Indian

India, officially the Republic of India, (Hindi: Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. It is surrounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the southwest, and the Bay of Bengal on the southeast. India shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north; and Bangladesh and Myanmar to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; its Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand, Myanmar, and Indonesia. India is known for being a pluralistic, multilingual, and multi-ethnic society. The country consists of 28 states and 8 union territories.

Naming Traditions

Feminine names

Vary by state, language, region, and religion. Examples include Malaika, Leelavati, Alice, Meena, etc.

Masculine names

Vary by state, language, region, and religion. Examples include Nikhil, Korou, Ahmed, etc.

Family names

Vary by state, language, region, and religion. Examples include Ganguly from Bengal, Avasarala from Andhra Pradesh, Patel from Gujarat, Sai from Manipur, etc.

National symbols

Flag: Tiranga (Tricolour)
Emblem: Sarnath Lion
Anthem: Jana Gana Mana
Song: Vande Mataram
Language: None
Currency: ₹ (Indian rupee)
Calendar: Saka
Animal: Bengal tiger
Sea Animal: River dolphin
Bird: Indian peafowl (peacock)
Flower: Lotus
Fruit: Mango
Tree: Banyan
River: Ganges (Ganga)

There are 447 languages in use in India. Some of them include Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu, Kannada, etc. The official languages of India are Hindi and English, with business in the Indian parliament conducted in either of the two languages.

Religions include Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Buddhism, Jainism, and others.

Encompassed species