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Cultural
Overview
'Mystical land of seductive images'
It is India's vastness
that challenges the imagination: the sub-continent, 3200km (2000 miles) from the
mountain fastness of the Himalayas in the north to the tropical lushness of
Kerala in the south, is home to one sixth of the world's population, a diverse
culture and an intoxicatingly rich history.
The most frequently visited part of India is the Golden Triangle – Delhi and
the magnificent monuments of Agra and Jaipur, a legacy of centuries of Muslim
rule – but there is much besides.
The
unfairly maligned great cities of Mumbai and Kolkata (Calcutta) have a bustling,
colourful charm, while the holy city of Varanasi or the awe-inspiring temples of
Tamil Nadu are worthy objects of pilgrimage.
For
those who prefer more sybaritic pleasures, the palm-fringed beaches of Goa have
a European charm all of their own.
Hinduism is practised by 85% of Indians, the religious rites and red-letter days
woven into the fabric of everyday life – ritual washing in the Ganges and the
ear-splitting celebrations of the festival of Ganesh – and the inequalities of
the caste system are there for all to see.
One of the fascinations of India is the juxtaposition of old and new; centuries
of history – from the pre-historic Indus civilisation to the British Raj –
rub shoulders with the computer age; and Bangalore's ‘Silicon Valley' is as
much a part of the world's largest democracy as the remotest village is.
India
Transnational Issues (2003)
SOURCE: World
Fact Book
Disputes -
international: Much of the rugged, militarised boundary with China is in
dispute, but the two sides have participated in more than 13 rounds of joint
working group sessions on this issue; India objects to Pakistan ceding lands to
China in 1965 boundary agreement that India believes are part of disputed
Kashmir; with Pakistan, armed stand-off over the status and sovereignty of
Kashmir continues; disputes with Pakistan over Indus River water sharing and the
terminus of the Rann of Kutch, which prevents maritime boundary delimitation;
Joint Border Committee with Nepal continues to work on resolution of disputed
boundary sections; dispute with Bangladesh over New Moore/South Talpatty Island
in the Bay of Bengal prevents maritime boundary delimitation.
Illicit drugs:
World's largest producer of licit opium for the pharmaceutical trade, but an
undetermined quantity of opium is diverted to illicit international drug
markets; transit point for illicit narcotics produced in neighbouring countries;
illicit producer of methaqualone; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering
through the hawala system
NOTE:
The information regarding India on this page is re-published from the World
Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are
made regarding the accuracy of information contained here. All suggestions for
corrections of any errors about India Introduction should be addressed to the CIA.
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