Afghanistan’s economy and business landscape are shaped by a complex interplay of historical, geographical, political, and socio-economic factors. Despite being endowed with rich natural resources and a strategic location at the crossroads of Central Asia, the country faces significant challenges such as conflict, insecurity, weak governance, and underdeveloped infrastructure. Economic Overview: Afghanistan’s economy is primarily… Read More »
Nagpur, Maharashtra (India) Nagpur is located in central India in the state of Maharashtra. The city stands on the Nag River, hence its name. Nagpur was founded in the early 18th century and immediately became the capital of the Nagpur Marata region. Translated from the Hindi language, the name of the city means “city of… Read More »
Namche Bazaar is a small village located at an altitude of 3440 m above sea level in the Himalayas east of Kathmandu. It is known primarily for the fact that it is located on the way to the highest peak in the world, Everest (8848 m). You can get to Namche Bazaar on foot from… Read More »
Dhakeshwari Temple The fascination of the ten-armed goddess As part of a study trip through South Asia, a flying visit to Bangladesh is a must. The capital Dhaka is a fascinating metropolis with almost 6.8 million inhabitants. It is located in the center of the world’s largest growing region for jute. The oldest Hindu temple… Read More »
The Indian village, founded on the agricultural economy and craftsmanship, self-sufficient at least at its origins, is a spontaneous germination of a sedentary lifestyle and has kept some traditional characteristics almost unchanged over the millennia. Socially, the village (grama) preserved, until the colonial era, its community organization expressed in the Panchayat, the village council, and… Read More »
HYDROGRAPHY A hydrographic organization centered on a few large basins corresponds to these morphological features. The largest is that of the Ganges (Ganga), between the Himalayas and the Central Highlands. The river, whose overall development is 2700 km, originates from the western Himalayas and flows into the plain north of Delhi, followed by its procession… Read More »
FARMING AND FISHING According to Campingship, livestock farming is a very old activity in India, but it makes very limited contributions to the national income. More than the actual scarcity of pastures (permanent meadows and pastures are equal to 2.6% of the territorial surface) it is the deep-rooted religious beliefs that have a decisive influence… Read More »
From the time of independence, English no longer appears among the official languages of India, nevertheless it is of fundamental importance as a literary means of expression; critics have even coined an ad hoc expression to designate literature written in English by Indian authors: this is the Indo-anglian term, which follows and overturns that of… Read More »
The region near the border with India was a royal hunting ground for over a hundred years. The national park has been a sanctuary for the endangered Indian rhinos and Bengal tigers since 1962. Chitwan Royal National Park: Facts Official title: Chitwan Royal National Park Natural monument: 1846 to 1951 royal hunting area, 1962 establishment… Read More »
According to the constitution passed by the constituent assembly on November 26, 1949 and entered into force on January 26, 1950 (amended several times), India is a federal state (“Union of States”) with a parliamentary-democratic system of government. Union law can intervene in the existence of the federal states (member states). Of this, inter alia.… Read More »
Afghanistan is a coastal state in southern Asia. The country is generally considered to belong to Central Asia. The country borders Pakistan, Iran, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. The name Afghanistan means “Afghan country”. Capital: Kabul Biggest city: Kabul State: Islamic Republic Language: pashto, Persian Religion: Islam Surface: 647 500 km Population: 30.6 million (2013)… Read More »
Bangladesh is located in South Asia on the Bay of Bengal, between India and Burma. The country became independent from Britain in 1947, and was initially the province of East Pakistan in the newly formed Muslim state of Pakistan. The country was divided in 1971, when East Pakistan broke away from the federal state and… Read More »
Bhutan is a kingdom in southern Asia that borders China and India. Bhutan is a distinctly mountainous country in the eastern part of the Himalayas, and thus without any coast. The climate varies from tropical in the far south to temperate inland climate in the center to subarctic in the north. Capital: Thimphu Biggest city:… Read More »
India is a country of great contrasts, and a multitude of cultures, languages and religions. It is the world’s second most populous country after China, which is expected to pass in 2030. Capital: New Delhi Biggest city: Mumbai State: Federal Republic Language: hindi, english Religion: Hinduism Surface: 3 287 590 km² Population: 1,276 million (2013)… Read More »
The Maldives is an island state in the Indian Ocean consisting of 1192 islands, of which about 250 are inhabited. The country became an independent state in 1965. Britain, which had been the Maldives’ last colonial power, maintained an air base on the island of Gan in the southernmost atoll until 1976. When the British… Read More »
