ABSTRACT
India, which is about a third of the size of the United States, is one of the largest countries in South Asia (3,287,590 mi.2) and has a population of nearly 1.2 billion, making it one of the most densely populated land masses (17% world population on 2.3% land) in the world. Geographically, India shares borders with Pakistan in the west, Bangladesh in the east, and Nepal and China to the north. e island nation of Sri Lanka is located in the southern tip of India. is inverted triangle-shaped country has the frigid snowy peaks of the Himalayas to the north, the Arabian desert to the west, the Bay of Bengal to the east, and the Indian Ocean to the south. e capital city, New Delhi, is one among four large metropolitan centers; others are Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai. India is a diverse country with a long history and a rich heritage, culture, and traditions. Indian culture is strongly shaped by the Indo-Aryans who settled on the area more than 3000 years ago, followed by subsequent settlements of Persians, the Dutch, the Portuguese, and nally, the British. As a secular nation, India prides itself in having a diverse population that practices many dierent religions-Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, and Judaism. While the Constitution of India recognizes 17 Indo-European and Dravidian languages (English is not included), a more recent yet comprehensive ethnographic study revealed 324 distinct languages (Norton 2009).
