INDIA

The saffron stands for courage, sacrifice and the spirit of renunciation. The white, is meant for purity and truth.

The green is for faith and fertility.

The navy blue wheel denotes the continuity of the nation's progress which is deemed to be as boundless as the blue sky and as fathomless as the deep blue sea.

*SIZE &LOCATION

*The land mass of India has an area of 3.28 million (3.28 lakh) square km; which comprises about 2.4% of the total geographical area of the world.

*The land boundary of India is 15,200 km. The coastline of the country is 7,516.6 km; which includes the Andaman and Nicobar and Lakshadweep.

*The main land of India extends between latitudes 8°4'N and 37°6'N and longitudes 68°7'E and 97°25'E.

NATURAL VEGETATIONIndia is situated at tropical latitudes and has

diverse temperature and rainfall regimes. The overall climate of India is suitable for the growth of forests. The climate formations of Indian subcontinent have been altered much due to human activities in the last few thousand years. However, the remaining vegetation shows that the natural vegetation of India primarily consists of forests. The grasslands found in the region are not natural plant formations but have originated secondarily due to destruction of natural forests in some places.

FORESTS OF INDIA• The most important factors influencing

the physiognomy, species composition, phenology etc. of Indian forests are temperature, rainfall, local edaphic and biotic factors. These factors have been used in the classification of Indian forests. Most detailed classification of Indian forests is by Champion and Seth (1967) in which 16 major types of forests have been recognized. These 16 major types can be grouped into 5 major categories viz. moist tropical, dry tropical, montane sub-tropical, temperate and alpine forests.

India is one of the most religiously diverse nations in the world, with some of the most deeply religious societies and cultures.• Birth place of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism & Sikhism.• The major religions of India are Hinduism (majority religion), Islam (largest minority religion), Sikhism, Christianity, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism, Judaism and the Baháí Faith..

RELIGIONS

*Wildlife

* The wildlife in India comprises a mix of species of different types of organisms. Apart from a handful of the major farm animals such as cows, buffaloes, goats, poultry, pigs & sheep, India has an amazingly wide variety of animals native to the country. It is home to Bengal tigers, Asiatic lions, Leopards, Pythons, Wolves, Foxes, Bears, Crocodiles, Rhinoceroses, Camels, Wild dogs, Monkeys, Snakes, Antelope species, Deer species, varieties of bison and not to mention the mighty Asian elephant. The region's rich and diverse wildlife is preserved in 89 national parks, 18 Bio reserves and 400+ wildlife sanctuaries across the country. India has some of the most bio diverse regions of the world and hosts three of the world’s 34 biodiversity hotspots – or treasure-houses – that is the Western Ghats, the Eastern Himalayas and Indo- Burma.