India is the seventh largest country in the world in terms of area.

Indian mainland extends between latitudes 8 degree 4' and 37 degree 6' north, longitudes 68 degree 7' and 97 degree 25' east and measures about 3,214 km from north to south between the extreme latitudes and about 2,933 km from east to west between the extreme longitudes.

India has land frontier of about 15,200 km. The total length of the coastline of the mainland, Lakshadweep Islands and Andaman and Nicobar Islands is 7,516.6 km.

Countries having common border with India are: Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Myanmar and Bangladesh. Sri Lanka is separated from India by a narrow channel of sea formed by the Palk Strait and the Gulf of Mannar.

Aravalli, Vindhya, Satpura, Maikala and Ajanta are prominent hill ranges that lie between the Peninsular India and the plains of Ganga.

The Eastern and Western Ghats meet at the southern part of the Indian Peninsula which is formed by the Nilgiri Hills.

Ghagra, Gomti, Gandak, Kosi and Yamuna are the major Himalayan rivers that join the Ganga. Chambal, Betwa and Sone are major rivers flowing north from central India that join Yamuna/Ganga.

After Ganga, Godavari has the second largest basin covering 10 per cent of the area of India. Next to it is Krishna, followed by the Mahanadi basin.

The climate of India can be described as Tropical monsoon type.

India is in tenth position in the world and fourth in Asia in plant diversity.

Botanical Survey of India, (BSI), Kolkata is the nodal agency that is studying the flora of the country. BSI brings out an inventory of the endangered plants in the form of a publication titled "Red Data Book".

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Kolkata and its 16 regional stations are responsible for surveying the Faunal resources of India.

India has a great variety of fauna, numbering 89,451 species.

The design of the National Flag was adopted by the Constituent Assembly of India on July 22,1947.

The State emblem of India is an adaptation from the Sarnath Lion Capitol of Ashoka. Carved out of a single block of polished sandstone, the Capitol is crowned by the Wheel of the Law (Dizaram Chakra). There are four lions, standing back to back, mounted on an abacus with a frieze carrying sculptures in high relief of an elephant, a galloping horse, a bull and a lion, separated by intervening wheels over a bell-shaped lotus.

In the State emblem, adopted on January 26,1950, only three lions are visible. The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The words, Satyameva Jayate, from Mundaka Upanishad, meaning 'truth alone triumphs', are inscribed below the abacus in Devanagiri script.

The song Jana-gana-mana, composed by Rabindranath Tagore, was adopted in its Hindi version by the Constituent Assembly, as the National Anthem of India, on January 24, 1950. It was first sung on December 27, 1911, at the Calcutta session of Indian National Congress. The complete song consists of five stanzas. The first stanza contains the full version of the National Anthem.

The national calendar of India is based on the Saka Era, with Chaitra as its first month. A normal year of 365 days was adopted from March 22, 1957, along with the Gregorian Calendar for the following purposes: (1) Gazette of India; (2) news broadcast by All India Radio; (3) calendars issued by Government of India; and (4) Government communications addressed to the members of the public.

Agriculture sector of India contributes 25 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about 70 per cent of the population is dependent on it.

There are three main crop seasons in India, namely, Kharif, Rabi and summer.'

Major Kharif crops are: rice, Jowar, Bajra, maize, cotton, sugarcane, soybean, and groundnut.

Major Rabi crops are: wheat, barley, gram, linseed, rapeseed, and mustard. Rice, maize and groundnut are grown in summer season also.

In Indian agriculture, oilseeds are next to food grains in area coverage, production and value. India is,one of the largest oilseeds growing countries, contributing about 15 per cent to the acreage under oilseeds in the world.

The Ministry of Agriculture, Government of India, set up a Technology Mission on Oilseeds in May 1986 with the objective to increase the production of oilseeds, reduce the import of edible oils and to achieve self-sufficiency in edible oils.

India is the third largest producer and consumer of fertilizers in the world, after China and USA. It contributes to 9.5 per cent of world production and 10.6 per cent of world consumption of NPK nutrients, but sustains one-sixth of the world population.

The National Biofertiliser Development Centre is located at Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Its six regional centers are located at .Labalpur, Nagpur, Bangalore, Bhubaneshwar, Hissar and Imphal.

The Central Fertiliser Quality Control and Training Institute is located in Faridabad, Haryana. Its three regional centers are located at Mumbai, Chennai and Kalyani.

India accounts for about 10 per cent of the production of fruits in the world.

