South Africa

South Africa is a country that lies at the southern tip of the continent of Africa.

South Africa has three capitals. Parliament meets in Cape Town, the legislative capital. All government departments have their headquarters in Pretoria, the administrative capital. The highest court meets in Bloemfontein, the country’s judicial capital.

South Africa has 11 official languages. English is one of them.

These days South Africa is one of the fastest growing tourist destinations in the world, tourism and its development becoming one of the priority areas of the national economy.

Historical sites of the country include Port Elizabeth, known as the “Friendly City”; the Union Building, a place of great historical significance; the South African mint with magnificent gold coins and high quality ethnic jewellery and a lot of others.

The South Africa’s National Zoo with a magnificent aquarium and reptile section is one of the top 10 in the world.

Pilansberg National Park is a game-rich habitat with opportunities to see the Big Five: lion, elephant, leopard, buffalo and rhino. The Kruger National Park is home to 147 species of mammals, over 500 bird species, 114 reptile species and 1950 species of plants. There are more than 100 parks in South Africa.

India

India covers a land area of about 3,3 million square kilometers. India is bounded by the Muztagh, Ata, Aghil and Kunlun mountains to the north of Kashmir. Himalayas form the boundary in the Nepal region. In the east lies Bangladesh and Myanmar. Afghanistan and West Pakistan border on the northwest. India stretches southwards and beyond the Tropic of Cancer, it narrows down to form the Great Indian Peninsula which ends up in the Indian Ocean with Cape Comorin. The Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait separate India from Sri Lanka in the south. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadweed in the Arabian Sea also constitute parts of the territory of India.

Four seasons are: the cold weather (December-February), the hot weather (March-May), the rainy season (June-September), and the season of monsoon (October-November).

The National Animal of India is the majestic Tiger, which symbolizes power and gorgeousness. The magnificent Peacock is National Bird of India. Lotus is National Flower of India.

The Republic of India comprises 25 states and 7 union territories; each has its own language, dress, religious rituals, arts and crafts, and food.

Indians are exposed to many languages in their daily life, and grow up to speak three or more languages. People of India are known to speak 325 different languages and practice more than 7 religions (sometimes two or more at the same time), the major being the following: Hinduism, Sikhism, Zoroastrianism, Buddhism, Jainism, Islam, and Christianity. English is officially recognized and functions as a neutral link-language between Indians from different parts of the country. The Constitution lists 15 official Indian languages.

The capital of India is New Delhi, its political, educational, cultural, and transportation centre. The major sights here are: Red Fort, Parliament House, the National Gallery of Modern Art, the ancient site of Qutab Minar.

Calcutta is the major port and largest city in India.

Bombay (now Mumbai) is the major port and financial and commercial centre of India. It has beautiful Victoria Gardens, Brabourne Stadium, and Marine Drive (magnificent highway along the coast).

Varanasi has the famous complex of about 1,500 temples.

Khajuraho has a complex of 20 surviving temples of Shiva, Vishnu, and Jain patriarchs.

Agra is the location of the 17th century Taj Mahal complex: Shah Jehan built the Taj Mahal in memory of his favourite queen, Mumtaz, who died giving birth to their 14 child.

Ajanta, one of the noblest memorials of Buddhism in India, is a complex of 30 rock-cut cave temples and monasteries dating back to 200 B.C.

Palitana is famous for its 863 marble temples. Dwarka is a sacred place and centre of pilgrimage for Hindus.

Aurangabad is a great historical city famous for Ajanta Ellora Caves.

Hazaribagh is famous as a holiday resort and wild life sanctuary. Kaziranga is a sanctuary famous for one-horned Indian Rhinos. Sundarban is famous for its Tiger reserve.

Nepal

Nepal is a sovereign independent Kingdom. It is bounded on the north by Tibet Autonomous Region of the People’s Republic of China; on the east, on the south and on the west by Indian States. The length of the Kingdom is 885 kilometers eastwest, and its breadth varies from 145 to 241 kilometers northsouth.

