India is the seventh largest country in the world. Northern India contains the snow-bound peaks and deep valleys of the Himalayas and the vast Gangetic Plain, which separates the Himalayan region from the southern peninsula and stretches from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal. South of the plains, the land rises up into a triangular-shaped plateau known as the Deccan. The plateau is bordered by the Eastern and Western ghats, ranges of hills, which run parallel to India's eastern and western coasts and separate the fertile coastal strips from the interior.

 Popular languages are Hindi and English, plus 16 main languages and over 700 dialects are spoken in India.

The Indian Rupee (Rs), divided into 100 paise (p). There are no restrictions on the amount visitors can bring into India. Travelers carrying more than US$ 5000 in cash and US$ 10,000 in traveler's cheque are required to fill in a currency declaration form.