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Welcome to India

  • Mumbai – the most populous city in India

    © Mombai Dinodia/Getty Images

    Photo of a crowded street with people and cars in Mumbai

  • The Ganges – a holy river

    © hecke61/Shutterstock

    Photo of the Ganges which is a holy river in India

  • The Himalayas – home to nine of the highest peaks on Earth

    © My Good Images/Shutterstock

    Photo of mountains in the Himalayas

  • The Golden Temple, Punjab – a holy place to Sikhs

    © Bruder Jakob/Fotolia

    Photo of the Golden Temple in Punjab – a holy place to Sikhs

  • The Taj Mahal

    © jool-yan/Fotolia

    Photo of the Taj Mahal

  • Bangalore – the «Silicone Valley of India»

    © yellowcrestmedia/iStockphotos

    Photo of skyskrapers in Bangalore which is known as the “Silicone Valley of India”
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Welcome to India

Welcome to India

If you don’t like being alone, India is the country for you. The space one person has to themselves in Norway is shared by 26 people in India. Although 70% of Indians live in the countryside, there are 53 cities with populations of over 1 million. The largest, Mumbai, has a population of over 12 million. That’s more than twice the number of people in the whole of Norway! And there are 1.2 billion people in the whole country. So Indians grow up with a lot of other people around them.

India is a country of great natural beauty. There are many rivers, and they play an important role in Indian culture as well as for agriculture and transport. In the north you will find some of the tallest, coldest mountains in the world, the Himalayas, whereas in the south the climate is tropical. About a fifth of the country is covered in trees, varying from tropical rainforests to teak trees or fig tree farms. Human activity in the last 50 years or so has affected wildlife quite badly, but there are now many areas where wildlife is protected.

In a country this large, there are clearly enormous differences in the way people live, what they eat and what they believe in. You’ll find every major world religion in India. The most common religion is Hinduism, but Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism all have their roots here. 2.5% of Indians are Christian and 2% are Sikh. That may not sound much, but remember the size of the population. This is also the reason why India’s Muslims make it the second largest Muslim country in the world.

India was once a very important part of the British Empire. It has been an independent republic since 1947, and it’s now the world’s largest democracy. There are two official national languages, Hindi and English, 20 official regional languages and many others. English has developed into the key language of education and business throughout the country. That’s why learning English is just as important for India’s schoolchildren as it is for you.

One thing that makes India unique is that it is so full of contrasts. It has beautiful ancient buildings and traditional rituals that go back thousands of years, which are still part of modern life. 30% of its people cannot read or write, yet it is also a high-tech country with its own space programme. It’s the world’s third largest economy and a strong military power. But huge numbers of poor people, including many children, have to fight to survive every single day. Maybe that’s one of the reasons tourist websites call the country “Incredible !ndia”.

DOCUMENT Getting the gist


DOCUMENT Word building 1


DOCUMENT Word building 2


DOCUMENT Word building 3


DOCUMENT Your turn to talk


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