Welcome To... India!

·       India never invaded any country in her last 100000 years of history.

·       When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (Indus Valley Civilization)

·       The name 'India' is derived from the River Indus, the valleys around which were the home of the early settlers. The Aryan worshippers referred to the river Indus as the Sindhu.

·       The Persian invaders converted it into Hindu. The name 'Hindustan' combines Sindhu and Hindu and thus refers to the land of the Hindus.

·       Chess was invented in India.

·       Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus are studies, which originated in India.

·       The 'Place Value System' and the 'Decimal System' were developed in India in 100 B.C.

·       The World's First Granite Temple is the Brihadeswara Temple at Tanjavur, Tamil Nadu. The shikhara of the temple is made from a single 80-tonne piece of granite. This magnificent temple was built in just five years, (between 1004 AD and 1009 AD) during the reign of Rajaraja Chola.

·       India is the largest democracy in the world, the 7^th largest Country in the world, and one of the most ancient civilizations.

·       The game of Snakes & Ladders was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyandev. It was originally called 'Mokshapat'. The ladders in the game represented virtues and the snakes indicated vices. The game was played with cowrie shells and dices. In time, the game underwent several modifications, but its meaning remained the same, i.e. good deeds take people to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

·       The world's highest cricket ground is in Chail, Himachal Pradesh. Built in 1893 after leveling a hilltop, this cricket pitch is 2444 meters above sea level.

·       India has the largest number of Post Offices in the world.

·       The largest employer in India is the Indian Railways, employing over a million people.

·       The world's first university was established in Takshila in 700 BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.

·       Ayurveda is the earliest school of medicine known to mankind. The Father of Medicine, Charaka, consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years ago.

·       India was one of the richest countries till the time of British rule in the early 17th Century. Christopher Columbus, attracted by India's wealth, had come looking for a sea route to India when he discovered America by mistake.

·       The Art of Navigation & Navigating was born in the river Sindh over 6000 years ago. The very word Navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word 'NAVGATIH'. The word navy is also derived from the Sanskrit word 'Nou'.

·       Bhaskaracharya rightly calculated the time taken by the earth to orbit the Sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. According to his calculation, the time taken by the Earth to orbit the Sun was 365.258756484 days.

·       The value of "pi" was first calculated by the Indian Mathematician Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean Theorem. He discovered this in the 6th century, long before the European mathematicians.

·       Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus also originated in India.Quadratic Equations were used by Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest numbers the Greeks and the Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus used numbers as big as 10*53 (i.e. 10 to the power of 53) with specific names as early as 5000 B.C.during the Vedic period.Even today, the largest used number is Terra: 10*12(10 to the power of 12).

·       Until 1896, India was the only source of diamonds in the world.

·       The Baily Bridge is the highest bridge in the world. It is located in the Ladakh valley between the Dras and Suru rivers in the Himalayan mountains. It was built by the Indian Army in August 1982.

·       Sushruta is regarded as the Father of Surgery. Over2600 years ago Sushrata & his team conducted complicated surgeries like cataract, artificial limbs, cesareans, fractures, urinary stones, plastic surgery and brain surgeries.

·       Usage of anaesthesia was well known in ancient Indian medicine. Detailed knowledge of anatomy, embryology, digestion, metabolism,physiology, etiology, genetics and immunity is also found in many ancient Indian texts.

·       India exports software to 90 countries.

·       The four religions born in India - Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world's population.

·       Jainism and Buddhism were founded in India in 600 B.C. and 500 B.C. respectively.

·       Islam is India's and the world's second largest religion.

·       There are 300,000 active mosques in India, more than in any other country, including the Muslim world.

·       The oldest European church and synagogue in India are in the city of Cochin. They were built in 1503 and 1568 respectively.

·       Jews and Christians have lived continuously in India since 200 B.C. and 52 A.D. respectively

·       The largest religious building in the world is Angkor Wat, a Hindu Temple in Cambodia built at the end of the 11th century.

·       The Vishnu Temple in the city of Tirupathi built in the 10th century, is the world's largest religious pilgrimage destination. Larger than either Rome or Mecca, an average of 30,000 visitors donate $6 million (US) to the temple everyday.

·       Sikhism originated in the Holy city of Amritsar in Punjab. Famous for housing the Golden Temple, the city was founded in 1577.

·       Varanasi, also known as Benaras, was called "the Ancient City" when Lord Buddha visited it in 500 B.C., and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.

·       India provides safety for more than 300,000 refugees originally from Sri Lanka, Tibet, Bhutan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who escaped to flee religious and political persecution.

·       His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, the exiled spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists, runs his government in exile from Dharmashala in northern India.

·       Martial Arts were first created in India, and later spread to Asia by Buddhist missionaries.

·       Yoga has its origins in India and has existed for over 5,000 years.

Welcome To... Philippines!

The Philippines' 7,107 islands stretch 1,839 kilometers from the northernmost tip of Batanes to the southernmost island of Tawi-Tawi. Bordered by the South China Sea to the west and the Pacific Ocean to the east. the archipelago has its biggest island, Luzon, followed by Mindanao in the south. The Visayas islands in between are largely interspersed by small bodies of water. An irregular coastline of 334,539 kms. is dotted with many fine beaches, coves, and natural harbors.

