SOME INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT INDIA

1. India is one of the world's largest and oldest civilizations.
   
2. India never invaded any country in her 10,000 years of history.
3. India is the world's largest democracy.
4. The Indian city of Varanasi, also known as Benares, is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world.
5. India invented the Number System. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
6. The World's first university was established in India, in Takshashila in 700BC, where more than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects.
7. Sanskrit, the language of ancient India, is considered the mother of all the European languages. Per a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987, Sanskrit is the most suitable language for computer softwares.
8. India discovered Ayurveda, the earliest school of medicine known to humans. Charaka, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.
9. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India was the richest country on earth until the time of British invasion in the early 17th century.
10. The art of Navigation was born in River Sindhu, in India, 6000 years ago. The word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Navgatih’. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit word 'Nou'.
11. In the 5th century, Indian astronomer, Bhaskaracharya, calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the sun and noted that to be 365.258756484 days.
12. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, in India in the 6th century, and he explained the concept of what was later discovered as the Pythagorean Theorem.
13. Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus were first formulated in India. Quadratic equations were formulated by Sridharacharya in the 11th century.
14. The game of Chess (Shataranja or Ashta Pada) was invented in India.
15. Sushruta, known as the father of surgery, together with health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery, more than 2600 years ago. Usage of anesthesia was well known in ancient India. Deep knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many Vedic Indian texts.
16. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization).
17. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.
18. The place value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
19. India is one of the few countries in the World, which gained independence without violence.
20. India has the second largest pool of Scientists and Engineers in the World.
21. India is the largest English speaking nation in the world.
22. India is the only country other than US and Japan, to have built a super computer indigenously
23. Indian film industry is the largest film industry in the world, producing more than 1000 films a year.
24. Yoga has its origins in India and has been practiced by Indians for over 5,000 years
25. Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.