The
subcontinent
of
India
lies
in
south
Asia,
between
Pakistan,
China
and
Nepal.
To
the
north
it
is
bordered
by
the
world's
highest
mountain
chain,
where
foothill
valleys
cover
the
northernmost
of
the
country's
26
states.
Further
south,
plateaus,
tropical
rain
forests
and
sandy
deserts
are
bordered
by
palm
fringed
beaches
.
Side
by
side
with
the
country's
staggering
topographical
variations
is
its
cultural
diversity,
the
result
of
the
coexistence
of a
number
of
religions
as
well
as
local
tradition.
Thus,
the
towering
temples
of
south
India,
easily
identifiable
by
their
ornately
sculptured
surface,
are
associated
with
a
great
many
crafts
and
performing
arts
of
the
region.
In
the
desert
of
Kutch,
Gujarat,
on
the
other
hand,
a
scattering
of
villages
pit
themselves
against
the
awesome
forces
of
nature,
resulting
in
Spartan
lifestyles
made
vibrant
by a
profusion
of
jewelry
and
ornamental
embroidery
used
to
adorn
apparel
and
household
linen.
In
the
extreme
north
is
the
high
altitude
desert
of
Ladakh.
Local
culture
is
visibly
shaped
by
the
faith
-
Buddhism
-as
well
as
by
the
harsh
terrain.
Yet
another
facet
of
Indian
culture
is
observed
in
the
colorful
tribal
lifestyles
of
the
north
eastern
states
of
Nagaland,
Mizoram,
Tripura
and
Manipur
with
their
folk
culture.
In
the
central
Indian
states
of
Orissa
and
Madhya
Pradesh
tribal
village
life
has
resulted
in a
variety
of
artistically
executed
handicrafts.
India's
mountains
provide
heli
skiing,
river
running,
mountaineering
and
trekking.
Its
beaches
provide
lazy
sun-bathing
as
well
as
wind
surfing
and
snorkeling,
and
its
jungles
provide
shooting
wildlife
-with
a
camera.
India's
history
goes
back
to
3,200
BC
when
Hinduism
was
first
founded.
Buddhism,
Jainism,
Sikhism.
Judaism.
Zoroashtrianism,
Christianity
and
Islam
all
exist
within
the
country
today.
As a
consequence
of
India's
size,
the
history
of
the
country
has
seldom
been
the
same
for
two
adjoining
territories,
and
its
great
natural
wealth
has
lured
a
succession
of
traders
and
foreign
influences
to
it,
each
having
left
their
imprint
in
the
country,
however
faint
or
localized.
Thus,
Chinese
fishing
nets
in
Kerala
are
a
throwback
to
that
country's
ancient
maritime
trade,
while
in
the
north,
terra-cotta
figurines
of
the
centuries
BC
bear
distinctly
Greek
traces.
Modern
India
is
home
alike
to
the
tribal
with
his
anachronistic
lifestyle
and
to
the
sophisticated
urban
jetsetter.
It
is a
land
where
temple
elephants
exist
amicably
with
the
microchip.
Its
ancient
monuments
are
the
backdrop
for
the
world's
largest
democracy
where
atomic
energy
is
generated
and
industrial
development
has
brought
the
country
within
the
world's
top
ten
nations.
Today,
fishermen
along
the
country's
coastline
fashion
simple
fishing
boats
in a
centuries
old
tradition
while,
a
few
miles
away.
motor
vehicles
glide
off
conveyor
belts
in
state-of-the-art
factories.
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