Mango is the most important fruit produced in India, covering about 39 per cent of the total area used for fruit production and accounting for 23 per cent of total fruit production of India.

India occupies first position in the total production of banana in the world.

India is next only to China in the area and production of vegetables. India contributes about 13 per cent of the world vegetable production and occupies first position in production of cauliflowers, second in onion and third in cabbage in the world.

India is the largest producer, processor, consumer and exporter of cashew nut in the world. India produces 45 per cent of the global production of cashew.

The Centrally-sponsored scheme of soil conservation in the catchments of River Valley Project (RVP) was started in the third Five-year Plan. Another scheme of FloodProne Rivers (FPR) was started in the sixth Plan. Both the schemes were clubbed during the ninth Plan and further subsumed under Macro Management Mode in November 2000.

The Locust Warning Organisation (LWO) is located in Jodhpur.

Seed sector in India consists of two national level corporations: National Seed Corporation (NSC) and State Farm Corporation of India (SFCI). The Seeds Act, 1966 provides for the legislative framework for regulation of quality of seeds sold in India.

The Department of Agriculture and Cooperation (DAC) launched a Central Sector Scheme during the ninth Plan to make available seeds for any contingent situation arising out of natural calamity.

Directorate of Marketing and Inspection (DMI) advises the Central and State governments on agricultural marketing policies and programmers. It is located in Faridabad, Haryana.

The National Institute of Agricultural Marketing (NIAM) is located in Jaipur.

Farm Machinery Training and Testing Institutes are located at Budni (Madhya Pradesh), Hissar (Haryana), Garladinne (Andhra Pradesh) and Biswanath Chariali (Assam).

India accounts for 57 per cent of the world's buffalo population and 15 per cent of the cattle population. India possesses 27 acknowledged indigenous breeds of cattle and 7 breeds of buffaloes.

The present availability of animal protein in an Indian diet is 10 gm per person per day, as against a world average of 25 gm.

India is the largest producer of milk in the world and ranks fifth in egg production.

Central Sheep Breeding Farm is located in Hissar.

Reishi or Ling Zhi is a medicinal mushroom which has been successfully grown in India.

For rehabilitation of calcareous soils Tamarix articulate, Acadia Nilotica, Prosopis Juliflora, Eucalyptus Tereticornis, Acacia Tortills, Cassia Siamea and Feronia Limonia have been found promising for plantation with furrow planting methods in arid and semi-arid regions. Salvadora Persica proved the ideal species for soil and water management in saline black soils.

Karzat 4, Indryani, Panvel 2, Palgarh 1 and 2 are names of various rice varieties sown in India.

Kankrej, Ponwar, Gangatiri and Kherigah are names of various cattle breeds in India.

Jalauni, Kheri, Mandya, Hassan and Mecheri are names of various sheep breeds of India.

C-ELISA is an indigenously developed kit for Rinderpest which has been validated by the International Atomic Energy Agency, Vienna.

Feedbase-2001 is a data base that provides information on feed resources and feed balance sheet.

Okara is a by-product of Soy milk.

Vivekananda Parvatiya Krishi Anusandhan Sansthan is located in Almora, Uttaranchal.

The Lalit Kala Academy (National Academy of Fine Arts) is located in New Delhi. It has regional centers, called Rashtriya Lalit Kala Kendras, located at Lucknow, Kolkata, Chennai, Garhi(New Delhi) and Bhubaneswar.

Bharata Natyam is a dance form of Tamil Nadu. Kathakali is a dance form of Kerala. Kathak is a classical dance form revitalized as a result of Mughal influence on Indian culture. Manipuri is a dance form of Manipur, while Kuchipudi owes its origin to Andhra Pradesh. Odissi, once Practised as temple dance, has its origins in Odisha.

Kathak Kendra, Delhi, and Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy, Imphal, are training institutes run by Sangeet Natak Academy, the National Academy of. Music, Dance and Drama. The Academy also supports training programmers in Chhau dance of Mayurbhanj and Seraikella, as also Koodiyattam of Kerala.

The National School of Drama (NSD) is one of the foremost theater institutions in the world and the only one of its kind in India. It was set up by Sangeet Natak Academy in 1959 and in 1975 it became an autonomous organization.

The Theatre-in education Company (renamed as Sanskar Rang Toli was founded by NSD in 1989. Since 1998, NSD has organized National Theatre Festival for Children, christened Jashne Bachpan, every year.

The first-ever National Theatre Festival, christened Bharat Rang Mahotsav, was held in March-April, 1999 to commemorate the 50th year of India's Independence.