Located off the southeast coast of Asia, the Philippines' capital, Manila, is a mere hour-and-a-half away by plane from Hong Kong and about 14 hours from the United States and Canada.

People

The warmth and natural hospitality of the nations' 78 million Filipinos is known throughout the world. The 111 cultural, linguistic and racial groups endow the Filipino people with varying customs and traditions, marked by Chinese, American, and Spanish overtones. In spite of their diversity, Filipinos have basically two dominant traits: a love of family and a strong religious faith.

Type of Government

A Republic form of government with three equal branches -- the Executive, Legislative, and Judiciary

Head of State

President Benigno Simeon "Noynoy" Cojuangco Aquino III (term: 2010- 2016)

Land area

About 7,107 islands and islets account for 299,764 square kilometers

Capital

Manila - Population ~ 1.6 Million

Geographic divisions

It has three major island groups: Luzon, the largest island where the capital is located; Visayas, known for its fine beaches and idyllic coves; Mindanao, where exotic forest make it an irresistible haven for nature lovers.

Population

89,468,677 (July '06 est.)

Climate

The dry, hot season runs from March to May and the wet, typhoon season from June to October. November to February is generally cool with fair weather. Average daytime temperature, aside from mountain areas, is 22.2 C to 3l.6 C with humidity at 77 percent. Click here for today's weather in the Philippines, as reported by Sky Cable News.

National languages

The national language is Pilipino although there are at least 87 regional dialects. English, widely spoken and understood, is the language used for most business and legal transactions. Hokkien, Cantonese, and Mandarin are spoken by older members of the Filipino-Chinese community. Click here for links to sites about learning Pilipino.

Literacy rate

93.9%

Religion

At least 80 percent of Filipinos belong to the Roman Catholic faith, where many practices and beliefs are rooted. About 15 percent is Moslem, and these people can be found basically in Mindanao. The rest of the population is made up mostly of smaller Christian denominations and Buddhists.

Welcome To... South Africa!

South Africa is one of the most diverse and enchanting countries in the world. Exotic combinations of landscapes, people, history and culture offer the traveller a unique and inspiring experience. Here are the quick facts to get you started.

Location

South Africa is located on the southern tip of the African continent, bordered by northern neighbours Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique. It encompasses the independent mountain kingdoms of Lesotho and Swaziland and is flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on the west and the warm Indian Ocean on the east - giving the country its spectacular range of biodiversity.

Size

South Africa occupies 4% of the continent's total landmass, covering an area of 1 221 040 square kilometres. The country is five times larger than Great Britain and three times the size of Texas.

Climate

South Africa enjoys a temperate and pleasant climate, with lovely warm sunny days most of the year. The seasons of the southern hemisphere are opposite to those in the northern hemisphere so our summers runs from November to February, when most of the country is characterised by hot weather with afternoon thunderstorms. Winters are generally mild and dry. South Africa enjoys one of the world's highest average daily hours of sunshine - 8.5 compared with 3.8 in London, 6.4 in Rome and 6.9 in New York.

People

South Africa is home to some 43 million people - a colourful population as diverse in makeup as the country's geography is varied. Almost 77% are black(or African), 11% white and 9% "coloured", the local label for people of mixed African, Asian and white descent. Just over half the population live in the cities. Three-quarters are Christian and most of the other major world religions are represented here.

Language

There are 11 officially recognised languages, most of them indigenous to South Africa. English is one of these, and everywhere you go, you can expect to find people who speak and understand it. English is the language of the cities, of commerce and banking, of government and official documents. Road signs and official forms are in English. The President makes his speeches in English and at any hotel, the service staff will speak English.

Provinces & Major Cities

South Africa is divided into nine provinces, namely Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu- Natal, Limpopo, Mpumulanga, Northern Cape, North West and the Western Cape. Major cities include the modern economic hub of Johannesburg, coastal Cape Town picturesquely perched between mountain and sea, historic Pretoria and the 'sun and surf central' city of Durban.

Money

The currency unit is the Rand, denoted by the symbol R, with 100 cents making up R1 (one Rand). Foreign currency can be exchanged at local banks and Bureaux de Changes. Most major international credit cards such as American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, Visa and their affiliates are accepted for most purchases.

Welcome To... New Zealand!

With a patchwork history of Māori, European, Pacific Island and Asian cultures, New Zealand has become a melting-pot population - but one with some uniting features that make it unique in the world.

Today, of the 4.4 million New Zealanders (informally known as Kiwis), approximately 69% are of European descent, 14.6% are indigenous Māori, 9.2% Asian and 6.9% non-Māori Pacific Islanders.

Geographically, over three-quarters of the population live in the North Island, with one-third of the total population living in Auckland. The other main cities of Wellington, Christchurch and Hamilton are where the majority of the remaining Kiwis dwell. 

Early Voyagers

Over four hundred years before Christopher Columbus and the rest of Europe worried about falling off the edge of the world; Maori people voyaged thousands of miles across the vast unknown Pacific Ocean in small ocean-going canoes and became the first inhabitants of Aotearoa New Zealand. To this day, Maori cultureis a core part of New Zealand’s national identity.

