleyball team dominated international volleyball competitions in the 1990s and early 2000s. They won three World Championships in a row (1990, 1994 and 1998), six European Championships, one World Cup (1995) and eight World League titles. The Italian women's national volleyball team won the 2007 Women's European Volleyball Championships and the 2007 FIVB Women's World Cup gold medal. They finished fifth in the Beijing Olympics in 2004.

Italians also excel in winter sports, having won the Olympic gold medal twice for cross country skiing and luge. In downhill skiing they have won four World Cups titles.

The Ferrari F1 motor racing team, founded by Enzo Ferrari, have competed in fomula one racing since 1948. They are the most successful Formula One team in history with a record of 15 drivers' championship titles and 16 constructors' championship titles. Italian motorcycle racer, Valentino Rossi, is one of the most successful of all time, with nine Grand Prix World Championships to his name, a record seven in the premier class.

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important to know about Greece

The geography ,population and climate of Greece

map of Greece

Politic of Greece

religion in Greece

History of Greece

The Acropolis museum

National Archaeological Museum in Greece 

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The geography ,population and climate of Greece

The rocky coast of Greece is very uneven. 
It is about 1,500 km long. Three quarters of the Greek territory is covered in mountains.
 Numerous islands are scattered throughout the Aegean, Ionian and Mediterranean seas. 
These islands are the summits of mountains which were submerged millions of years ago when the Mediterranean basin was covered with water.

Mount Olympus

 

 Mount Olympus is the highest point in Greece (2,917 m). In mythology, this was the home of the gods. 
The Pinde mountain range runs right through the middle of the country.

  Gamilla Peak

 Gamilla Peak is covered in snow until mid-June.

The country has a total surface area of 132,000 km2.

There is a total population of 10 million inhabitants.

Greece has been- a member of OTAN since 1951.
see the map

The climate
The mountainous regions have a continental climate. The summers are hot and humid and the winters cold and snowy. 
The coastal regions and the islands have a Mediterranean climate – hot and dry in summer and mild and rainy in winter.

The Greek population 
 is made up mainly of Greeks.
There are few immigrants – some Russians who came there after the 1917 Revolution, 1% of Turks who stayed on after the Ottoman Occupation and now a few Albanians.
The population of Athens increased considerably in 1960 and consequently,
a large number of high-rise buildings grew up quickly at that time.

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map of greece

 

 Hope you you enjoyed reading my post & found it useful 

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