So… My plan was to dedicate each of the remaining weeks of 2016 to a country I will be visiting in 2017. My plan changed a little due to the craziness in my life right now! In light of this change of plans, I will be catching up over the next few days! I will post information about the specific country and specific prayer requests. I am excited for the unique differences that each country will bring to the table. As a way to prepare my heart, I will be learning and praying. Come learn and pray with me!
The Country of The Moment…
{INDIA}
Fun and Interesting Facts You Might Want To Know About…
India: “Bharat”
Official Name: Republic of India
Capital: New Delhi
//Geography//
- Located in Southern Asia
- India is bordered by Pakistan, Nepal, China, Burma, Bhutan, and Bangladesh. The Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal border India as well
- Slightly more than 1/3 the size of the United States
- 3,287,263 square kilometers (1,269,219.3 square miles)
- A land of great contrasts in geography: The barren, snow-capped Himalayas (the world’s tallest mountain system) rises along its northern border. South of the Himalaya, the low, fertile Ganges Plain is India’s most populous region. The Great Indian Desert lies in the west, but eastern India receives some of the highest rainfall in the world during the monsoon season (June to October)
- The terrain includes an upland plain (the Deccan Plateau) in the south, flat to rolling plain along the Ganges River, deserts in the west, and the Himalayas in the north
- Highest Point: Kanchenjunga (8,598 meters – 28,209 feet) This mountain is the third tallest mountain in the world. It sits on the border between India and Nepal
- Natural hazards include droughts, flash floods, flooding from monsoonal rains, severe thunderstorms, and earthquakes. There are also volcanoes in India
- Volcanism: The Barren Island (Elevation 354 meters – 1,161.4 feet) in the Andaman Sea has been active in recent years
- The climate varies from tropical monsoons in the south to a temperate climate in the north
- India dominates the South Asia subcontinent
- India is near important Indian Ocean trade routes
//People//
- Population: 1,266,883,598 – India is the second most populated country in the world, behind China
- Annual Growth: 1.19%
- There are 28 Union States and 7 Union Territories
- Urbanites: 32.7%
- UN Human Development Report Rank: 134 of 182
- Peoples: 2,245 People Groups (2,026 Groups – 90.2% Unreached)
- Although 81% of the people are Hindu, India also has more than 138 million Muslims—one of the world’s largest Muslim populations
- Official Language: Constitutionally there are 22 Official Languages {Official Language: Hindi ~ Spoken by 40% of the Population} English is a subsidiary official language
- The number of individual languages listed for India is 461
- Life Expectancy: 68.5
- Literacy Rate: 71%
- Diet: Indian cuisine has evolved over the years to produce beautiful and distinct foods. Most Indians are vegetarians. Indian cuisine consists of lentils, rice, millet, chickpeas, and vegetables. Spices involved in Indian cooking includes chili peppers, black mustard, cardamon, cumin, turmeric, asafoetida, ginger, coriander, and garlic
- Internet Users: 325.44 million – 26% of Population
- Electricity: 79% of Population has Electricity (237,400,000 without)
- Violence born of separatist yearnings and religious differences gnaws at national unity and takes lives
- Other problems include a ponderous bureaucracy, illiteracy, a high birthrate, and border disputes with Pakistan and China
- The Hindu caste system reflects Indian economic and religious hierarchies. One out of six Indians suffers in the lowest caste as Untouchables. Indians in lower castes can escape serf-like conditions that exist in rigidly structured rural areas by going to live in India’s chaotic cities
- 100 million people come to India’s Kumbh Mela Festival, the world’s biggest gathering of humans
- India’s Hindu calendar has six seasons: Spring, Summer, Monsoon, Autumn, Winter, and Prevernal
- Breathing the air in Mumbai, India for just one day is equivalent to smoking 100 cigarettes
- India has more mobile phones than toilets
- The national symbol of India is the endangered Bengal Tiger
- The most popular sport in India is cricket, with the Indian team being the first to win the Cricket World Cup on home soil when they were victorious in 2011
//Economy//
India’s diverse economy encompasses traditional village farming, modern agriculture, handicrafts, a wide range of modern industries, and a multitude of services. Slightly less than half of the work force is in agriculture, but services are the major source of economic growth, accounting for nearly two-thirds of India’s output but employing less than one-third of its labor force. India has capitalized on its large educated English-speaking population to become a major exporter of information technology services, business outsourcing services, and software workers.India is developing into an open-market economy, yet traces of its past autarkic policies remain.
