Do you Know?

• India is the world's largest, oldest, continuous civilization.

• India is the world's Largest democracy.

• India never invaded any country in her last 1000 years of history.

• India invented the number system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.

• When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)

• There are 300,000 active mosques in India , more than in any other country, including the Muslim world

• Sanskrit is the mother of all the European Languages . Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer software - a report in Forbes magzine July 1987.

• Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
• India is one of the few countries in the world, which gain independence without violence.

• India has the second largest pool of Scientist and Engineers in the World.

• India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.

• India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indeigenously.

• India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world

• The largest employer in the world is the Indian Railways , employing over a million people

• India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

• The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982

• The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.

• Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

• Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

• Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years

• According to RBI, remittance inflows from overseas Indians reached $29 billion in 2006-07 from $2.1 billion in 1990-91

• New Delhi, Oct 9, 2007: The Indian stock market boom has made the Ambani brothers arguably the richest in the world if one clubs the fortunes of Mukesh and Anil, which at USD 91.41 billion is far ahead of even the Walton family of Wal-Mart.

• India now is home to 83,000 millionaires and the country saw the world's second fastest growth, at 19.3 per cent, in the number of high net-worth individuals in 2005

• The survey showed southern states, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu ranked top by attracting the maximum investment of Rs 2617 crore and Rs 1479 crore respectively followed by Mahaarashtra with Rs 1210 crore.

• In 2005, $24 billion came into the country as remittances, out of which nearly 45 per cent was from the Gulf countries. Indians in the US have so far invested $5.2 billions in India.

• There are over 1,500 software companies in Bangalore, employ 26,000 professionals in IT services. It generates export earnings worth Rs.22,000 crores.

• There is about $180 billion global software industry, India probably has a 0.2% share.

• NRI is now biggest lender: In the quarter ended December ’05, NRI deposits accounted for 28% of India’s outstanding external debt, while multilateral organizations formed 26.8% of the total debt.

• NRIs generate about $100 billion annually and pump back about $30 billion each year.

• ''Bollywood,'' the world's biggest film industry, employing upward of 100,000 people. 

• Some 70,000 students from India come to the US for academic studies each year

• British High Commissioner in India Michael Arthur said 14,000 Indian students landed in the UK each year to study and will rise to about 25,000. 

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• India is the world's largest mango producer, accounting for more than 50 per cent of the world's output.

• Every Indian Owes Rs. 4,700: India's 1000 people have a foreign debt of $105 billion. This means that every Indian carries a foreign debt burden of $105 (roughly Rs. 4,700) on his or her head. India's population moved past the one billion mark in the middle of 2001.

• NRIs send almost $10 billion back home annually

• With 800 movies per year, India's film industry overshadows Hollywood.

• The organised lottery market in India is US$7bn (2% of GDP).

• India consumes a fifth of the world's gold output.

• Bank deposits in India roughly equal 50% of its GDP Œ again, among the highest in the world.

• Indian Railways is the largest railway network in the world under single management.

• India has the third-largest army in the world, nearly 1.5 million strong.

• India is the largest producer and consumer of tea in the world, accounting for more than 30% of global production and 25% of consumption.

• India is the world's premier center for diamond cutting and polishing. Nine out of every 10 stones sold in the world pass through India.

• India has the highest number of annual bulk drugs filings (77) with USFDA.

• India is home to the largest number of pharmaceutical plants (61) approved by USFDA outside the US.

• It is the second-largest cement-producing country in the world, producing more than 110m tonnes.

• Of the Fortune 500 companies, 220 outsource their software-related work to India.

• There are 8,500 Indian restaurants in the UK, 15% of the country's total dining-out establishments.

• India is the largest democracy in the world, with nearly 400m voting in the last national elections. India has the second-largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world.

• India has the third-largest investor base in the world.

• According to the Gemological Institute of America, up until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds.

• The Kumbh Mela festival, held every 12 years in the city of Allahabad, attracts 25 million people Œ more than the population of 185 of the 227 countries in the world.

• India is ranked the sixth country in the world in terms of satellite launches.

• The Indian city of Varanasi, also known as Benares, is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

• SIKH religion the 5th largest religion in the world with twenty two million followers all around the globe

• The state of Kerala whose 2.5 million Diaspora alone contributed the 50% of $ 102 Billion of foreign exchange reserves that India enjoys as of December 2003

• Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) and Association of Basic Operators (ABTO) released the latest subscriber base data: the total mobile population in the country has crossed the 33 million mark in March 2004. While the GSM segment saw a growth of 97 per cent in the year 2002-03, in the last fiscal (2003-04), it saw a growth of 106 per cent. For GSM operators, the average subscriber additions during the year was 1.1 million per month, although in the past four to five months additions have been at the rate of 1.4 million per month.

• India, which currently gets a puny US$3 billion annually in foreign direct investment (FDI), including barely US$300 million from NRIs. In order to sustain a yearly economic growth rate of 7 per cent, India must attract at least US$10 billion a year in foreign investment. Neighbouring China gets US$53 billion, some 60 per cent of it coming from overseas Chinese.

• India is the only country that is home to 20 million migrants from its neighbouring countries

• Indian companies invested 2 billion dollars in merger and acquisitions world-wide.

• India ranks eighth among the world's most indebted countries- With an external debt of US$113,590 million till September 2004,, but prudent external sector policies pursued since the economic reform in 1990s placed her at a comfortable level, the Economic Survey said.

• India is a major diamond cutting and polishing hub, accounting for nine out of ten stones sold in the world market. With a 17 percent share in the export basket, India exports around $8 billion worth of diamonds and jewelery.

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