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India
will sideswipe you with its size, clamour and diversity.
Nothing in the country is ever quite what you expect,
and the only thing to expect is the unexpected which
comes in many forms and will always want to sit next
to you. India is a litmus test for many travellers and
some visitors are only too happy to get on an aircraft
and fly away, but if you enjoy delving into convoluted
cosmologies and thrive on sensual overload, then India
is one of the most intricate and rewarding dramas unfolding
on earth.
Full
country name:
Republic of India
Area: 3,287,590
sq km (1,229,737 sq mi)
Population: 1,014,003,817
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
GDP:
US$1.7 trillion
GDP per head: US$1,720
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
Warning
India and Pakistan continue to trade insults and, occasionally,
bullets across the disputed Kashmiri border. Indian
armed forces and Kashmiri separatists have also been
involved in violent clashes in the state. Lonely Planet
advises that travellers do not visit the western part
of Jammu & Kashmir state, especially Jammu, Srinagar
and the Kashmir Valley, and Kishtwar in the Zanskar
region. Foreign travellers in this area have been targeted
by Kashmiri separatist groups and several have been
kidnapped or killed.
Civil
unrest is also occurring in the north-eastern states.
Terrorist attacks have resulted in bombed trains, buses
and bridges, and there have been a number of political
killings. Official sources encourage putting off holidays
or business travels to the states of Assam, Nagaland,
Tripura and Manipur, and due caution should be exercised
if travelling in Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya and Mizoram.
Particular care should also be taken when travelling
to parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar given the prevalence
of local banditry.
Travellers
require permits from the Indian government to visit
the states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram
and Nagaland in the north-east.
In
the Indian Himalaya, parts of Kullu District and Spiti
District of Himachal Pradesh, and areas of Uttar Pradesh,
also require authorisation. Other areas requiring permits
include the Pakistan-India border region west of National
Highway No 15 in Rajasthan, the Andaman and Nicobar
Islands, and the Lakshadweep Islands.
Piracy
and armed robbery of ships in the seas around the Indian
coast is becoming a regular occurence. Crews of all
ships need to exercise extreme vigilance.
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