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Capital
New Delhi
Administrative Divisions
29 states & 7 Union Territories
Area
3,287,240 kms
Population 2001
1,028 million
2010 estimate
1,182 million
Major Religions
Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain
Languages
Hindi & English official language &
20 other national languages
Recognized 844 Dialects spoken in different parts of the country
Currency
Indian Rupee
Electricity
230V, 50Hz cycle
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India is one of the oldest civilizations in the world with a kaleidoscopic variety and rich cultural heritage. It has achieved all-round socio-economic progress during the last 62 years of its Independence. India has become self-sufficient in agricultural production and is now one of the top industrialized countries in the world and one of the few nations to have gone into outer space to conquer nature for the benefit of the people. It covers an area of 32,87,263 sq. km, extending from the snow-covered Himalayan heights to the tropical rain forests of the south. As the 7th largest country in the world, India stands apart from the rest of Asia, marked off as it is by mountains and the sea, which give the country a distinct geographical entity. Bounded by the Great Himalayas in the north, it stretches southwards and at the Tropic of Cancer, tapers off into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.
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Capital
Kathmandu
Area
147,181 kms
Population 2007
28,875,140
2009 estimate
29,331,000
Major Religions
Hindu, Buddhist,Muslim
Languages
Official language Nepali
Recognised regional languages
Maithili, Nepal Bhasa, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Gurung,
Tamang, Magar, Awadhi, Sherpa, Kiranti, Limbu and
other 100 different indigenous languages.
Currency
Nepali Rupee
Electricity
230V, 50Hz cycle
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Nepal officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia and, as of 2010, the world's most recent nation to become a republic. It is bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India. With an area of 147,181 square kilometres (56,827 sq mi) and a population of approximately 30 million, Nepal is the world's 93rd largest country by land mass and the 41st most populous country. Kathmandu is the nation's capital and the country's largest metropolitan city.
Nepal is a country of highly diverse and rich geography, culture, and religions. The mountainous north has eight of the world's ten highest mountains, including the highest, Sagarmatha, known in English as Mount Everest. The fertile and humid south is heavily urbanized. It contains over 240 peaks more than 20,000 ft (6,096 m) above sea level.
The two major religions practiced in Nepal are Hinduism and Buddhism with a majority of the people being Hindus. The two have co-existed through the ages and many Hindu idols are found within Buddhist shrines. Hindus visit Buddhist shrines and Buddhists visit Hindu temples without a second thought as many worship in both. Some gods and goddesses are shared by Hinduism and Buddhism although they have been given different names. The other religions practiced in Nepal are: Islam, Christianity, Jainism, Sikhism and Bon. Some of the earliest inhabitants like the Kirants practice their own kind of religion based on ancestor worship and the Tharus practice animism. Over the years, Hinduism and Buddhism have been influenced by these practices which have been modified to form a synthesis of newer beliefs.
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Capital
Thimphu
Area
38,394 sq. kms
Population 2007
683,407
Major Religions
Buddhist, Bon
Languages
Dzongkha
Currency
Ngultrum
Electricity
230V, 50Hz cycle
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The Kingdom of Bhutan is a landlocked country in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalaya Mountains and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China. Bhutan is separated from the nearby state of Nepal to the west by the Indian state of Sikkim, and from Bangladesh to the south by West Bengal. The Bhutanese called their country Druk Yul which means "Land of Dragon".
Bhutan has a rich and unique cultural heritage that has largely remained intact because of its isolation from the rest of the world until the early 1960s. One of the main attractions for tourists is the country's culture and traditions. Bhutanese tradition is deeply steeped in its Buddhist heritage. Hinduism is the second dominant religion in Bhutan, being most prevalent in the southern regions. Both religions co-exist peacefully and receive support from the government, and enjoy royal patronage. The government is increasingly making efforts to preserve and sustain the current culture and traditions of the country. Because of its largely unspoiled natural environment and cultural heritage, Bhutan has been referred to as The Last Shangri-la.
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Capital
Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte
Commercial capital
Colombo
Area
65,525 sq. kms
Population 2004
19.5 million
Major Religions
Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
Languages
Sinhala & Tamil is widely spoken throughout Sri Lanka.
Currency
Sri Lankan Rupee
Electricity
230 Volts
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Sri Lanka, an island in the Indian Ocean is located to the south of the Indian subcontinent. It lies between 5° 55' and 9° 55' north of the equator and between the eastern longitudes 79° 42' and 81° 52'. The total land area is 65,610 sq. km. and is astonishingly varied. A length of 445 km. and breadth of 225 km. encompasse beautiful tropical beaches, verdant vegetation, ancient monuments and a thousand delights to please all tastes. The relief features of the island consist of a mountainous mass somewhat south of the centre, with height exceeding 2,500 metres, surrounded by broad plains. Palm fringed beaches surround the island and the sea temperature rarely falls below 27°C.
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Capital
Malé
Area
298 sq. kms
Population 2009 estimate
396,334
2009 estimate
29,331,000
Major Religions
Ethnic group Mahls(Divehin)
Languages
Dhivehi (Mahl)
Recognised regional languages
Maithili, Nepal Bhasa, Bhojpuri, Tharu, Gurung,
Tamang, Magar, Awadhi, Sherpa, Kiranti, Limbu and
other 100 different indigenous languages.
Currency
Maldivian Rufiyaa
Electricity
230 Volts
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The Maldives or Maldive Islands, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island nation in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching in a north-south direction off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about seven hundred kilometres south-west of Sri Lanka.
The atolls of Maldives encompass a territory spread over roughly 90,000 square kilometers, making it one of the most disparate countries in the world. It features 1,192 islets, of which two hundred are inhabited. The Republic of Maldives's capital and largest city is Malé, with a population of 103,693 (2006). It is located at the southern edge of North Malé Atoll, in the Kaafu Atoll
The Maldives is the smallest Asian country in both population and area. With an average ground level of 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) above sea level, it is the lowest country on the planet. It is also the country with the lowest highest point in the world, at 2.3 metres.
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