Nepal’s climate varies with its topography. It ranges from tropical to arctic depending upon the altitude. The low-land Terai region, which lies in the tropical southern part of the country, has a hot humid climate. The mid-land regions are pleasant almost all year round, although winter nights are cool. The northern mountain region has an alpine climate but with lower temperatures. The altitude of the Himalayan region ranges between 4877 metres and 8848 metres with the snow line running around 48848 metres. It includes 8 of the existing 14 summits in the world which exceed an altitude of 8000 metres.

Nepal has a population of more than 18 million, made of different races and tribes, living in different regions, having different customs and speaking different languages and dialects.

Many different ethnic groups have their own languages or dialects, but Nepali, the Sanskrit-based official language, serves the purpose of the kingdom’s lingua franca in Nepal. The educated people speak and understand English as well. There are as many as 36 different languages, and many more dialects in the Kingdom.

Hinduism, followed by Buddhism, constitute the major religions of Nepal. Apart from the Hindus and Buddhists, Muslims form the third largest religious group. A remarkable feature of Nepal is the religious homogeneity that exists.

Nepal has a long glorious history. Modern Nepal is an amalgamation of a number of principalities which had independent entities in the past.

The people of Nepal are friendly. Sealed for centuries from westerns, the people of Nepal have strong feelings of national pride and fierce independence, derived perhaps from the fact that Nepal has never been colonized, unlike so many Asian neighbours.

The capital is Katmandu. In it or its suburb, to cross a street is to travel across centuries. Shrines, temples, palace-squares, and legends are parts of every brick and stone and make Katmandu Valley a real living museum. Katmandu is a true cultural crossroads for the more than 30 different ethnic groups, a mosaic that embraces both Aryan and Mongol races, several religions and as many languages and traditions as there are peoples.

The exquisite architecture and artistic embellishment of the Nepalese pagodas are a unique feature of Nepal.

The temples and stupas are rich repositories of wood carving, metal work, terracotta and stone sculpture.

There are a lot of national parks and reserves in Nepal.

Numerous peaks offer opportunities for mountain climbing whereas mountain flights provide a view of mountain ranges and peaks. Trekking is another favourite adventure sport and a way of exploring this mountain country. River rafting in white water is also a major attraction for adventure tourists. Fishing, swimming, canoeing and boating are available in place like Pokhara Valley, a lake city and a tropical spot.

Mexico

Mexico, the country of North America, officially United Mexican States, shares a common border throughout its northern extent with the United States. Roughly triangular in shape, Mexico covers an area of 756,066 square miles.

Mexico is located in one of the Earth’s most dynamic tectonic areas. It is a part of the circum-Pacific "Ring of Fire," a region of active volcanism and frequent seismic activity.

Mexico can be divided into eight major landform regions. The largest, and most important for human habitation, is the Mexican Plateau. Many of basins were sites of major lakes that were drained to facilitate European settlement.

The largest valleys are those of Mexico, Pueblo, Guadalajara and Oaxaca. The basins are generally fertile; the traditional breadbasket of the country is the Guanajauato Basin.

Petroleum and tourism have come to dominate Mexico’s economy, and industrialization is increasing in many parts of the country.

Picturesque coastal sites and beach resorts, such as Acapulco, Mazatlan, Merida, Tampico, Veracruz, La Paz, Cozumel, Cancun, Ixtapa, Puerto Escondido, archeological digs in Oaxaca and the Yucatan Peninsula, the famous Pyramids of Teotihuacan and other parts of Mexico are favourite tourist destinations.

Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, is located in the Valley of Mexico.

Mexico City was traditionally inhabited by mestizos (people of mixed European and Indian descent) and creollos (Mexicans of European descent), but steady immigration from the countryside has given it a more Indian character.

Mexico is the biggest Roman Catholic country in the world.