India - Incredible India

India shares borders with Pakistan, China, Nepal, Myanmar, Bangladesh and Bhutan. The Himalaya flank India in the north, while the Indian Ocean surrounds the country's large southern peninsula. The fabled Ganges, the holiest and one of the most important rivers in India, originates in the northern Himalaya and flows down into huge, flat plains. The plains run into the Deccan Plateau in the south.

For tourism purposes, India is often divided into two regions: the north, which includes Delhi and Kolkata (Calcutta); and the south, which includes Mumbai (Bombay), Chennai (Madras), Bangalore and much of the nation's coastline. (The culture, cuisine, languages and customs are noticeably different in each region.) Within those regions, each state also has its own identity, formed around an ethnic group.

india factOfficial Name: Republic of India.
Capital: New Delhi.
Population: 1,014,003,817.
Languages: Hindi, English, 14 other official languages.
Predominant Religions: Hindu, Islamic, Christian, Bhuddist, and a range of more animistic religions.
Time Zone: 5.5 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (+5.5 GMT). Daylight Saving Time is not observed.
Voltage Requirements: 220 volts.
Telephone Codes: 91, country code.

weather of india For most of the country, November-March is (by far) the best time to visit, with temperatures ranging from 40-60 F/5-15 C in the north (excluding Kashmir and Ladakh, which are always cooler) to 65-85 F/19-30 C in the south. March-June is dry and very, very hot (85-110 F/30-44 C), and June-October is monsoon time (20-80 in/50-200 cm of rain will fall in one season). The best times to visit Darjeeling and other mountain areas are the months of March, April, October and November. Obviously, it's less crowded with tourists in India during the off-seasons, but it can be so hot in the spring and summer that it's really not possible to stay outdoors for long periods of time. Another problem is that in the rainy period the monsoon washes away many roads in game parks and the rural areas (south-eastern India has a second rainy period during the cool season). If you're going to India during the spring or summer, you'll want to stick with the hill stations (60-70 F/ 15-21 C). During the winter, avoid Kashmir (30-45 F/0-7 C), unless you're going skiing (and don't even think about Ladakh - it's one of the coldest inhabited regions on Earth).

visa to india At the time of writing all nationalities require a visa to enter India, they are not available at port of entry but must be obtained in advance. It your responsibility to arrange visas before you travel, sometimes your travel agent can assist you.
For information on the location of your nearest embassy or consulate we recommend the following website: http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/Embassies_and_Consulates/