Nepal is a republic on the southern slope of the Himalayas between China in the north and India in the south. Until 1990, Nepal was an absolute monarchy, and the country was ruled directly by the king, while foreign policy was long determined by Britain and India. Capital: Kathmandu Biggest city: Kathmandu State: republic Language:… Read More »
Pakistan is located in southern Asia and is the sixth most populous country in the world. Pakistan borders India, China, Afghanistan and Iran, and has a coastline facing the Arabian Sea. Capital: Islamabad Biggest city: Karachi State: Federal Islamic Republic Language: urdu, english Religion: Islam Surface: 803 940 km² Population: 190.7 million (2013) Population density:… Read More »
Marco Polo described Sri Lanka as the most beautiful island in the world. The country was one of the first Swedish charter destinations outside Europe, and a popular destination in the 1970s. After being hit hard by both the civil war and the tsunami, tourists are now slowly returning. Capital: Sri Jayawardenapura Biggest city: Colombo… Read More »
Laos Literature The Laotian literature has much in common with the Thai and Cambodian. The written literature is kept in the temples in the form of palm leaf manuscripts. By far, most of the manuscripts are religious texts from the Buddhist canon. Most popular are the tales of Buddha’s earlier existence, the so-called jataka. In… Read More »
In Vietnam there are 54 officially recognized ethnic groups, but a large majority, almost nine out of ten residents, belong to the Viet people (also called kinh). Viet dominates politically, economically and culturally. The country’s previously high Population growth has now slowed down. Vietnam previously ran a tough family planning to bring down the high… Read More »
Thailand’s population is one of the most homogeneous in Southeast Asia. The vast majority of residents speak Thai and profess to Theravada Buddhism. However, there are regional differences within the Thai population and several ethnic minorities in the country. The population is concentrated to Bangkok and the plain north of the capital. Despite rapid economic… Read More »
In Sri Lanka there are several people groups. Most are the Sinhalese who make up three quarters of the population. The second largest group is the Tamils. The country is densest populated in the southwest, where the capital Colombo is located. The arid areas of the north and east are sparsely populated, with the exception… Read More »
Singapore’s population is divided into three major ethnic groups: Chinese, Malays and Indians. The Chinese are the most; three out of four Singaporeans are of Chinese origin. Since independence in 1965, the government has tried to create a national identity, while encouraging a multi-ethnic society. When the British started building a trading station in Singapore… Read More »
The Philippines is one of the most densely populated countries in Southeast Asia. Birth rates have been steadily declining since the 1960s, while death rates have dropped. Just under one third of the population is under 15 years of age. The population is concentrated on the coasts and the Luzon plains. More than one in… Read More »
Pakistan is the world’s sixth most populous country, but its residents are unevenly geographically distributed. Among several different peoples, the Punjabi is clearly the largest. Pakistan may host almost three million Afghan refugees, one of the largest refugee populations in the world. The population of Pakistan is young and growing rapidly. More than half of… Read More »
Nepal’s approximately 30 million residents comprise a complex mix of ethnic groups, defined by ethnicity, caste, language and to some extent religion, geographical residence and social affiliation. Sometimes the identities overlap, which contributes to widely differing perceptions of how many peoples there are. In a 2011 census, 126 groups were identified, identified by caste or… Read More »
The Maldives are of mixed origin and are mainly descended from South Indians, Sinhalese and Arabs. The official language is divehi (maldivian). English is commonplace in the capital Malé and in the tourist areas. The population is young, but the previously rapid population growth has slowed. At the same time, the proportion of migrant workers… Read More »
About half the population of Malaysia is Muslim Malays, while the country’s Chinese are the largest minority group. Over the years, the contradictions have periodically been strong between the Malay majority and especially the Chinese and Indians. About four-fifths of the population lives in the more urbanized West Malaysia, especially on the west coast. East… Read More »
There are around 50 different ethnic groups in Laos, but many of them comprise only a few thousand individuals. In the official statistics, the population is divided into three groups: lowland, highland and highland. A small group of the Highland Laotian Hmong people has long waged a guerrilla war against the regime. The largest group… Read More »
Indonesia is the world’s fourth most populous country. A clear majority of the residents are descended from Malay people who migrated from the Asian mainland in the 500s before Christ. The population is divided into a large number of people groups (according to some sources 400), many of whom speak their own languages and have… Read More »