EAST INDIA - THE WORLD'S LARGEST DEMOCRACY

THIS COUNTRY CONSTITUTES THE LARGEST PART OF THE SUBCONTINENTAL MASS OF SOUTHEAST ASIA.  IT HAS THE LAND FORMS THAT RANGE FROM ARID.  IT HAS LAND FORMS THAT RANGE FROM TORRID PLAINS, TROPICAL ISLANDS AND ON PARCHED DESERT TO THE HIGHEST MOUNTAINS IN THE WARD .

IN 1991, 846, 302,000 RESIDENTS WERE RECORD WITH 217 MILLION FOLKS DEFINED AS URBAN  DWELLERS.  THEIR LIFE EXPECTANCY WAS IN 1991 SIXTY YEARS OLD.  THEY HAVE MOSTLY RURAL FOLKS (73%).  THE POPULATION IS STILL PRIMARILY RURAL WITH 73% OF THE POPULATION IN THE COUNTRY.  THEY HAVE FOUR MAJOR LANGUAGE FAMILIES WITH NUMEROUS LANGUAGES.    THE FLAGS CENTER HAS A WHITE AND BLUE WHEEL WITH THE CHAKRA THAT APPEARS ON THE LION'S COLUMN- THE CAPITAL AT SARNATH.  THIS CARVING IS OVER 2,000 YEARS OLD. IT IS A NATIONAL EMBLEM.  THE CARVING HAS 4 LIONS BACK TO BACK.

THE HISTORY OF INDIA GOES BACK 1000'S OF YEARS OR 100'S OF 1,000S OF YEARS AGO  THEY HAD PALEOLITHIC HUNTER/GATHERING CULTURES JUST LIKE IN EUROPE AND ASIA.  BY 10,000 YEARS AGO THEY DEVELOPED AGRICULTURE.

BY 2700 B.C. A VARIETY OF SOME OF THE 1ST URBAN CIVILIZATIONS IN THE INDUS VALLEY AND WESTERN INDIA EMERGED.  AFTER 1500 B.C.,  THERE WERE A VARIETY OF STATES AND KINGDOMS THROUGHOUT THE SUBCONTINENT CREATING A LONG HISTORY OF WAR PUNCTUATED BY FOREIGN INVASIONS AND THE BIRTH OF SOME OF THE WORLD'S LARGEST RELIGIONS.

DESPITE THE EXTENT OF ASOKE EMPIRE OF 232 B.C., BRITISH ESTABLISHED A UNIFIED A UNIFIED232 B.C.  THE BRITISH ESTABLISHED A UNIFIED EMPIRE THAT COVERED MOST OF THE SUBCONTINENT DURING ITS FINAL CENTURY.   AFTER 1858 INDIAWAS RULED BY BRITISH GOVERNMENT.  AFTER 1858 INDIA WAS RULED BY BRITISH GOVERNMENT.  BY 1885 THE NATIVE INDIANS DEMANDED POWER BY THEMSELVES.  IN 1930 A POLICY TO ACHIEVE A FULL NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE WAS ADOPTED .  IT WAS A LONG STRUGGLE.   

INDIA HAS SEVERAL 1000 ETHNIC GROUPS. TRIBES AND CASTES AND RELIGIONS.  THEY HVE CASTES IN EACH REGION.  THEY HAVE HAD RELIGIOUS WARS.  MUCH OF THEIR ECONOMY IS BASED ON BARTER OR THE EXCHANGE OF GOODS AND SERVICES.  THIS SYTEM HAS BEEN DAMPENED BY ECONOMIC ARRANGEMENTS.

THE NDUS VALLEY HAD A LONG HISTORY OF TRADE  FROM FROM 2700 TO 1500 BCE.  THE WALLED CITADELS IN SOME EARLY CITIES DEVELOPED INTO ELABORATE PALISADES.  THEY HAD MOATS TO PROTECT THE MULTITUDE OF IRON AGE AND MIDEAVAL CITIES..  

THEY HAVE EIGHT HISTORIC TYPES OF CITIES.  THEIR LANDSCAPE IS DOTTED OVER HALF OVER HALF A MILLION VILLAGES.  EACH REGION HAS A VILLAGE HAS A DISTINCT FORM.  HOLY PLACES HAVE VARIOUS REGIONS AND ARE COMMON WITHIN VILLAGES AND TOWNS.  BUT NUMEROUS PILGRIMAGE SITES ARE NOT LOCATED HERE.