- Mumbai (Bombay) is the largest city and is home to Bollywood, India’s film industry
- Bangalore is India’s Silicon Valley
- India has a burgeoning middle class and has made great strides in engineering and information technology
Industry: Textiles, Chemicals, Food Processing, Steel, Transportation Equipment, Cement, Mining, Petroleum, Machinery, Software, Pharmaceuticals
Agriculture: Rice, Wheat, Oilseed, Cotton, Jute, Tea, Sugarcane, Lentils, Onions, Potatoes, Dairy Products, Sheep, Goats, Poultry, Fish, Cattle
Exports: Textile Goods, Gems and Jewelry, Engineering Goods, Chemicals, Leather Manufactures, Petroleum Products, Precious Stones, Vehicles, Machinery, Iron and Steel, Chemicals, Pharmaceuticals, Cereals, Apparel {Export Partners: US 15.2%, UAE 11.4%, Hong Kong 4.6%}
Currency: Indian Rupee
Population Below the Poverty Line: 29.8%
//History//
- The Indus Valley civilization, one of the world’s oldest, flourished during the 3rd and 2nd millennia B.C. and extended into northwestern India
- Hindu culture evolved out of the mingling of indigenous Dravidian peoples and Aryan-speaking nomads who arrived from Central Asia in 1500 B.C.
- The Maurya Empire of the 4th and 3rd centuries B.C. – which reached its zenith under ASHOKA – united much of South Asia
- The Golden Age ushered in by the Gupta dynasty (4th to 6th centuries A.D.) saw a flowering of Indian science, art, and culture
- Islam spread across the subcontinent starting in the eighth century A.D. This continued for 700 years
- In the 10th and 11th centuries, Turks and Afghans invaded India and established the Delhi Sultanate
- In the early 16th century, the Emperor BABUR established the Mughal Dynasty, which ruled India for more than three centuries
- From the 17th century to the mid-20th century India was the pride of the British Empire
- Years of nonviolent resistance to British rule, led by Mohatma GANDHI and Jawaharlal NEHRU, eventually resulted in Indian independence, which was granted in 1947
- From British rule they inherited deep poverty, but also parliamentary government, the English language, and a far-flung rail system, which helped knit the multiethnic country into a secular democracy often called the world’s largest democracy
- India deals with border disputes with Pakistan and China. A 1948 cease-fire line, known as the Line of Control, divides Kashmir between India and Pakistan. India claims that Kashmir legally is part of it, but Pakistan says that the mostly Muslim population should vote on which country to join. Diplomatic talks with China work to resolve border disputes in India’s northeast state of Arunachal Pradesh
- Sikh revolts since the 1980s have left thousands dead; in 1984 Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was the victim of assassins’ bullets; and seven years later her son Rajiv was killed by a bomb.
- Despite pressing problems such as significant overpopulation, environmental degradation, extensive poverty, and widespread corruption, economic growth following the launch of economic reforms in 1991 and a massive youthful population are driving India’s emergence as a regional and global power.
//Religion//
In the 10/40 Window
Religions: Hinduism, Islam, Christian, Sikh, and Other
Largest Religion: Hinduism (74.33%)
Religion Pop % Annual Growth
Christians – 71,011,000 5.84 3.7
Evangelicals – 26,290,283 2.2 3.9
Hinduism – 902,711,323 74.33
//Prayer//
I ask that you would join me in praying for India.
SPREADING OF THE GOOD NEWS ~ truth ~ JUSTICE ~ lIgHt ~ mercy ~ LOVE ~ pEaCe ~ TRUTH ~ hope ~ God-fearing Church Leaders to Rise Up ~ HOPE ~ GrOwTh in the ChUrCh ~ may oppression cease ~ Touch People’s Hearts ~ Prayers Against IDOLATRY and DARKNESS ~ repentance ~ fOrGiVeNeSs of SiNs ~ ReDeMpTiOn ~ LOVE and CARE for the ORPHANS, WIDOWS, POOR, and SICK ~ Reception of the TRUTH ~ breaking BARRIERS ~ enCouRagEmeNt ~ strength ~ RaIsE uP WoRkErS ~ Scripture Translations ~ THE GOSPEL TO PERMEATE THE CULTURE ~ sPiRiTuAl AwAkEnInG ~ ALL TO SEE AND COME TO KNOW THE ONE TRUTH GOD – Father, Son, and Spirit ~ May people know —
JESUS
To God Be The Glory
Forever…AMEN!
Click the link below to watch a video on how you can pray for India:
Let Heaven Come.
On Earth As It Is In Heaven.
To God Be The Glory!
Amen!
// Your Excitedd daughter //
LoVe,
Cary
Information Gathered From:
CIA World Factbook
National Geographic Travel
Operation World
Joshua Project
Ethnologue
Prayercast
Science Kids