Sahitya Academy has its Head Office in New Delhi. Besides, it has four offices in Kolkata, Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai. It also has four translation centers at Bangalore, Delhi, Ahmedabad and Kolkata, besides a project office at Vadodra for promotion of oral and tribal literature and an Archives of Indian literature. It also maintains a multilingual library at New Delhi, Bangalore and Kolkata, stocking books in over 25 languages.

The highest Honour conferred by Sahitya Academy on a writer is by electing him/her its Fellow. The Honour is limited to 21 at any given moment.

The Sahitya Academy holds a 'Festival of Letters' every year, usually in February.

The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) functions as an attached office of the Department of Culture, Ministry of Tourism and Culture.

The National Museum was established on August 15, 1949 in the Durbar Hall of the Rashtrapati Bhawan.It was formally inaugurated on December 18, 1960 on its present premises.

The National Council of Science Museums is located in Kolkata.

The Allahabad Museum is famous for its collection of Bharhut, Bhumara and Jamsot sculptors and for the terracotta from Kausumbi, Bhita, Jhusi, Patliputra, Sarnath, Rajghat and Ahichhatra. The Museum also has paraphernalia and family heirlooms of Nehrus, including manuscripts of' An Autobiography' by J.L. Nehru.

The National Research Laboratory for Conservation of Cultural Property (NRLC) is located in Lucknow.

The National Gallery of Modern Art (NGMA) was founded in 1954 to promote and develop contemporary Indian Art.

The National Archives of India (NAI), New Delhi, known until independence as Imperial Record Department, was originally established in Kolkata in March 1891. It is the official custodian of all non-current records of permanent / value to the government of India and its predecessor bodies. It has a regional office at Bhopal and three record centers at Bhubaneswar, ]Jaipur and Pondicherry.

Marine Archeology Centre has been established in the National Institute of Oceanography, Goa. Major exploration are being undertaken in the waters of ancient Dwarka, Poompuhar waters (Tamil Nadu) and around Lakshadweep.

National Library, Kolkata serves as a permanent repository of all reading and information material produced in India, as well.as printed material written by Indians and concerning India written by foreigners, wherever published and in whatever language.

Under the Delivery of Books and Newspapers (Public Libraries) Act, 1954, four libraries-National Library, Kolkata, Central Library, Mumbai, Connemara Public Library, Chennai, and Delhi Public Library, Delhi-are entitled to receive a copy of new books and magazines published in the county.

Khuda Bakhsh Oriental Public Library, Patna has a rich collection of over 20,000 'Arabic, Persian, Urdu, Turkish, Pali and Sanskrit manuscripts.

The Thanjavur Maharaja Serfoji's Saraswati Mahal (TMSSM) Library, Thanjavur is one of the few medieval libraries that exist in the world.

The Rampur Raza Library, housed in Hamid Manzil in the fort of Rampur, is a treasure house of Indo Islamic learning and art.

Asiatic Society in Kolkata was founded by Sir William Jones in 1784, with the objective of inquiring into the history, science, arts and literature of Asia.

The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies is located in Varanasi. It was established with the objective of preservation of Tibetan culture and tradition, restoration of ancient Indian literature preserved in Tibetan language and to provide higher education in Buddhist studies.

The Central Institute of Buddhist Studies is located, in Leh.

The Sikkim Research Institute of Tibetology is located in Sikkim. It has done significant work in promoting research in CHHO (Tibetan for Dharma).

Anthropological Survey of India is located in Kolkata.

Indira Gandhi Rashtriya Manav Sanghrahalaya (National Museum of Mankind) is located in Bhopal. It is dedicated to the depiction of an integrated story of humankind in global perspective, with special focus on India.

The Centre for Cultural Resources and Training (CCRT) has its headquarters in New Delhi and two regional Centres at Udaipur and Hyderabad.

With the aim of projecting in India cultural kinships transcending territorial boundaries, seven zonal cultural centers have been established at Patiala, Kolkata, Thanjavur, Udaipur, Allahabad, Dimapur and Nagpur.

Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) is a premier national institute engaged in the pursuit of knowledge on arts and culture. It is also the nodal agency for the setting up of a national data bank on arts, humanities and cultural heritage.

Gandhi Smriti and Darshan Samiti has been set up primarily to maintain and look after the national memorial where Gandhiji was assassinated, now called Gandhi Smriti, and a permanent photo exhibition at Rajghat, called Gandhi Darshan.