ABOUT 1/2 THE PEOPLE EAT RICE AS A STAPLE.  SOME EAT WHEAT BARLEY , MAIZE  AND MILLET.  SOME FOLKS ARE VEGETARIAN SOME EAT MEAT.  LOWER CASTE HINDUS EAT MEAT EXCEPT BEEF AND MOST EAT EGGS.

EVERY CASTE AND VILLAGE AND RELIGION HAS ANY CEREMONIES OBSERVED IN RELIGIOUS BASIS.  FARMING IS THEIR MEANS OF SUBSISTENCE ON SMALL PLOTS OF LAND.   SOME FOLKS HAVE PLANTATIONS SUCH AS TEA, COFFEE CARDOMAN AND RUBBER  ARE OF GOOD IMPORTANCE..

SINCE 1994 THEY HAVE A NATIONAL DEBT.   THEIR ECONOMY IS EXPANDING AND  IS EXPANDING AND HAS BEEN GROWING WITH A WIDE RANGE  OF INDUSTRIES. SUCH AS MINING.  THEY EXPORT CLOTHING, TEA, AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE TO THE U.S..  THE VARIOUS REGIONS HAVE DIFFERENT TRADITIONS OF LAND TENURE.

INDIA HAS HAD MANY TRADERS , IMPORTERS AND TRADERS, EXPORTERS SINCE THE DAYS OF THE THE INDUS VALLEY.  MARKETS WERE HERE AT LEAST YEARS AGO AND COINS HAVE BEEN USED FOR 2500 YEARS.  THE IMPORTED AND EXPORTED SINCE THE DAYS OF THE INDUS VALLEY THE INDUS VALLEY WERE HERE AT LEAST 4000 YEARS AGO AND COINS HAVE BEEN FOR 2500 YEARS.  THEY IMPORT AND EXPORT MANY MANY EXTENSIVE ITEMS.  RUSSIA, U S AND GERMANY AND ENGLAND ARE THEIR IMPORTERS.

THE ENGLISH ADMINISTERED IN THE 19TH CENTURY AND BUILT A NETWORK OF RAILROAD TRACK.   THEY HAVE 1.25 MILLION MILES OF ROAD.  THE AIRPLANE SERVICES COM IN THE 1980'S.  THEIR TRADING PARTNERS ARE RUSSIAN, U.S., AND SOME NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES.  INDIA HAS A CASTE SYSTEM AS THE ANCIENT AND MOST BASIC PRINCIPAL OF ORGANIZATIONS OF THE SOCIETY.EACH CASTE TYPICALLY HAD ONE OCCUPATION THAT WAS A SPECIALTY.  FARMING WAS OPEN TO ALL.  EACH FAMILY BELONGS TO ITS CASTE FOR ITS LIFE TIME.

HINDU RELIGION JUSTIFIES THE DIVISION OF SOCIETY INTO CASTES FOR STATUS.  HINDUS BELIEVE IN THE MULTIPLE REINCARNATION  OF SOULS.  THERE ARE MODERN CASES OF INTERCASTE INTERCAST MARRIAGE IN ALL THE CITIES.  THE CASTE SYSTEM DETERMINES HOW PEOPLE DRESS, THEIR DIALECT, WHO THEY SOCIALIZE WITH AND THEIR OCCUPATION.  

INDIA IS THE LARGEST DEMOCRACY IN THE WORLD.  IT HAS 28 STATES SMALL INDIAN SHOPS  MAKE UP A BIG PART OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY.   MANY STATE GOVERNMENTS ARE CREATING MORE JOBS FOR THE POOR AS A DIRECT WAY OF HELPING THEM,  ARRANGED MARRIAGES ARE TRADITIONAL FEATURE .  INHERITANCE PATTERNS VARY.

BABY CARE IS COMPLETED LY RESPONSIBLE OF MOTHERS, SIBLINGS, AND GRANDMOTHER'S.  MORE MEN ARE LITERATE THAN WOMEN.  MANY 16 YEAR OLD GIRL'S ARE NOT PRESSED TO GO ON TO COLLEGE

EAST INDIANS ARE VERY HOSPITABLE AND GO TO VARIOUS LENGTHS TO HAVE VISITORS FEEL COMFORTABLE.  82% ARE HINDU.  THEY HAVE 1000'S OF SHRINES AND HOLY PLACES.  HINDUS NORMALLY CREMATE THE DEAD.

THE ARTS ARE HAVE FLOURISHED OVER THE ;LAST TWO CENTURIES AND THEY BUILT A NATIONAL ART INSTITUTE.  PAINTING IS AN ANCIENT ACCOMPLISHMENT.

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