Impressive and Interesting Facts about India that You Should Know

Impressive Economic Facts about India

Emerging as one of the fastest growing major economies in the world, India is expected to be one of the top 3 economic powers in 10-15 years.

India is the third-largest economy: In terms of purchasing power (comparing economic productivity and standards of living), India is the world's third-largest economy.

Closed currency restrictions: The Indian rupee is a closed currency- there are harsh restrictions on bringing the currency in and out of the country. Visitors must arrive with cash and exchange their money at the airport or bank currency booth, or use an ATM to withdraw rupees once in the country.

Bollywood shines on the world stage: Bollywood is the world's largest producer of films, surpassing Nollywood (Nigerian Cinema) and even Hollywood. On average, Bollywood produces between 1,500-2,000 feature films a year.

The powerhouse of Indian Railways: Indian Railways is one of the top employers on the planet. With a staggering 1.4 million employees, India's state-owned railway network operates a huge, extensive network that extends across the country for hundreds of thousands of miles. Each day roughly 23 million passengers are transported on this extensive network.

Newspapers to millions: India is the second-largest market of newspapers in the world- over 100,000 publications and 1300 million readers.

Outsourcing experts: Roughly 67 percent of the world’s outsourcing is done in India. The Indian IT industry is valued at US 150- billion.

Nalanda International University is one of the world's most ancient: In rural Bihar, Nalanda, one of the world's most ancient universities is being rebuilt. It was first established as a centre of learning in the 5th century CE when a large Buddhist monastery stood on site. The new Nalanda International University is set to be completed in 2021/22- offering post-graduate courses on a wide variety of subjects.

Fun Facts about India's Food & beverage  

India's cuisine made of local spices, herbs, vegetables and fruits has influenced other cuisines from around the world- from Europe to the Caribbean.

Oldest cuisine in human history: Indian cuisine may be the oldest continuously prepared cuisine in known human history. Of course, what we know at home as "Indian food" varies widely from place to place in the country itself. From the Portuguese-inspired dishes of Goa to the tandoori ovens of the Punjab, there's a wealth of different dishes on a trip to the country.

Dabbawallahs deliver a staggering amount of lunches: Normally, Mumbai's foodservice network known as dabbawallahs delivers over 200,000 lunch boxes by bike and train from home to office daily. Unfortunately, the pandemic has drastically impacted their services- with many students and workers staying at home. In an intricate system, each person receives the correct tiffin box filled with hot food prepared by their family, and in the afternoon the empty boxes are picked up and returned home again. There's even a movie based on the phenomenon, 2013's The Lunchbox.

Tea dating back to 750 BCE: Tea had been growing in India for centuries before the British began its commercial cultivation. The first recorded mention of tea in the country dates back to 750 BCE, and it was reportedly also consumed as a vegetable dish, fried in oil with garlic. When the British arrived in the 18th century, they began growing tea on a commercial scale to reduce their reliance on buying tea from China.
4. Alcohol is banned in some states

Alcohol consumption is banned in five Indian states; the drinking age varies from 18 to 30 in the others. If you're travelling to Gujarat, Bihar, Nagaland or the Union Territory of Lakshadweep know that you won’t be able to buy alcohol. In addition, many states practice "dry days" on major religious holidays, when it's forbidden to sell alcohol.

Britain's favourite dish has Indian roots: Chicken tikka masala has become one of Britain’s national dishes- some say it has overtaken Fish and Chips. Although there are discrepancies about how this favoured curry came to be in the UK- whether it was created in the ’70s by a Bangladeshi chef in Glasgow or simply inspired by butter chicken- the tikka part of the dish originated some 5,000 years ago in India.

Asia's largest wholesale spice market: Khari Baoli in Delhi is Asia's largest wholesale spice market. It's been in operation since the 17th century and is named after the street on which it's situated.
 

Wild Nature Facts of India

Supporting more than 8% of the world's biodiversity, India's raw beauty can be seen from its coastline to its forests.

It is home to the wettest inhabited place on earth: The state of Meghalaya, northeast India's "abode of clouds", is the wettest inhabited place on earth. The forested region has an average rainfall of 12,000 mm (470 inches) of rain every year. That's nearly 33mm of rain per day. Meghalaya's forests are home to a vast array of plant and animal species, including the Himalayan black bear, the pangolin (scaly anteater) and the zebra-striped hoopoe bird.

White tigers are only found here: White tigers are only found among Indian tigers. White tigers a type of Bengal tiger created through a variant in pigmentation. They often grow into larger animals than their orange-coloured cousins.

When you're in the province of Rajasthan and want to spot these majestic Bengal tigers in the wild, head to Ranthambore National Park to check it off your bucket list.

The Bengal tiger is its national animal: The Bengal tiger is India's national animal. It was adopted as India's symbolic animal in 1972. Corbett Tiger Reserve has the largest population of Bengal tigers for visitors hoping to catch a glimpse closely followed by Bandipur National Park in Karnataka.