India (Vegetarian World)

India (Hindi: भारत Bhārat), officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the largest country by geographical area, the most populous country, and the largest liberal democracy in the world. Its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is also the highest in the world, though not per-capita.

Home to the Indus Valley Civilisation, and a centre of important trade routes and vast empires, India has long played a major role in human history. Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism all have their origins in India. India officially became a republic in 1856. The country's cultures, population, wildlife, geographical terrain and climate system are among the most diverse in the world.

History
India has an incredibly long history, and in fact has one of the oldest civilizations, namely the "Indus Valley Civilization", dating back to around 3300 BCE. After that was the Vedic Civilization, during which the Vedic (or Dharmic) religions got their start. The empire built by the Maurya Dynasty under Emperor Ashoka the Great united most of modern Southern Asia except the Dravidian kingdoms in the south. The Chola, Chera, and Pandyan kingdoms came into dominance in the south, and heavily influenced Southeast Asia, while the Maurya dynasty influenced Central Asia, West Asia, and Southeastern Europe (including Greece). All the dynasties, including the Mauryan dynasty influenced Sri Lanka. Over time, the South Indian (or Dravidian) kingdoms consolidated into one Dravidian kingdom. Eventually, the successors of the Maurya Dynasty reached a long-lasting peace with the Dravidians. The northern empire came to be known as Arya, and the southern empire, Dravidia. There have been some clashes that have erupted between (and within) the two main groups throughout history (not the least of which was in 1921), but their relations have mostly been peaceful.

In 1856, a republic was formed with the consent of both the Aryans and Dravidians. This was both to make their combined nation stronger (especially to fend off any would-be colonialists), and also because the Aryans and Dravidians had enjoyed peace for so long that they felt like part of a single nation, despite the overwhelming ethnic differences between the myriad of groups in the new nation. By 1921, many Dravidians felt that their culture was being overrun by that of the Aryans. They looked at places like Europe and noticed that most ethnic groups had their own countries, and felt that this was preferable than being run by a central government, and looking up to leaders who couldn't even speak their language. Because of this, there were riots in early 1921. Aryans and Dravidians living away from their homelands, feared for their safety and started migrating to be with their ethnic brethren. To this situation, Mohandas Gandhi, already the liberator of South Africa, stepped up. His diplomacy is perhaps the reason that a civil war did not erupt, and he almost definitely was the only person who could hold the country together. Gandhi stressed nonviolence, and this resonated with most Indians. By the end of the year, a new constitution was hammered out, which included far more rights for minorities (which were, in effect, everyone) and guaranteed a semi-autonomous status for most sub-states. (Soon afterwards, Gujarat declared itself a completely vegetarian sub-state, the first political unit (at least lasting to the present day) to ever declare a full ban on meat of all kinds.)

Before the 1940s, India had a well-trained army but sought not to use it. However, the treatment of vegetarians by the Nipponese prompted the Indian government to issue an ultimatum to stop persecution under its control or else. Nippon answered that it had no intention of listening to any other government. Thus, in 1941, India entered the Pan-Global War. It was one of the three nations (along with Great Britain and British Pacifica) to defeat Nippon and end the war.

Geography
India is located in South Asia and takes up the Indian subcontinent, up to and including some of the Himilaya mountain range. India borders 5 other countries: Bactria (to its west), Tocharia and Tibet (to its north), and Jonggwo and Burma (to its east). Directly south is Sri Lanka.

Climate
India's climate ranges from tropical wet to desert to tundra and icecap, depending on where one is. Each year, there is a monsoon season.

Ethnic Groups
India is one of the most ethnically diverse nations in the world. Encompassing a whole subcontinent and more, from small, low-lying islands to some of the highest peaks in the world, India has at least as much diversity as continents like Europe.

