Facts about India
Geography
The name India comes from the river Indus which flows through Pakistan. The Indus civilisation developed along the Indus valley. A lot of old ruins (remains of old buildings) have been found and show that 2500 years before Christ was born the Indus people built large public buildings such as colleges, places to store grain and palaces.
India is the 7th largest countryin the world. About 16%, or 1 in every 6 people live in India. About 980 million people live there. The main language which they speak is Hindi but alot of them speak English also. 8 in every 10 people in India live in villages. The capital city is Delhi. Can you find Delhi on the map?
India is surrounded by 7 countries.
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Look up the internet or use
your encyclopedia to find out what they are.
www.jpl.nasa.gov/cassini/english/kids/india.html
Travel
Buses in India are usually very crowded. People buy their tickets with rupee (which is the currency) and then share their seats with all kinds of animals, such as goats, chickens or animals being brought to the market. This overcrowding and poor roads means transport is very dangerous and there are often accidents.
The Great Indian Railway is really important to India. 1.6 million workers (about 1/4 of the size of Ireland's population) keep the railway going. 11,000 trains travel all over India every day with 12 million people (Ireland's population by 3). The trains are usually overcrowded as well and people often have to stand for long distances.
Look at the picture. Notice all the people sitting on the roofs of carriages or standing on the steps outside a carriage holding on for dear life!!!
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Look at the picture. Imagine you are someone on the train for the first time. Write an account of your experience.
Taj - Mahal
Jahan's Chronicle (the story of the Taj Mahal)
In 1592, a prince was born to the emperor of India. His name was Khurram.
This young, new prince was very close to his grandfather, Akbar. In fact,
Akbar taught him how to hunt and use weapons. He also told him stories
about warriors, battles, and how to be a great ruler.
Then, in 1607, Khurram visited a New Year's Fair. While he was there he
stopped to bargain for some gems at the stand of Arjumand Bano. She was
the fifteen year old daughter of a Prime Minister. It was love at first
sight. Five years later he was allowed to marry her.
Prince Khurram had a happy marriage. It was a real love match. His father
died in 1627 and he was crowned in 1628. He became the 5th emperor. His
name was changed to Shah Jahan and his wife's name became Mumtaz Mahal.
Mumtaz Mahal was an inseperable companion for her husband. She went with
him on all of his journeys and military expeditions. She was not only
his wife, but also his counselor. She was always giving food and money
to those who flocked at the palace gates. She inspired Shah Jahan to give
to the poor. With her by his side, he was able to strengthen the empire.
He expanded his territory by conquering nearby lands and became a very
wealthy man. With his fortune, he was able to move the capital to Delhi.
During all of this time his wife was his loyal companion and stayed close
by his side. In fact, she died giving birth to their fourteenth child
while they were on a military expedition. Shah Jahan was totally grief
stricken. He stayed in a state of sadness for two years. Then he started
focusing on building projects. He started a project that dominated the
rest of his life, the building of a shrine to honor his beloved wife.
It was his everlasting love that inspired the building of the Taj Mahal.
Rivalry broke out between his sons. One of his sons finally turned on
him and took the throne from him in 1658. He had his father, Shah Jahan,
imprisoned at the Red Fort in Agra until he died in 1666. The Red Fort
or Fort Agra was directly across from the famous Taj Mahal. Shah Jahan
died looking at his most beautiful creation, the image of wife's tomb.
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http://library.thinkquest.org/J0112263/
Climate
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do you think India's climate is like? It has a
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