India

 

    Welcome to one of the many wonderful informational sites about India! Here, you will learn  many new and interesting things about India, such as the flag of India, what the country looks like on a map, and what the people of India look like and how they live everyday. Also, you will learn a about the many cultures and other ways of life of the people of India, and a brief history of the country as well. Enjoy!

 

         

 

Objectives(7th grade)

1.  India's background

2.  population/location

3. religions

4.  languages

5. cultures

6.  celebrations

Just A Brief Description

 There are many different names that you could call this country, such as BHARAT or HINDUSTAN, but the official name of the country is Republic of India.  Most of us, the people who do not live in India, only know the country as India.  BHARAT and HINDUSTAN are two names that are mainly just known and used by the people who are native to India. India is located  in Southern Asia, right along the border of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. A more exact location is right in between Pakistan and Burma. India is one of the largest countries in the world. To be more specific, it is actually the seventh largest country in the world.  The estimated population in India today is about 5.5 billion and growing! Geography standard 9 explains the characteristics, distribution, and migration of human populations on Earth's surface. This means that on of the possible reason for the population being so high could be because of many reasons, such as vegetation, climate, or even religion. With so many people, comes many different ways of life.  

Quick Quiz!

1. How many names could the country of India be called?

    a. 2

    b. 6

    c. 3

Religions of India

Some of the few religions of India are Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism. There are also a few non-Indian religions such as Islam and Christianity, and there are just a few Jews as well. The most popular religion of India is Hinduism. About 82% of the Indian population is Hindus. Hinduism is the third largest religion in the world. Some of the things that this religion focuses on are karma (what goes around comes around), and reincarnation (after you pass away, you are born again as something else). Along with being one of the most popular religions, it is also the oldest religion which was born in India.

Quick Quiz!

What is the most popular religion of India?

    a. Hinduism

    b. Jewish

    c. Christianity

Languages of India

 In geography standard 10,  language is  said to be one of the characteristics which determines the complexity of the Earth's cultural mosaics.  It can even determine the history of a culture. There are more than 40 different languages spoken in India. Some of these languages include Hindi, Bengali, and Telugu. Hindi is the most dominant language of India. Half of the people in the country speak Hindi. Hindi was made the official language of India in 1965, but English and 21 other languages we supposed to be the official languages of India, according to the Constitution of India.

Quick Quiz!

How many different languages are spoken in India?

    a. less than 20

    b. more than 40

    c. only 1

 

 

 People of India/Cultures

     One description of an Indian would be brown skin, long black hair, and brown eyes.  However, because pretty much all of them favor one another, they are not grouped in different racial groups based upon look.  They are grouped into either ethnic or culture groups.  Ethnic groups might be made up of people who come from the same family, and culture groups may be made up of people who share the same beliefs or customs.  Some of the different Indian cultures may explain why some of the people dress the way they do.  Also, according to geography standard 13 the  forces of cooperation and conflict among the people influence the division and control of the earth's surface. This means that because the groups are different, specific ethnic and cultural groups are divided into different regions all across India. But as the groups picks a certain place to settle, they sometimes have to be careful when they choose a place to relocate themselves. As stated in geography standard 12 ,which includes the processes, patterns, and functions of human settlement, settlements are a powerful influence in shaping the world's different cultural systems.

Quick Quiz!

What group would a person be put in based on their customs?

    a. Ethnic group

    b. Culture group

    c. Indian Group

 

Celebrations in India!

    Just like people all over the world, the people in India also have celebrations and festivals as well.  There are many festivals that happen in India, but the most popular is called Diwali.  This is the festival of lights.  This festival takes place around October 15 all the way to November 15.  This day is celebrated because Lord Rama and Sita (people of great importance to the Indian people) returned from being sent away for many years. During this celebration many of the events that take place are just like what we do to celebrate Christmas, except they have fireworks.

Quick Quiz!

Which holiday do we celebrate is most closely related to the way Diwali is celebrated?

    a. Christmas

    b. Halloween

    c. Thanksgiving

 

 

 

 

 If you would like to know more about India, here are more resources you can check out!

http://www.indianchild.com/history_of_india.htm

http://www.tourindia.com/

www.theodora.com/flags

Geography Education Standards Project.Geography For Life: National Geography Standards.1994