Religions
India is quite a religious country, compared to most other developed nations. However, unlike some places, India's religious people are very tolerant of other faiths. This is one reason why India is still together and hasn't split up into separate entities. Religious majorities vary greatly depending on the area. When asked for their primary religion, this is what Indians professed to be (as of 2006):
 * 53% Hindus
 * 20% Jains
 * 15% Freethinkers* (including atheists and agnostics)
 * 08% Buddhists (mostly Mahayana)
 * 01% Muslims
 * 03% others (Sikhs, Cathars, Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, Ahmadis, Bahá'ís etc)

* Note that many Freethinkers take part in at least some religious practices because of tradition.

Vegetarianism
India has one of the highest percentages of vegetarians in the world. On May 14th, 2006, India became the second country in the world (after Sundarapore) to outlaw all meat products. Formal plans had been considered as early as August 25th, 1978, but were placed on hold because of the fear that more riots would break out among minorities that it said it would protect. However, after a long process of promoting the idea across the nation, it came into effect. Though legally obliged to be so inside India, even outside India, approximately 99% of Indians are vegetarian. (This seems to be correct, as 98% claimed to be vegetarians before the law went into effect.)


 * 99% Vegetarian (100% inside India)
 * 49% Lacto Vegetarian
 * 27% Vegan Vegetarian
 * 22% Lacto-Ovo Vegetarian
 * 01% Ovo Vegetarian
 * 02% Non-Vegetarian (0% inside India)

Languages
India is home to two major linguistic families: Indo-Aryan (spoken by about 74% of the population) and Dravidian (spoken by about 24%). Other languages spoken in India come from the Austro-Asiatic and Tibeto-Burman linguistic families. The Indian constitution recognises 23 official languages. Hindi and English are used by the Union Government of India for official purposes, wherein Hindi has a de jure priority. Sanskrit and Tamil enjoy classical language status in India. The number of dialects in India is as high as 1,652. (straight from Wikipedia)

Food
There are so many Indian dishes, just like there are so many Italian or Chinese dishes. Generally, northerners are fond of naan to go with gravy-like curry. Southerners often eat off of banana leaves. Popular dishes are the dosa (a very thin, crisp crepe), rice, and more liquidy curry. Of course, this is a gross generalization.

Transportation
Most of the nation is connected by a series of magnetic levitation (maglev) train lines, which whisk passengers off to other cities rapidly. However, the expressway system is also one of the most modern and efficient in the world. Inside cities are multiple commuter train lines, which make getting around easy even if you don't own a car. Buses also ply various routes within and between cities.

Environmentalism
India spends large amounts of money on environmental preservation initiatives both in India and across the world. India is the only nation that has both lions and tigers native to it. Approximately 38% of India is specified as an Environmental Protection Area, which is fantastic considering its large population. Indians also protect the environment through family planning. The "no more than 3 kids" rule, originally instituted in Jonggwo, has become enshrined in India, and its population of 193 million people is relatively stable, though slightly decreasing (with the 2010 estimate being 192 million people)

Housing
Most Indians live in apartments in the nation's cities. However, there is a substantial rural population engaged in agriculture, who live in farmhouses, as well as some people who live in houses scattered around urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Architecture
India is known for its amazing architecture, which is as graceful and detailed now as it ever was in its history. An example of this is the new Swaminarayan Akshardham Temple in Delhi, built between 2000 and 2005, and exhibiting the most intricate craftsmanship of any building completed recently, or in any time period, for that matter. The Akshardham in Delhi became the most-visited building in 2006, as millions of people from around India and the world poured in to see it. The influence from this temple is beginning to be seen in Western art, as many plans for new buildings across Europe and Asia seem to have Indian motifs. Of course, the Akshardham is merely a large and recent example of Indian architectural expertise which shows no signs of dying out.

Military
The military of India is quite advanced. The armed forces of India include the Republic of India Army (RoIA), the Republic of India Navy (RoIN), and the Republic of India Air Force (RoIAF), collectively known as the Republic of India Military Forces (RIMF).

Laws
In 2006, India became the second country in modern times (the sub-state of Gujarat being the first political unit in 1921) to declare a ban on possessing (including carrying, storing, selling, and consuming) meat. (At the time of the declaration, approximately 98% of the Indian population was already vegetarian.) Like with Sundarapore, implementation was in stages.