100 Interesting Facts about India for Kids

Amazing Facts About India that children in India should be aware of. Children love information, so here are fun facts for kids about our beautiful country.

But before that, here’s a small quiz. Let’s see how much you already know about India.

Here’s a general knowledge quiz for young Indians to better understand India, its government and its heritage.

• When did India gain its Independence?
  15th August, 1947
• How many States does India have?
  29 States 7 Union territories
• What is the name of India’s National Aquatic Animal?
  River Dolphin
• ‘Kuchipudi’ is a dance associated with which state of India?
  Andhra Pradesh
• Where is Fort William located?
  Kolkata
• Which state is known as India’s Spice Garden?
  Kerala
• Name the oldest mountain range of India?
  Aravalli range
• Name the largest freshwater lake in India?
  Wular (Wullar) Lake
• Name the annual fair of Rajasthan that is famous for its camel trading event?
  Pushkar Mela
• In which century did Portuguese merchants first land in Goa?
  16th Century.

I guess that was easy. Here’s more facts about our amazing country.

Geographical Facts

India is the seventh largest country in the world, with an area of 32,87,590 square kilometres.
India is the second most populated country with a population of 1.2 billion.
The tropic of cancer passes right through the middle of our country.
Chilka is the largest lake in India.
Cherrapunji is the wettest place in India with an annual rainfall of about 1200 centimetres.
Ganga is the longest river in India, flowing through a length of 2525 km.
The coldest place in India is Dras, which is located in the western part of Ladakh.
Kanchenjunga, with an altitude of 8,586 meters, is the highest mountain peak of India.
The largest state and smallest states in India are Rajasthan and Goa respectively.
While the highest point of India is Kanchenjunga, the lowest point of India is Kuttanad.

Related: Neighbours of India

Culture Facts

The Indian culture is one of the oldest in the world, going back to about 4,500 years.
India saw the birth of two of the most popular religions – Hinduism and Buddhism. A good 84 percent of the total population identifies itself as Hindu.
Indian religion facts – Hinduism and Buddhism are not the only religions we find here. Our nation is filled with so many religions, like Islam, Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and more.
The Taj Mahal located in Agra was one of the seven wonders of the world.
India boasts of several dance forms such as Bharata Natyam, Kathakali, Kuchipudi, Odissi and Manipuri.
Indian clothing facts for kids – Each state here produces a different style of clothing. From sarees to lehengas to lungis and kurtas, India has it all.
India has 22 official languages.
Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple in Tamil Nadu is the largest temple in India (156 acres).
The ancient Indus Valley Civilisation is over 8000 years old.
India was once the hub of Buddhism and emperor Ashoka helped spread it around the world, particularly South East Asia.

Historical Facts

Here are a few ancient India facts for kids –

India has contributed so much to the field of mathematics. Branches like algebra, calculus and trigonometry find its roots here. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta, who was an Indian.
Chess happens to find its roots in India.
A good peaceful India fact for children is that we haven’t invaded any country in our history.
The world’s first university, Nalanda in Takshila was built in 700 B.C.
All the European languages were derived from Sanskrit – which happens to be the oldest and richest language, again, from India.
In 100 BC, the decimal system was invented—in India.
Budhayana is the genius who calculated the value of Pi. He was an Indian.
Ayurveda is the first stem of medicine originated in India.
Alexander’s Army turned back once they entered India as they were terrified of the powerful army of the Nanda empire.
The Dutch Navy was defeated decisively by Marthanda Varma of Travancore in 1741.

Animal Facts

India has close to 500 wildlife sanctuaries.
The Eastern Himalayas, Western Ghats and Indo-Burma are the three hotspots for biodiversity.
The Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Asian lion, Mugger crocodile are a few threatened species that are found in India.
India is home to around 1300 species of beautiful birds.
The Bengal tiger is the national animal of India.
The peacock is the national bird of India.
The river dolphins of the Ganges is the national aquatic animal of India.
The Himalayan blue sheep is found only in India.
The Sarcus crane is one of the biggest cranes in India.
Coming second to New Zealand, India has the highest population of sheep in the world (75,000,000).

