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| Entry Regulations / General Information |
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Entry for German Nationals |
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Travellers are required to hold a visa; on application, a national passport valid for at least a further six months must be submitted (among other documents). The processing of the visa application will take about five days (applications submitted in person are usually processed on the same day one day).
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Geographical Location |
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The Federal Republic of India is situated in Asia on the Indian sub-continent. In the North-West India shares borders with Pakistan, in the North with the People's Republic of China and Nepal. In the East it surrounds Bangladesh and shares borders with Myanmar. Its eastern coastal region lies along the Gulf of Bengal, in the South the coast lies along the Gulf of Manar and in the West, along the Arabian Sea.
Total area: 3,287,263km² with Kashmir and Sikkim.
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Population |
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Population: Approximately 1 billion.
CITIES (approximate numbers): New Delhi (capital) 9.8 million inhabitants (Greater Delhi 12.8 million), Mumbai (Bombay) 11.9 million (with suburbs 18,8 million), Kolkata (former Calcutta) 4.6 million (with suburbs 14,9 million), Chennai (Madras) 4.2 million (with suburbs 7.3 million), Bangalore 4.3 million (with suburbs 6.6 million), Hyderabad 3.5 million (with suburbs 6.3 million), Ahmedabad 3.5 million (with suburbs 5.7 million), Kanpur 2.5 million (with suburbs 3 million), Poona (Pune) 2.5 million (with suburbs 4.25 million), Surat 2.4 million, Jaipur 2.3 million, Lucknow (Lakhnau) 1.7 million (with suburbs 2.2 million), Nagpur 2 million, Indore 1.6 million, Kochi 1.5 million, Visakhpatnam 1.5 million.
More cities with more than 1 million inhabitants: Agra, Allahabad, Amritsar, Asansol, Bhilao, Bhopai, Chandigarh, Coimbatore (with suburbs), Dhanbad, Faridabad, Haora, Jabalpur, Jamshedpur, Ludhiana, Madurai, Meerut, Nashik, Patna, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Rajkot, Shambajinagar (Aurangabad), Solapur, Thana, Vadodara (Baroda), Varanasi (Benares), Vijayawada.
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Language |
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The national language is Hindi, the official language is English. In addition, approximately 17 other languages are spoken in India.
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Time Difference |
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Central European Time (CET) +4 1/2 hours (during the European summer time +3 1/2 hours).
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Electricity |
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220V alternating power, 50Hz; in some city districts and regions of India there is also still direct current. Strong fluctuations in the power supply (180-280 Volt) must be expected outside Mumbai, in particular during the hot season. English round pin plugs are generally found, but also other plugs/sockets; in any case adapters are required.
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Postal Service |
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Airmail sent to Europe takes approximately 6-8 days to arrive (must strictly be marked "airmail"); when sent by sea freight approximately 2-3 months.
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Telephone |
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The international dialling code for calls from Western Europe to India is 0091. For international calls from India, the prefix "00" must be dialled prior to the relevant country code (in the case of calls to Germany, for example, 0049). Overseas telephone calls may be made directly from up-market hotels. Otherwise an operator (ask for the number in the hotel) will connect you. Calls from private service stations (ISD/HOUR) are cheaper. The inscription ISD means that international calls can be made.
EMERGENCY NUMBERS: police 100, ambulance 102, fire brigade 101.
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Mobile Phones |
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Mobile network technologies: GSM 900/1800.
Information for users of MOBILE PHONES registered with German network providers: Mobile phones connected to E-Plus, O2, T-Mobile or Vodafone networks can be used due to international roaming agreements. Travellers intending to use other mobile phones are advised to contact their network provider for detailed information.
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Internet |
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Country code suffix: .in
In the major cities, internet cafés are available everywhere (different rates are charged, however). But also in the country internet cafés may be found. The frequent power failures complicate internet availability.
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Public Holidays |
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1 January (New Year´s Day), 26 January (Republic Day), 30 March (Ram Navmi), 3 April (Mahavir Jayanti), Good Friday, Easter Monday, 4 May (Buddha Purnima), Whit Monday, 15 August (Independence Day), 7 September (Janamashtami), 2 October (Mahatma Gandhi´s Birthday), 12 October (Dussehra), 1 November (Diwali), 15 November (Guru Nanak´s Birthday), 25 December (Christmas).
Moreover there are several Islamic holidays, the dates of which are reckoned according to the lunar calendar and thus change every year.
In addition, other public holidays are held in the individual Indian Federal states. Many public holidays are celebrated with impressive festivals. It is worth asking the Indian Tourist Information for further infomation, see section "Sources of Information".
The main holiday season ranges from mid-May to mid-July. Business trips are made but rarely during this period of time.
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Opening Hours |
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| Monsoon |
Banks: Mon to Fri 10/11a.m.-2/3p.m. (changes possible), sometimes also on Sat 10/11a.m.-12/1p.m.
Offices: Mon to Fri 9:30a.m.-5p.m., Sat 9:30a.m.-1p.m.
Government offices: in general Mon to Fri 10a.m.-5p.m. (lunchtime varies, at least between 1p.m.-2p.m.)
Shops: Mon to Sat approximately 9:30a.m.-6p.m. with lunch break. Smaller shops are generally open from early in the morning until late in the evening.
Post offices: Mon to Fri 10a.m.-5p.m., Sat 10a.m.-1p.m. (in the larger cities longer).
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Clothes |
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During the cool season (October to March) light clothing is appropriate; in Northern India also warmer clothes are needed during this time of the year. Along the coast, light clothes should be worn during the day. Outside the cool season very light clothing is advisable. It may sometimes be necessary to change several times a day due to the heat.
Laundries and cleaners usually work quickly and the prices are low (for delicate clothes, however, the laudries are not advisable - not even in the hotels).
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© 2001 All rights reserved TIP Gesellschaft für Touristik-Informations-Programme mbH, München Last updated: 14.03.2007 - Proposals, hints and contact - Copyright
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