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| India Fast Facts |
AREA |
1.27
million square miles |
BANKS |
Banks
are normally open 10 am - 2 pm Mondays- Fridays and 10 am -
12 noon Saturdays |
| CAPITAL |
New
Delhi |
CLIMATE |
The climate of India can broadly be classified as a tropical
monsoon one. But, in spite of much of the northern part of
India lying beyond the tropical zone, the entire country has
a tropical climate marked by relatively high temperatures
and dry winters. There are four seasons - winter (December-February),
(ii) summer (March-June), (iii) south-west monsoon season
(June-September), and (iv) post monsoon season (October- November).
Kerala State climate: Summer - February/May (24°
- 33°C) Monsoon - June/September (22° - 28°C)
Winter - October/January (22° - 32°C) Main High Season
December/May (Wildlife Sanctuary visits October/March) |
CLOTHING |
Light
cottons and loose clothing, hats, sunglasses, high-factor sunscreen
lotion, insect repellent, etc. Hill stations require warmer
evening wear |
CREDIT
CARDS |
Main
hotels, restaurants and shopping centres honour all major credit
cards |
CURRENCY |
Indian
Rupee. There is no limit to the amount of foreign currency that
visitors may bring in |
ELECTRICITY |
Voltage
is 220/240 AC (plugs are 2 or 3-round pin and adaptors should
be taken where relevant) |
HEALTH |
There
are currently no compulsory vaccinations for travel to India,
although it is strongly recommended that you are protected against
the following: Polio, tetanus, Typhoid, Cholera, Hepatitis A
and Malaria. Please contact your doctor or MASTA (Medical Advisory
Service for Travellers Abroad) at the London School of Hygiene
& Tropical Medicine (Tel 0891 224 100 for the latest details). www.masta.org/ |
| KERALA
STATE |
Divided
into 14 Districts, Kerala claims to be India's cleanest state,
with the highest quality of physical life in the country, a
100% literate people and India's highest life-expectancy rate |
LANGUAGE |
There
are 22 National Languages recognized by the Constitution of
India, of which Hindi is the Official Union Language. Besides
these, there are 844 different dialects that are practiced in
various parts of the Country. (English is widely-spoken) |
LOCAL
TIME |
GMT
+ 5.30 |
| NATIONAL
DAYS |
26th
January (Republic Day), 15th August (Independence Day), 2nd
October (Gandhi Jayanti; Mahatma Gandhi's Birthday) |
PASSPORTS/VISAS |
British
passport holders travelling to India must be in possession of
a 10-year British passport. valid for at least six months after
your intended return date. Visas are also required - full details
on how to obtain these and costs will gladly be supplied on
request.
Disembarkation/ Embarkation cards must be completed on arrival/departure. |
| PHOTOGRAPHY |
Tourists
should seek permission from the authorities concerned before
taking photographs of places of military importance, railway
stations, bridges, airports, military installations, metro trains,
tribal areas and sensitive border regions. It is prohibited
to take photographs in some of the temples, historical monuments,
forts, palaces, tombs and monasteries. Camera fee is charged
extra in some historical monuments. |
POPULATION |
1,028
million (2001 census) |
RELIGION |
According
to the 2001 census, Hindus constituted the majority with 80.5
%, Muslims came second at 13.4%, followed by Christians, Sikhs,
Buddhists, Jains, and others. |
TRAVEL
ADVICE |
For
further information about India or Kerala please contact the Government
of India Tourist Office
(Tel 020 7734 3677 or visit www.indiatouristoffice.org)
or Kerala Tourism at www.keralatourism.org |
| GETTING
TO KERALA |
| Emirates now fly
direct from Dubai to Cochin with connections from the United
Kingdom, Europe and the USA. These also allow a stopover in
Dubai, famous for its superb shopping, beaches, sports and desert
activities. Sri Lankan Airways also operate three flights weekly
between Colombo and Cochin, also making two-country itineraries
easy to arrange. Domestic air services within India link the
international gateway of Mumbai with Cochin and Trivandrum,
and the latter is also served by flights from Chennai (Madras),
Delhi, Colombo and Singapore |
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