Rugged Pioneers

New Zealand’s European pioneers were also brave, rugged and independent. Before establishing farms and settlements, they had to first clear the land - a painstaking and sometimes dangerous activity. Their isolation and exposure to the elements forced these early New Zealanders to become hardy and multi-skilled.

This resourcefulness and ingenuity has greatly contributed to the New Zealand character. The same qualities can be seen today in the new pioneers - a generation of young Kiwi business executives, computer software builders, film-makers, fashion designers, and sportspeople making waves around the world.

Backyard Genius

Since before Sir Ernest Rutherford ‘split’ the atom early in the twentieth century, Kiwis have been discovering and inventing things. Many of these inventions have literally been created in a backyard. While frozen meat, the Hamilton Jet boat, and the bungy jump are probably our most famous Kiwi inventions, there are many others.

New Zealanders are also responsible for the tranquilliser gun, seismic ‘base’ isolators (rubber and lead blocks which minimise earthquake damage), electric fences, the fastest motorbike in the world, freezer vacuum pumps, stamp vending machines, wide-toothed shearing combs, and the electronic petrol pump - to name a few!

Mateship on the sporting field

The two World Wars saw heavy casualties inflicted on the New Zealand male population. But it also saw loyalty to your friends and comrades — ‘mateship’ — become a prized social value. This quality is still seen on the sporting field today.

Rugby football is the most popular spectator sport in New Zealand, with the legendary All Blacks recently winning the Rugby World Cup. Though the sport has public school beginnings in England, in New Zealand, rugby is definitely the grass-roots sport of the ‘average bloke’.

Welcome To... Australia!

Let's start to travel around Australia?

Australia is the smallest continent in the world. It is also the 6th largest country in the world, after Russia, Canada, China, USA, and Brazil.

There are over 20 million people living in Australia. Australia is divided into six states and two territories. The capital city is Canberra, which is in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT).

A little description of the geography

Australia is an island with most of its population living around its coastline. The coastline has many beaches and reefs that are popular with surfers and divers such as the Great Barrier Reef, Bondi Beach and Surfers Paradise. The centre of Australia is mostly desert with very little water. The famous Ayres Rock or Uluru is found here and is a popular tourist attraction.

The Australian Alps are on the south-east side of Australia. The highest mountain, Mount Kosciusko is a great place to go during the summer for hiking and skiing during the winter months.

In the North of Australia you can find rainforests and warmer weather as it is close to the tropics. The Daintree Rainforest is famous for its beauty and hiking trails.

Australia has a long history of farming and crop growing. In the outback, there are many farms that grow rice, wheat, and many vegetables. There are also many dairy and cattle farms that produce milk and beef for local use and to send overseas.

How is the weather?

Australian seasons are the reverse of the Europeans but the same of the Latin Americans. The summer months in Australia are from December to February and the Autumn months are during March till May. Winter is from June to August with Spring in Australia from September till November.

Queensland and the Northern Territory are located closer to the tropics and generally have warmer and humid weather all year round. New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory, Victoria, South Australia and Perth all experience the four seasons during the year. In Tasmania, the weather is colder than the rest of Australia because it is closer to Antarctica.

How many people live there?

Australia has about 21 million people, with the main population living in the South-East and East of Australia. 70 % of Australia’s populations live less than one hour from the coast.  Australians love the beach and surfing. They have a wonderful relaxed lifestyle.

Culture and life style - What is to be an Australian?

Australia is a multicultural country. People from around the world have migrated to Australia for many years and have brought with them their culture and wonderful food.

In Australia, the main language is English and the official currency is the Australian dollar (AU$).

A bit of history

Australia was firstly discovered by a Dutch explorer who named it New Holland. The Dutch explorer did not think the land was very interesting and did not explore it any further. It wasn’t until 1770 when Captain James Cook came and started using and exploring the land that he renamed it ‘New England’.

After 18 years, prisoners were sent to Australia from Britain to be used as a convict colony. Because there were so many prisoners, the land from the coast to the Blue Mountains was not enough and they needed to search for more land to fit them. This was when the first started to explore the other side of the Blue Mountains.

Between 1851 and 1852, goldfields were discovered in Victoria and New South Wales. This discovery attracted thousands of people that came to Australia to try their luck at finding gold.

In 1901, the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Australia was started. The parliament was established as a federation of six states and two territories.

Canberra was chosen as the capital of Australia as they could not decide between Sydney and Melbourne. 

Did you know?

There are more than 40 millions of kangaroos in Australia now. This is more than the total population of Australia!

We have more sheep than kangaroos! There are about 140 million sheep. That's why Australia is worldwide famous for their wool quality.

Australia has the longest fence in the world. The fence is called the ‘Dingo Fence’ and is 5,531 kilometres long! The fence is only 1.8 meters tall with no gaps. It runs through the middle of Queensland and was built to protect the sheep from the dingo, an Australia dog

In Western Australia, they have the longest straight road in the world. It is 148 kilometres long!