India - Basic Facts

INDIA - OUR COUNTRY

India has Seven major Physiographic
regions
1. Northern Mountains including the Himalayas
and mountain ranges in the North-East.
2. The Indo-Gangetic plain
3. Central Highlands
4. Peninsular plateau
5. East Coast
6. West Coast
7. Bordering seas and islands

India has Seven principal Mountain
ranges
1. the Himalayas
2. the Patkai and other ranges bordering India
in the North & North East
3. the Vindhyas, which separate the Indo-
Gangetic plain from the Deccan Plateau
4. the Satpura
5. the Aravalli
6. the Sahayadri, which covers the Eastern
fringe of the West Coast plains and
7. the Eastern Ghats, irregularly scattered on
the East Coast and, forming the boundary
of the East Coast plains.
Himalayas, the highest mountain - system in the
world, is also one of the world's youngest mountain
ranges

National EMBLEM
The State Emblem of India is an adaptation from
the Sarnath Lion Capital of Asoka as preserved in the
Sarnath Museum. The Government adopted the emblem
on 26th January, 1950, the day when India became a
Republic.
In the State Emblem adopted by the Government,
only three lions are visible, the fourth being hidden
from view. The wheel appears in relief in the centre of
the abacus with a bull on the right and a horse on the
left and the outlines of the other wheels on the extreme
right and left.
The bell-shaped lotus has been omitted. The
Words, Saytameva Jayate from the Mundaka Upanishad
meaning ‘Truth alone triumphs’ are inscribed below the
abacus in Devanagari script.

National FLAG
The National Flag is a horizontal tri-colour of
deep saffron (Kesari) at the top, white in the middle
and dark green at the bottom in equal proportion. The
ratio of the width of the flag to its length is two to
three. In the centre of white band is a wheel, in navy
blue, which represents the Charkha (Khadi Spinning
Wheel). Its design is that of the wheel (Chakra) which
appears on the abacus of the Sarnath Lion Capital of
Asoka. Its diameter approximates the width of the
white band. It has 24 spokes.
The design of the National Flag was adopted by
the Constituent Assembly of India on 22nd July, 1947.
Its use and display are regulated by a code.
Rabindranath Tagore’s song, Jana-gana-mana was
adopted by the Constituent Assembly as the National
Anthem of India on 24th January 1950. The first stanza
(out of 5 stanzas) of the song, forms the National
Anthem.

National Calendar
The Saka year has the normal 365 days and
begins with Chaitra as its first month. The days of the
Saka calendar have permanent correspondence with
the dates of the Gregorian Calendar, Chaitra 1 falling on
March 22 in a normal year and on March 21 in a Leap
Year. The National Calendar commenced on Chaitra
1 Saka, 1879 corresponding to March 22, 1957 A