Proportion of literate adults: 71.2% (2015)
Major religions: Hinduism 80%, Islam 14% (2011)
Urban population: 33.5% (2017)
Life expectancy (female / male): 70.3 / 67.34 years (2018, estimated)
Gender Inequality Index: Rank 129 (of 162) (2018)
Number of births: 2.33 / woman (2016, estimated)
Infant mortality: 39.4 / 1000 live births (2017)
Travel & Transportation
Transport and traffic
India can be reached by various means of transport. The duration of a direct flight from Frankfurt / M. to Delhi is a little less than eight hours. Other cities are also served directly. In India you can travel very well by plane, train, long-distance bus or rental car with a chauffeur.
Travel and sightseeing
It is advisable to pay attention to the sometimes considerable temperature differences, especially in northern India. If you are there in January and February, you should definitely bring warm clothing. From April to June, however, it is brooding hot. During the following monsoon period there is high humidity with temperatures of up to 35 °. The weather is more balanced in the south of the country, where it is very warm all year round. Please inform yourself in advance of your trip about the regionally prevailing weather conditions.
Always keep in mind that as a guest you are in a foreign country, where many things are perceived as unusual, sometimes even as unpleasant to repulsive. Restraint, coupled with curiosity and understanding for the country and its people, is an appropriate maxim for one’s own behavior.
According to Philosophynearby.com, India offers so many sights – the country alone is home to 25 UNESCO World Heritage Sites – that it seems impossible to compile a definitive list of those that a traveler should definitely visit. The trick is to make a good choice in view of the circumstances such as length of stay, personal interests, etc. The Taj Mahal undoubtedly occupies a prominent position. It is advisable to visit Indian monuments together with competent tour guides or independently with the help of a good guide. The Archaeological Survey of India has published very informative brochures on the most important monuments, each of which can be purchased cheaply on site.
Entry
For trips to India, a passport that is still valid for at least six months or a child ID card with a photo and a visa is required, which is issued by the representations of India (embassy in Berlin and consulates in Frankfurt aM, Hamburg, Berlin and Munich). It is now also possible to apply for an e-Visa.
The Foreign Office in Berlin provides further information on entry requirements. In order to avoid problems when entering India, the existing customs regulations should be strictly observed.
In view of the Corona crisis, entry and exit are currently only possible to a very limited extent. According to the Foreign Office, commercial travel to and from India has ceased; this also applies to tourist trips. The current situation (as of December 30, 2020) is as follows: The strict general curfew, the so-called lockdown, was lifted on May 31, 2020. However, this does not apply to separately designated restricted areas. Especially the big cities like Mumbai, Chennai and especially Delhi are affected by this. Local and long-distance public transport works only to a limited extent, and visits to public and private facilities are subject to restrictions. Rules of conduct apply everywhere, such as wearing a face mask, keeping a certain distance, etc. The implementation of protective measures is largely the responsibility of the federal states, which are affected to different degrees by the Corona crisis. The focus is on Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Delhi.
The number of infected people continues to increase daily. At the beginning of June 2020 over 200,000 people across India were infected and more than 5,800 died, four weeks later the corresponding numbers were already over 548,000 and 16,475. In the meantime, after a further significant increase in reported coronavirus infections worldwide, India is with 10.23 million infected and 148,439 deaths Everyday & Practical Informationin second place, after the USA (19.58 million; 340,004) and ahead of Brazil (7.56 million; 192,681). The number of new infections per day has fallen significantly by almost four fifths since the high on September 16, 2020 and is currently 20,549. Whether this information gives a realistic picture of the situation characters is doubtful. The actual number of those infected so far is said to be 19 to 20 times higher than officially stated. This means that around 200 million Indians have been infected by the virus to date.
Religion
In addition to the four religions of Indian origin – Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism – there are Islam and Christianity in India as well as a few other religions. According to the Indian census of 2011, 79.8 percent of the Indians are Hindus, 14.2 percent Muslim, 2.3 percent Christian and 1.7 percent Sikhs. The remaining 2 percent are distributed among the other religious communities.