Amazing Facts about India

Amazing facts about India and Indians!

1. India is the largest, oldest, continuous civilization.
2. India has never invaded a country in her last 10,000 years of history.
3. India is the world's largest democracy.
4. Varanasi, also known as Benares, was called "old city" when Lord Buddha visited in 500 BC, and is the oldest, continuously inhabited city in the world today.
5. Number of India invented the system. Zero was invented by Aryabhatta.
6. The first university in the world was created in Takshashila in 700BC. More than 10,500 students from all over the world studied more than 60 subjects. The University of Nalanda built in the 4th century BC was one of the greatest achievements of ancient India in the field of education.
7. Sanskrit is the mother of all European languages. Sanskrit is the language most appropriate for computer software - a report in Forbes magazine, July 1987.
8. Ayurveda is the first school of medicine known to man. Charak, the father of medicine consolidated Ayurveda 2500 years. Today, Ayurveda is poised to regain its rightful place in our civilization.
9. Although modern images of India often show poverty and lack of development, India is the richest country on earth until the British invasion in the early 17th century. Christopher Columbus was attracted by the richness of India.
10. The art of navigation was born in the river Sindhu 6000 years ago. The very word navigation is derived from the Sanskrit word NAVGATIH. The word navy is also derived from Sanskrit 'Nou'.
11. Bhaskaracharya calculated the time taken by the Earth in orbit around the sun hundreds of years before the astronomer Smart. Time taken by earth to orbit the sun: (5th century) 365.258756484 days.
12. The value of pi was first calculated by Budhayana, and he explained the concept of what is known as the Pythagorean theorem. He discovered in the 6th century, long before European mathematicians.
13. Algebra, trigonometry and arithmetic came from India. Quadratic equations were Sridharacharya in the 11th century. The largest number, the Greeks and Romans used were 106 whereas Hindus numbers as large as 10 ** 53 (10 to the power of 53) with specific names as soon as 5000 BCE during the Vedic period. Even today, the largest used number is Tera 10 ** 12 (10 to the power of 12).
14. IEEE has proved what has been a century of mistrust in the world scientific community that the pioneer of wireless communication was Professor Jagdish Bose and not Marconi.
15. The first reservoirs and dams for irrigation was built in Saurashtra.
16. According to Saka King Rudradaman I 150 CE a beautiful lake called Sudarshana was constructed on the hills of Chandragupta Maurya Raivataka over time.
17. Chess (Shataranja or AshtaPada) was invented in India.
18. Sushruta is the father of surgery. 2600 years ago he and health scientists of his time conducted complicated surgeries like cesareans, cataract, artificial limbs, fractures, urinary stones and even plastic surgery and brain surgery. The use of anesthesia is well known in ancient India. Over 125 surgical equipment were used. Thorough knowledge of anatomy, physiology, etiology, embryology, digestion, metabolism, genetics and immunity is also found in many texts.
19. When many cultures were only nomadic forest dwellers over 5000 years ago, Indians established Harappan culture in Sindhu Valley (civilization of the Indus Valley).
20. The four religions born in India, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, are followed by 25% of the world population.
21. The value system, the decimal system was developed in India in 100 BC.
22. India is one of the few countries in the world, which gained independence without violence.
23. India has the second largest pool of scientists and engineers in the world.
24. India is the largest English speaking country in the world.
25. India is the only country other than Japan and the United States, having built a national super-computer.

Following facts have been published in a German magazine, which deals with world history. (I could not find the name of the German magazine, please if you find let me know.)

* 38% of doctors in America are Indians.
* 12% of scientists are Indians of America.
* 36% of NASA employees are Indians.
* 34% of Microsoft employees are Indians.
* 28% of IBM employees are Indians.
* 17% of Intel employees are Indians.
* 13% of employees at Xerox are Indians.