India is a country located in Southern Asia on a geographic feature known as the Indian subcontinent. The nation is flanked on the east and west by the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea, respectively, with the Indian Ocean off of its southern tip. India shares borders with six nations: Pakistan to the west; Burma (Myanmar) and Bangladesh to the east; and China, Bhutan, and Nepal to the northeast.

The word India comes from the word Indus representing the Indus River, and is derived from the Persian word Hindu, or the Sanskrit word Sindhu. India has a landscape entrenched in vibrant color. The browns and yellows of the plateaus and desserts, the snowy white peaks of the Himalayas, and the lush green jungles of India provide a kaleidoscope for the senses. India consists of 28 states, 7 territories, three traditional ethnic groups, eighteen languages and seven religions making her population the second largest in the world.https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/in.html

One of the most culturally and religiously diverse nations on Earth, India achieved its current political configuration in the aftermath of the departure of British rule in 1947. A part of the British Empire throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, India achieved political independence through the efforts of Mahatma Gandhi. Today India is a nation of extremes, with rampant overpopulation and poverty contrasted by a thriving and expanding economy.

The Indian culture is famous for its robust blend of ritual, tradition and ethics. Religion is deep rooted in the Indian lifestyle. India is among few countries where, despite colonialism, persecution and invasion, social and religious structures define the nation's identity, as they have for the past 4000 years.http://www.factsaboutindia.org/