Facts About Indian Currency

India minted a zero rupee note to make a point about the NGO 5th pillar’s move to fight corruption.
Every Indian currency note has 15 languages on the reverse side and on the front, it has two – English and Hindi.
Back in the days, the India five-rupee coin was smuggled all the way to Bangladesh and was used to make razors.
Indian notes are made of cotton and cotton rag.
Shortly after the India – Pakistan divide, Pakistan used the Indian Rupee notes up until they could mint their own money.
We don’t have 5,000 and 10,000 rupee notes now, but between the years 1954 and 1978, these were in circulation.
The ministry of finance issues one-rupee notes.
Every note has a depiction of India.
A damaged or torn note can be exchanged at local banks.
Destroying money is considered an offence punishable by law.

Facts About Sports

Dhyan Chand, the hockey legend, was offered a rank of field marshal in the German army by Hitler. He refused the offer and led the Indian team to win gold in the Berlin Olympics of 1936.
Martial arts or the sport of self-defence finds its roots in India.
The first time India joined the Olympics was in 1900.
A poet called Gyaydevji came up with this game called “Parambadham”. That is today’s snakes and ladders for you.
Polo too finds its roots in India. The game has gone through a lot of modification from the original though.
Hockey is India’s national game.
The IPL has the second highest amount of money spent on it, after the NBA.

Indian Music Facts

Gandharva Mahavidyalaya was India’s first music school.
Each state produces a different kind of folk music. A few examples are Dandiya from Gujrat, Bauls from Bengal and Lavani from Maharashtra.
Bageshwari Qamar is the first shenai wadak of India.
Sarod is an instrument that is exclusively Indian.
The tabla too is a musical instrument that was made first in India. Gandharva Mahavidyalaya was the first music school in India.
Banjaran was the first folk album of India that contained folk songs from Gujrat and Rajasthan.
The national anthem was written by Rabindranath Tagore and first sung in a rally at Kolkata.
The veena is a beautiful instrument that was first made in India.
The Ladybirds was the first India band that only had women.
Carnatic music is one of the oldest classical forms of music.
RABINDRANATH TAGORE WROTE THE NATIONAL ANTHEM

Facts about Indian Festivals

Diwali is the festival of lights. It is significant of the return of Rama and Sita after defeating Ravana.
Holi is the festival of colours, and it marks the beginning of the new year in the Hindu calendar.
The most popular Islamic festival of India is Eid. It marks the end of the holy month of Ramzan.
Navratri is considered the Hindu festival of dance and worship of Hindu deities and is celebrated for nine days.
Ganesh Chaturthi is held in reverence of Lord Ganesha and is a popular festival throughout India, more so in Mumbai.
Onam is a harvest festival exclusive to the people of Kerala.
Janmashtami is another popular festival that revolves around Lord Krishna.
Pongal is the Tamil new year and is the festival of harvest.
The Sikhs celebrate Baisakhi to mark the commencement of the time of harvest.
Karwa Chauth is a festival that Hindu women in the North celebrate, where they pray for their husbands’ longeivity.

Indian Food Facts

Karnataka is famous for its Bisi Bele bath and pulyogare.
India produces the most amount of spices in the world.
Chai is the most popular drink in India.
Rice is the staple food of India.
The world’s hottest chilli – Bhut Jolokia is from India.
Fish is relished in coastal regions such as West Bengal and Kerala.
West Bengal is the birthplace of the delicious Roshgulla.
Tamil Nadu is famous for its Pongal.
Dum biryani was originally a money-saving dish that was engineered by the Nawab of Awadh to feed the poor.
The state of Haryana produces over 60% of the basmati rice in India.

Other Cool Facts

India has the longest constitution in the world.
India has one of the world’s largest postal network.
India has the fifth largest railway line network in the world.
The Kumbh Mela is said to be visible from space.
The idea of shampooing began in India.
Indian scientists were the first to discover the presence of water on the moon.
India has the second largest English-speaking population after the United States.
India has the largest number of vegetarians, with 31% of the total population being vegetarian.
India is also where the first diamonds were mined.
India is the fifth largest economy in the world.

Children are the future of our country, so it is our duty as parents to tell them everything that they need to know about this beautiful nation. India is our home, and it has given us so much, so it is only right that we tell our kids all the goodness that our country has to offer.

Source: 100 Interesting Facts about India for Kids

studymumbai

StudyMumbai.com is an educational resource for students, parents, and teachers, with special focus on Mumbai. Our staff includes educators with several years of experience. Our mission is to simplify learning and to provide free education. Read more about us.