The Central Statistical Organisation (CSO) is responsible for formulation and maintenance of statistical standards, work pertaining to national accounts, industrial statistics, consumer price Indices, conduct of economic census and surveys and liaising with international agencies in statistical matters. It is located in New Delhi.

National income is defined as the sum of incomes accruing to factors of production, supplied by normal residents of the country before deduction of direct taxes. It is equal to net national product at factor-cost.

The National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO) has been set up to conduct large scale surveys to meet the data needs of India as also for the estimation of national income and other aggregates. It has four divisions: (i) Survey Design and Research Division (SDRD), with headquarters in Kolkata; (ii) Field Operations Division (FOD) having its headquarters in Delhi; (iii) Data Processing Division (DPD) with headquarters in Kolkata; and (iv) Coordination and Publication Division (CPD), located in Delhi.

Summary results of NSSO surveys are published in the biannual technical journal Sarvekshana.

India has an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.02 million sq km. The EEZ provides India with more than 60 per cent of its oil and gas production and fishing valued at $ 1.15 billion.

The Army War College, earlier known as College of Combat, is located in Mhow.

The Infantry School, Mhow is the largest and oldest military training center of Indian Army. This institute also trains the National Shooting team, under the aegis of Army Marksmanship Unit (AMU).

The Institute of Defence Management is located in Secunderabad.

The Defence Services Staff College is located in Wellington. It imparts training to middle level officers (Major and equivalent) of Army, Air Force and Navy.

The High Altitude Warfare School (HAWS) is located in Gulmarg.

The National Defence College is located in Delhi. It is the only institute of India that imparts knowledge on all aspects of national security and strategy.

Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited, located in Hyderabad, was incorporated with the primary objective of ushering in self-reliance in special metals and alloys for strategic sectors like Defence, Space and Atomic energy.

The 86th Constitution Amendment Act, 2002, makes elementary education a Fundamental Right for children in the age-group of 6-14 years.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) scheme evolved I from the recommendations of the State Education Ministers' Conference held in October 1998. The main goals of SSA are: (a) All 6-14 age children complete five-year primary education by 2007; (b) Bridge all gender and social category gaps at primary stage by 2007 and at elementary education level by 2010; (c) Focus on elementary education of satisfactory quality with emphasis on education for life; and (d) Universal retention by 2010.

The National programmer of Nutritional Support to Primary Education is commonly known as Mid Day Meal Scheme. It was launched in August 1995.

Operation Blackboard was launched in 1987 with the aim of improving human and physical resources available in primary schools of India.

Janshala Programme is a collaborative effort of the government of India, and five UN agencies-UNDP, UNESCO, ILO, UNICEF and UNFPA-to provide programmer support to the ongoing efforts towards achieving Universal Elementary Education (UEE).

The National Council for Teacher Education was established by an Act of the Parliament in August 1995.

The University Grants Commission (UGC) serves as a coordinating body between the Union and State governments and the institutions of higher learning.

The National Literacy Mission (NLM) aims to attain a sustainable threshold level of 75 per cent literacy by 2007, by imparting functional literacy to non-literates in the age-group of 15-35 years.

The Central Institute of English and Foreign Languages is located in Hyderabad.

The International Standard Book Number (ISBN) system was introduced in India in 1985 by the Raja Ram Mohan Roy National Agency for ISBN. ISBN is a unique international publisher's identifier number.

Administering the Copyright Act, 1957 is the responsibility of the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development, Department of Secondary and Higher Education.

The Damodar Valley Corporation (DVC) was the first multipurpose river valley project to be undertaken after Independence. It was set up in July 1948.

The National Power Training Institute (NPTI) is located at Faridabad.

The Central Power Research Institute (CPRI) has its headquarters located at Bangalore. Other units are located at Bhopal, Hyderabad, Nagpur, Ghaziabad, Thiruvanthapuram and Raichur.

The Bureau of Energy Efficiency (BEE) is the nodal agency to promote efficient use of energy and its conservation in all sectors of economy of India.

Coal is the main source of energy in India and account for about 67 per cent of India's commercial requirement.

The coal reserves of India, as on January 1, 2003 were 2,40,748 million tonnes.

The Botanical Survey of India and the Zoological Survey of India both have their headquarters in Kolkata.

The Forest Survey of India has its headquarters in Dehradun and has four regional offices at Bangalore, Kolkata, Nagpur and Shimla.

