The melting point of all cultures, and the largest democracy in the world. India sure is a fascinating place, which is home to over 1.3 Billion people of different religions and cultures. The country is known for its beautiful landscapes, vibrant culture and rich history. In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the interesting and mind-blowing facts that you might have not known about this beautiful country.
Unknown Facts About India
- India has the largest postal network in the world with over 1,55,015 post offices. A single post office on an average serves a population of 7,175 people.
- Mawsynram, a village on the Khasi Hills, Meghalaya, receives the highest recorded average rainfall in the world. Cherrapunji, also a part of Meghalaya, holds the record for the most rainfall in the calendar year of 1861.
- The name ‘India’ derives from the river Indus.
- The total land area of India is 3.287 million km², making it the 7th largest country in the world.
- There are 22 recognized languages in India with Hindi and English being the official languages. However, other commonly-spoken languages include Bengali (the second most spoken language), Telugu, Tamil, Urdu and Punjabi. There are as many as 19,500 known languages and dialects across the country.
- With over 125 million speakers, India is second only to the USA, which currently has more than 300 million English speakers.
- Hinduism is the world’s oldest religion, and is the most popular religion in India with 80% of the Indian population following Hinduism.
- 70% of all the world’s spices come from India.
- India has the world’s second-largest military, with over 1.39 million active troops.
- One of the oldest games in the world, Chess was invented in India around the 6th Century AD.
- With over 300,000 mosques, there are more mosques in India than in any Islamic nation on earth.
- At over 5000 years old, Varanasi is one of the oldest inhabited places on earth.
- Did you know that shampoo was invented in India? not the commercial liquid ones but the method by use of herbs. The word ‘shampoo’ itself has been derived from the Sanskrit word champu, which means to massage.
- When it comes to Kabaddi, India is unmatched, as the Indian team has won all 5 men’s Kabaddi World Cups held till now and have been undefeated throughout these tournaments. The Indian women’s team has also won all Kabaddi World Cups held till date.
- India has the largest number of vegetarians in the world, it is estimated that around 20-40% of Indians are vegetarians, making it the largest vegetarian-friendly country in the world.
- India was the first country to develop extraction and purifying techniques of sugar. Many visitors from abroad learnt the refining and cultivation of sugar from India.
- Cows are believed to be holy in Hinduism, and India is the only Country with a Bill of Rights for Cows. The Constitution has a set of rules in place that prevents the sale and slaughter of cows.
- India is expected to be the world’s most populated country by the year 2050 with an estimated population of 1.67 billion, equivalent to the combined population of the United States and China.
- India has one of the lowest divorce cases in the world. Statistics show that 1 in 100 marriages in India ends in divorce, one of the lowest rates in the world.
- In Madhya Pradesh, India the police officers are given a slight pay upgrade for having a mustache because their superiors believe that having a mustache will earn them more respect.
- At least 15.6 million abortions happen in India every year.
- Indian women hold 11% of the world’s gold. That is more than the reserves of Germany, the United States and Switzerland combined.
- Only 3% of Indians pay their income tax.
- The Himalayas boast 9 out of 10 world’s highest peaks, the highest being Mt. Everest at 8,848 metres.
- India has the Second Largest Network of Roads in the World with around 1.9 million miles of roads in the country.
- The Number of People Travelling in the Indian Railways Every Day is Equal to the Population of Australia
- The Golden Temple of Amritsar is the most visited place in the world with over one lakh devotees flocking at the shrine every single day.
- Ganga is the longest river in India, flowing through a length of 2525 km.
- The largest state and smallest states in India are Rajasthan and Goa respectively.
- India has contributed so much to the field of mathematics. Branches like algebra, calculus and trigonometry find its roots here. Zero was invented by Aryabhata, who was an Indian.
- All the European languages were derived from Sanskrit, which happens to be the oldest and richest language.
- India has close to 500 wildlife sanctuaries.
- Destroying money is considered an offence punishable by law. But a damaged or torn note can be exchanged at local banks.
- The world’s hottest chilli, bhut jolokia, is from India.
- Dum biryani was originally a money-saving dish engineered by the Nawab of Awadh to feed the poor.
- The gathering of Kumbh Mela is so massive that is visible from the space.
- In 1980, the first satellite of India was transported on a bullock cart for testing.
- Kerala is the highest liquor consuming State in India.
- Over 1.2 million tons of mangos are grown in India every year.
- Langar at the Golden Temple Amritsar feeds up to 100,000 people a day for free.
- Around 100 million years ago, India was an island.
- World’s first and oldest university was established in India named “Takshashila”.
- It’s illegal for foreigners to take Indian currency (rupees) out of India.
- It is illegal for a child in India to neglect their parents after their retirement.
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