India

1. India

2. To find India on a world map: • Locate Asia. • India is a large country in southern Asia. • India has a long “tail” that sticks out into the Indian Ocean.

3. Republic of India _______________________ Location: South Asia Capital of India: New Delhi Official Language: Hindi Currency: Rupee (45 rupees = 1 dollar)

4. Subcontinent India is a large country in southern Asia. It is separated from the rest of Asia by the Himalayan Mountains. Because it is so big and cut off from the rest of the continent, it is called a subcontinent. To the south of India is the Indian Ocean. India is the seventh largest country in the world. It has deserts, jungles, mountains, forests, and farms. The major rivers are the Indus River and the Ganges River. Big cities include New Delhi, Calcutta, Mumbai (formerly Bombay), and Bangalore. India has 25 States

5. Nepal Pakistan Bhutan Bangladesh INDIA Sri Lanka

6. Agriculture Exports: tea, clothing, jewelry, iron ore, leather Imports: food, gems, iron and steel, chemicals Main crops: rice, wheat, tea, sugar cane, spices

7. The Flag ________________________________________The top stripe is dark gold, the middle stripe is white, and the bottom stripe is green. The blue wheel in the middle is the Wheel of Life.

8. Climate December to March ~~~~ Cold April to May ~~~~ Very hot (Often over 100 degrees) June to September ~~~~ Monsoon season October to November ~~~ less rain MONSOONS Monsoons are huge rain storms that come in from the Indian Ocean. They bring enough rain to supply water for the whole year. These storms have strong winds. Sailors have used the monsoon winds to travel across the Indian Ocean.

9. History Long ago, India was ruled by Mogul emperors. Then the empire fell apart into smaller kingdoms, ruled by maharajas. By the 1600’s, Europeans had come into India to trade for Indian spices, silks, cotton cloth, and tea. In 1857, the British took control of India and ruled there until 1947. One very important man, Mohandas Gandhi helped India gain independence. Gandhi practiced civil disobedience. That means that he would not do what the British wanted, but he was never violent.

10. Caste System • Caste – group of people born into a certain position in society • Brahmins – priests, intellectuals – only ones who could read and write • Kshatriyas - warriors • Vaisyas – traders and merchants • Sudras – farmers and laborers • Dalits – “oppressed/untouchables”

11. Taj Mahal At about the same time the pilgrims were landing at Plymouth Rock, the TajMahal was built. That was almost 400 years ago. It took over ten years to build. More than twenty thousand people and one thousand elephants helped build it. . . .but why was it built? Any ideas? The TajMahal is in Agra near the capital of India. What is the capital of India?

12. The story behind the Taj Mahal Shah Jahan was the emperor of India from 1628 to 1658. He deeply loved his wife MumtazMahal. She died in 1631 when she was giving birth to their fourteenth child. The emperor was so heartbroken that he decided to build a massive tomb in honor of their love. The two of them were buried together inside the TajMahal. Since Shah Jahan loved his wife so much, he used only the finest marble. He also made sure that beautiful gems decorated her tomb. The TajMahalis one of the wonders of the world.

13. Religion • 80% of India’s people are Hindu • Reincarnation – Belief that when you die, your soul is reborn again and again in different forms • Dharma – fulfilling your duty in life • Karma – positive or negative force caused by a person’s actions – influences reincarnation

14. Cricket In India, the popular sport is cricket. The game of cricket is played with a batsman, a wicket keeper, a bowler, and fielders. The bowler rolls the ball toward the batsman. The wicket keeper stands behind the batsman. The batsman hits the ball with a bat and runs back and forth between the bowler and the wicket keeper to score runs. The fielders try to catch the ball to get the batsman out. Sports http://Cricket Highlights

15. Celebrating the New Year The Hindu New Year falls in October or November of each year. It is called Diwali, the Festival of Lights. For Diwali, people get dressed up in new clothes, send cards to friends and family, and give out presents. Since it is the Festival of Lights, fireworks light up the sky. What building is in the picture?

16. Bollywood Indiaproduces about eight hundred movies a year. That’s even more than Hollywood.

17. Wildlife Below is a list of animals that can be found in India: Lions Deer Bears Rhinoceroses Snakes Elephants Camels Monkeys Tigers (National animal) Peacocks (National bird)

18. Clothing Many women in India wear beautiful saris. Their clothing is brightly colored. For special events, women wear saris with gold embroidery and sequins. Men usually wear dhotis. They are loose pants, similar to pajamas. In big cities, men wear American style clothing. Children wear jeans, T-shirts, and skirts at home. They usually have uniforms for school. Indian women love to wear jewelry. They wear earrings, nose rings, bangles (bracelets), anklets, rings, necklaces, and jewelry in their hair

19. Did you know? Can you think of anything that we have in the U.S. that came from India? Meditation exercises; you can take these classes at the YMCA YOGA Hindi phrase meaning loose trousers PAJAMAS Game of skill played on a checkerboard with moveable pieces CHESS Expensive sweaters made from goat hair in a region of India CASHMERE This digit means nothing, but can greatly change the value of a number when added onto the end of a number ZERO A brand of clothing; also a game played while riding horses POLO

20. Other Indian Words • Jungle • Thug • Bungalow • Veranda • Guru • Nirvana • Karma • Bazaar