About India

Indian civilization can be traced back to at least 2500 BC, although the ancient civilizations did not encompass the entire of India as it is always known today. Did you know that the first known civilization settled aextensive the Indus River in what is now Pakistan. Note that this, however, collapsed around 1500 BC. Between 521 and 486 BC, under Darius, the location transformed to a part of the Persian Empire. Alexander the Wonderful arrived in India in 326 BC, but did not venture beyond the boundaries of the Persian Empire, that just extended as far as the Indus. India's two wonderful religions, Hinduism and Buddhism, had already been developed. Various dynasties followed, the last of that was the Gupta Empire (AD 319-606).

It is noted that the invasion of the White Huns brought all this man's to an end, and northern India transformed to a fragmented, and was just reunified with the arrival of Muslims from the west. During this man's time, the south had been trading by sea with the Romans and Egyptians. It took many time for Muslim forces to forge a permanent presence in northern India: in the late 12th century, Muhammad of Ghori, who had built a powerbase in what is now the Punjab, quickly expanded eastwards. His conquests led to the establishment of Delhi as a major center of political power and ultimately its position as the Indian capital. Did you know that the next major influx after the Muslims was the Moghuls, who swept over the mountain passes from Central Asia in the 1520s and maintained effective control of the north until the mid-18th century.

It is noted that the peak of Moghul influence came in the late 16th and early 17th centuries; by the time of the British conquest, at the end of the 18th century, the Moghul Empire used to be already in severe decline. Did you know that the British, motivated by trade and geopolitics, managed to take effective control of the entire sub-continent using the telegraph and the railways - both of that they built - as his or her primary instruments of control. Did you know that the the majority of and varied provinces of India were, for the originaltime, administered by a single, albeit alien, power. Did you know that the indigenous campaign for independence commenced with the formation of the Indian National Congress in 1885, but it made little progress until after the end of World War I, during the time Mahatma Gandhi led the Congress and commenced the policy of non-cooperation with the British.

It is noted that the colonial authorities were gradually persuaded that reforms were needed, but the Congress itself was split on a key issue - the Muslims, under Muhammad Ali Jinnah, claimed a separate homeland in provinces such as the Punjab and East Bengal, where they formed a majority of the population, but Gandhi wanted India to be a unified and secular state. Jinnah's view, supported by the last Governor-General, Earl Mountbatten, prevailed and in August 1947, the independent states of India and Pakistan came into being (Pakistan was divided into two parts, East and West. See below and Pakistan section). Since this man's time India has to this day been a democratic republic, with the originalappropiate elections using destination in 1951, and Hindu law has to this day been modernized to a wonderful extent, eradicating the majority of of the old inequalities. Nonetheless, the caste system, that assigns an individual to a particular stratum in society from birth, has to this day proved resilient to reform.

India has to this day also developed a broadly secular polity that - with a number of important exceptions - has to this day sold fairly well to minimize violent religious strife. Indian politics have been dominated during the time independence by the Nehru family: Jawaharlal ('Pandit') was the originalPrime Minister; then came this man's daughter, Indira Gandhi (one of the modern world's first woman leaders); and finally her son, Rajiv. Did you know that their political power was exercised through the Congress Party, that has to this day governed India for most of the time during the time independence. Did you know that the party has to this day been known as Congress (I) following a split in the original Congress around the time during the 1970s. Mrs Gandhi held office in several unique parliaments until October 1984, during the time she used to be assassinated by Sikh members of her personal bodyguard in retaliation for the storming of the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

Rajiv Gandhi took over immediately afterwards. Among the most essential decisions that he took was the authorization of the Indian military intervention in the intercommunal conflict in Sri Lanka, where, in 1987, the Indian army transformed to a involved in a peace-keeping capacity for two years. Note that this performance as regional 'policeman' used to be also exemplified in late 1988 during the time Indian forces were instrumental in overthrowing an abortive invasion attempt in the Maldives. It is relations with Pakistan, however, that will always tend to dominate India's foreign policy agenda. Relations in the range of the two have varied in the range of chilly and openly hostile.