Biosphere reserves are multi-purpose protected areas to preserve the genetic diversity in representative ecosystem. 13 Biosphere reserves have been set up in India. These are: Nilgiri, Nanda Devi, Nokrek, Great Nicobar, Gulf of Mannar, Manas, Sundebans, Similipal, Dibru, Daikhowa, Dehong Deband, Pachmarhi, Kanchunjunga and Agasthyamalai. Out of these, Nilgiri, Sunderbans and Gulf of Mannar have been recognized on World Network of Biosphere Reserves by UNESCO.

India is one of the 12 mega-biodiversity countries of the world.

The forest cover of India constitutes 20.55 per cent of its geographical area. Of this, dense forest constitutes 12.68 per cent and open forest 7.87 per cent. The mangrove cover occupies 0.14 per cent of geographical area. The total tree/forest cover is estimated as 81,472 sq km or about 2.48 per cent of the country.

G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment and Development is located at Kosi-Katarmal, Almora, Uttaranchal.

The Environmental Information System (ENVIS) network brings out a quarterly journal, Paryavaran Abstracts, which contains information about environmental research in the Indian context.

The ENVIS has been designated as National Focal Point (NFP) and Regional Service Centre (RSC) for South Asia sub-regional countries by INFOTERRA (a global information system on environment) of UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) consists of nine main divisions, namely, (i) Economic; (ii) Banking; (iii) Insurance; (iv) Budget; (v) Foreign Trade and Investment; (vi) External Finance; (vii) Capital market; (viii) Fund Bank; and (ix) Currency and Coinage.

All revenues received, loans raised and money received in repayment of loans by the Union government form the Consolidated Fund of India. No money can be withdrawn from this Fund except under the authority of an Act of Parliament.

The Indian Constitution provides for the establishment of a Consolidated Fund, a Public Account and a Contingency Fund for each State.

The first bank of limited liability, managed by Indians, was Oudh Commercial Bank. It was founded in 1881. Punjab National Bank was established in 1894.

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) was established under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934 on April 1, 1935 and nationalized on January 1,1949.

RBI is the sole authority for issue of currency notes in India, other than one-rupee coins and subsidiary coins and notes.

India ranks third in the world, after China and USA, in terms of production of coal.

The three important gold fields of India are: Kolar (Karnataka), Hutti in Raichur district (Karnataka) and Ramgiri in Anantapur district (Andhra Pradesh).

Mains reserves of Tungsten are located at Degana, Rajasthan.

The Mangampet deposits, occurring in Cuddapah district of Andhra Pradesh is the single largest deposit of Barytes in the world.

The main diamond-bearing areas in India are Panna belt in Madhya Pradesh, Munimadugu-Banganapalle conglomerate in Kurnool district, Wajrakarur Kimberlite pipe in Anantapur district and Krishna river basin in Andhra Pradesh.

Odisha is a major producer of Graphite in India.

Judges of the Supreme Court of India hold office until they attain the age of 65 years. Judges of the High Court hold office until they attain the age of 62 years.

The National Judicial Academy is located in Bhopal with its registered office in New Delhi.

V.V. Giri National Labour Institute, Noida, is an autonomous body under the Union Ministry of Labour. It is engaged in research pertaining to labor and training of labor administrators, trade unions, public sector managers and other government functionaries concerned with labor.

The first radio programmer was broadcast in India in 1923 by the Radio Club of Bombay.

All India Radio (AIR) operates on motto Bahujana Hitaya; Bahujana Sukhya (to promote the happiness and welfare of the masses through information, education and entertainment.

Cyan Darshan is the educational channel run by Doordarshan.

Press Trust of India (PTI) is India's largest news agency.

United News of India (UNI) became the first agency in India to launch a full-fledged Hindi wire service Univarta in 1982. In early 1990s, it launched the first-ever wire service in Urdu.

The Press Council of India has been established under the Act of Parliament for the purpose of preserving the freedom of the press, and of maintaining and improving the standards of newspapers and news agencies in India.

India has one of the largest road networks in the world, aggregating to about 3.3 million kilometers.

Golden Quadrilateral comprises of National Highways connecting the four metro cities.

Shipping Corporation of India Limited (SCI) is the biggest shipping line of India.

Indian Institute of Maritime Studies (IIMS) is located in Mumbai.

India has 12 major ports and about 184 other ports.

Mumbai, Nhava Sheva, Kandla, Mormugao, New Mangalore and Cochin are the major ports on west coast.

Kolkata/Haldia, Para dip, Visakhapatnam, Chennai, Ennore and Tuticorin are major ports on the east coast.

Command Area Development (CAD) Programme was launched in 1974-75 with main objective of improving the utilization of created irrigation potential and optimizing agriculture production and productivity from irrigated lands on sustainable bases.