The Indus Valley has been inhabited for about 5000 years and is therefore one of the oldest civilizations in the world. India is an integrated country with lots of contrasts. In the North you find spread out plateaus and 25,000ft mountain tops. Bearded Sikhs, Christians, Budhists, veiled Muslims and followers of various Hindu sects, make for a very colorful combination. Hindus make up the majority. The different religions have regretfully lead all to often to internal tensions.

In many respects, India has a developed economy, particularly known for its high quality and competitive software services. There is also still a lot of traditional production activity. Child labor continues to be prevalent.

A large percentage of the population lives in great poverty and approximately one third experiences a shortage of food. Communication is another problem. The vaste differences in population groups results in the use of 24 different languages spoken by at least 1 million people.

For more information see:  CIA World Fact Book