Location: South Asia.

Area: 3,166,414 sq km (1,222,582 sq miles).

Population: 1.1 billion (estimate 2007).

Population Density: 347 per square km.

Time: GMT + 5.5.

Capital: New Delhi, Population: 16.6 million (estimate 2007).

Government: Republic since 1947.

Head of State: President Pratibha Patil, the first female president of India.

Head of Government: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

Language: 17 regional languages have been recognized by the constitution, out of which Hindi is spoken by almost 40% of the population. Bengali, Gujrati, Oriya, Punjabi and Hindi are spoken in north India and Tamil and telagu are spoken in south India.

Religion: there are 12% Muslims in India and 82% Hindus, and there are also certain minorities such as Jain, Parsi, Sikh, Christian and Buddhist.
Photography: Photography is restricted at certain places such as airports, train stations and crossings, and there is fixed fee applicable for it at certain places.

Gadgets and electricity: Plugs used in India are round pin type, with two and three pins. So if your cell phone’s and Camera’s chargers do not have a round pin then you can buy an extension plug from the local electric shops.

Social conventions: English-speaking guides are available at many bookstores including the official tourist centers. At many places guides speaking French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish or Japanese are available.