Indian Culture
Welcome to our guide to India. This is useful for anyone researching Indian culture, customs, values and wanting to understand the people better. You may be going to India on business, for a visit or even hosting Indiancolleagues or clients in your own country. Remember this is only a very basic level introduction and is not meant to stereotype all Indian people you may meet!
Facts and Statistics
Location: Southern Asia, bordering Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Capital: New Delhi
Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Population: 1,065,070,607 (July 2004 est.)
Ethnic Make-up: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist , Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
Government: Federal Republic
Languages in India
The different states of India have different official languages, some of them not recognized by the central government. Some states have more then one official language. Bihar in east India has three official languages - Hindi , Urdu and Bengali - which are all recognized by the central government. But Sikkim, also in east India, has four official languages of which only Nepali is recognized by the central government. Besides the languages officially recognized by central or state governments, there are other languageswhich don't have this recognition and their speakers are running political struggles to get this recognition. Central government decided that Hindi was to be the official language of India and therefore it also has the status of official language in the states.
Travelling to India? Why not learn some useful Hindi phrases ?
Indian Society & Culture
Hierarchy
The influences of Hinduism and the tradition of the caste system have created a culture that emphasizes established hierarchical relationships.
Indians are always conscious of social
Facts and Statistics
Location: Southern Asia, bordering Bangladesh 4,053 km, Bhutan 605 km, Burma1,463 km, China 3,380 km, Nepal 1,690 km, Pakistan 2,912 km
Capital: New Delhi
Climate: varies from tropical monsoon in south to temperate in north
Population: 1,065,070,607 (July 2004 est.)
Ethnic Make-up: Indo-Aryan 72%, Dravidian 25%, Mongoloid and other 3% (2000)
Religions: Hindu 81.3%, Muslim 12%, Christian 2.3%, Sikh 1.9%, other groups including Buddhist , Jain, Parsi 2.5% (2000)
Government: Federal Republic
Languages in India
The different states of India have different official languages, some of them not recognized by the central government. Some states have more then one official language. Bihar in east India has three official languages - Hindi , Urdu and Bengali - which are all recognized by the central government. But Sikkim, also in east India, has four official languages of which only Nepali is recognized by the central government. Besides the languages officially recognized by central or state governments, there are other languageswhich don't have this recognition and their speakers are running political struggles to get this recognition. Central government decided that Hindi was to be the official language of India and therefore it also has the status of official language in the states.
Travelling to India? Why not learn some useful Hindi phrases ?
Indian Society & Culture
Hierarchy
The influences of Hinduism and the tradition of the caste system have created a culture that emphasizes established hierarchical relationships.
Indians are always conscious of social