India, officially the Republic of India, has different names in several languages spoken in the country, as its name in Hindi language "Bharat". India is the largest country in the Subcontinent, located in the south of Asia, is the seventh largest country by geographical area in the world, the second most populous country, and the largest democracy of the world. India shares borders to the West with Pakistan, to the North with China and Nepal, to the North-East with Bhutan, to the East with Bangladesh and Myanmar, and to the south with the Indian Ocean.
The country is home of the oldest civilization, the Indus Valley civilization, in fact, the center of the civilization was situated in the province of Sindh, Pakistan, and counts with about 5000 years of glorious history. The history maybe began with the civilization settled along the Indus River, around 2500 B.C., later the Moghuls maintained effective control of the country from 1520s to until the mid 18th century, influx in the culture, architecture, etc. After, British took the control of the whole of the subcontinent, and around the 1880s the country gets its independence, until Mahatma Gandhi began the policy of non-cooperation with the British. And now India is the most populous liberal democracy in the world.
But India is not only history, the rich and exuberance culture of the country is manifested in different forms. India also is a secular state because there is professed several religions as the Hindu, Muslim, Christian, Sikh, Buddhist, Jain, Zoroastrian and others. Maybe it is the most multicultural country in the world with 18 official languages and about 1652 dialects. Its principal languages are English and Hindi.
The country is very rich in architecture, the influence of the Mughals, British and other cultures made of the country an exquisite place to appreciate the example of the most exquisite architecture. The most representative monument is the Taj Mahal which in the 2007 was declared as one of the New Seven Wonders of the modern world, and is certainly a beautiful building of the Mughal age. But India also has many monuments such as Forts in the desert, palaces of the European style, Mughal palaces, Hindu temples, temples of other religions, Churches, and gardens.
India is the country of contrasts, from highest Himalayas in the north, to the beautiful beaches in the south, you can find different places to see and enjoy, such as the desert of Rajasthan, the jungle and wild life in West Bengal, the backwaters in Kerala, the mountains of tea plantations, and many beautiful places. Other attraction are the cities and peculiar towns, such as Jaipur called the Pink City, Udaipur called the City of Lakes, Jodhpur or the Blue City, Calcutta the City of Joy, Mumbai or well called Bollywood by its film industry. To finish the Indian festivals are several and colorful, you can see almost one in any week through the year all very fun and joy.