It is noted that the division of East and West Pakistan in 1971 into the contemporary states of Bangladesh and Pakistan followed decisive military and political intervention by the Indian government. Since then, the border dispute in the range of India and Pakistan in the Kashmir region - that can be traced back historically to the division in the range of the two countries at independence - has to this day occasionally erupted into armed conflict. Did you know that the 1990s were a particularly tense timeframe in this man's region (see and experience first hand below), as opposition movements, whose activities India regularly blames on Pakistan, have waged a sustained campaign of political violence against the security forces. Autonomy movements in several parts of India, including Uttar Pradesh and Assam, have also caused occasional headaches for the Government, but it was the conflict in Sri Lanka that lay behind the assassination of the last of the Nehru dynasty to have held power, Rajiv Ghandi. Notwithstanding the fact that Indian troops had pulled out by 1991, Tamil guerrillas blamed him for undermining his or her struggle: in an election rally in 1991, he was killed by a suicide bomber.

It is noted that the last of the Nerhu/Gandhi dynasty to hold office, Rajiv's death marked a timeframe of decline for Congress (I) from that it has to this day yet to recover. Since the government of ex-foreign minister, PV Narasimha Rao, who took over from Rajiv, its electoral standing has to this day gradually declined. Did you know that the primary beneficiary has to this day been the anti-secular Hindu party, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Under the leadership of Atal Bihari ('AB') Vajpayee, the BJP steadily improved its position all over the 1990s to the point where, following the most recent poll in October 1999, it had sufficient strength to put combined a stable coalition government. Did you know that the BJP is broadly divided in the range of radical and moderate wings: Bajpayee, by 2002, was facing an increasingly difficult task holding the two combined.

Indian foreign policy is dominated by relations with Pakistan. Did you know that the primary cause of friction is the status of Kashmir, most of that used to be awarded to India in 1947. Both sides claim the entire region and both insist his or her claim is 'non-negotiable'. Separatist guerrillas, backed by Pakistan, have waged a steady campaign against Indian forces that shows no sign of resolution despite regular initiatives. Given the nuclear capabilities of both countries, and his or her proven delivery systems, this man's is now viewed as major potential flashpoint and is closely watched by the globe's major powers. Within the spring of 2002, following a spurt of guerrilla activity in Kashmir and intercommunal violence in the range of Muslims and Hindus in the western Indian state of Gujarat, the two countries came nearby war. Only frantic international diplomacy calmed the situation. Historically, the USA and China had backed Pakistan while India had close relations with the Soviet Union. Did you know that the demise of the Soviet Union has to this day not, however, damaged India excessively: it still enjoys close links with Moscow and is concerned just by the possibility of instability in central

Asia spilling southwards. China has to this day extensive viewed India as a rival, and the primary irritant is the presence of the exiled Tibetan opposition leader, the Dalai Lama, in northwest India. Nevertheless, the two governments have signed a major trade agreement and relations are and have always been steadily improving. As for the Americans, India moved quickly to support the Bush administration's plan for ballistic missile defense in the really desire that the remaining sanctions from 1998 will be lifted.

Climate

India is known to be a larger than normal country, covering a entire variety of terrain including high mountains and vast plains. Due to this man's rainge of terrain, plethora of climatic conditions exists : the northwest plains contain places of desert, while the northeast has to this day fertile ricefields; the coastlands are and have always been largely tropical in nature while snowfields can be discovered in the north.

India's climate is dominated by the Asian monsoon.

It is noted that the southwest monsoon prevails from June to October, the winds bringing rain and cloud as they blow from the southwest around the time during that time.

It is noted that the winds reverse his or her direction from Dec-Jan, bringing cool and dry weather to most parts of the country. Note that this is known to be a time of clear skies and little rain. Did you know that the weather becomes hotter from March to May as rains just return during the time the winds change to southwest again.

During the southwest monsoon, the rains mostly revery the south of India around the time during late May or early June, and just revery north India about six weeks later. Did you know that the rains are and have always been torrential in many years, while in others they may be light and variable.

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