Life & People: 1988

Italy and Italians

Flag
of Italy

Italy

Italy i/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, whilst Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.

Emblem
of Italy

Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.

Through much of its post-Roman history, Italy was fragmented into numerous city and regional states (such as the Republic of Venice and the Church State), but was unified in 1861, following a tumultuous period in history known as "Il Risorgimento" ("The Resurgence"). In the late 19th century, through World War I, and to World War II, Italy possessed a colonial empire, which extended its rule to Libya, Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia, Albania, the Dodecanese and a concession in Tianjin, China.

Modern Italy is a democratic republic. It has been ranked as the world's 24th most-developed country and its Quality-of-life index has been ranked in the world's top ten. Italy enjoys a very high standard of living, and has a high nominal GDP per capita. It is a founding member of what is now the European Union and part of the Eurozone. Italy is also a member of the G8, G20 and NATO. It has the world's third-largest gold reserves, eighth-largest nominal GDP, tenth highest GDP (PPP) and the sixth highest government budget in the world. It is also a member state of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the World Trade Organization, the Council of Europe, the Western European Union and the United Nations. Italy has the world's ninth-largest defence budget and shares NATO's nuclear weapons.

Italy plays a prominent role in European and global military, cultural and diplomatic affairs. The country's European political, social and economic influence make it a major regional power. The country has a high public education level and is a highly globalised nation.

Italians

Italians (Italian: italiani) are the citizens or native-born people of Italy; or people of descent to the ethnic and ethnolinguistic group associated with the Italian language.

In 2010, in addition to about 56 million Italians in Italy, Italian-speaking autonomous groups are found in neighboring countries: about 500,000 in Switzerland, a large population in France,[6] and smaller groups in Slovenia and Croatia, primarily in Istria and Dalmatia. Because of wide-ranging diaspora, about 5 million Italian citizens and nearly 80 million people of full or part Italian ancestry live outside of Italy, most notably in South America, North America, Australia and parts of Europe.

Italians have greatly influenced and contributed to science, arts, technology, cuisine, sports and banking[7] abroad and worldwide.[8] Italian people are generally known for their localism, both regionalist and municipalist,[9] attention to clothing and family values.[10]

Italian language

Italian ( italiano (help·info) or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia,[3] and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia. Many speakers are native bilinguals of both standardised Italian and other regional languages.[4]

According to the Bologna statistics of the European Union, Italian is spoken as a mother tongue by 59 million people in the EU (13% of the EU population), mainly in Italy, and as a second language by 14 million (3%).[2] Including the Italian speakers in non-EU European countries (such as Switzerland and Albania) and on other continents, the total number of speakers is more than 85 million.

In Switzerland, Italian is one of four official languages; it is studied and learned in all the confederation schools and spoken, as mother language, in the Swiss cantons of Ticino and Grigioni and by the Italian immigrants that are present in large numbers in German- and French-speaking cantons. It is also the official language of San Marino, as well as the primary language of Vatican City.[5] It is co-official in Slovenian Istria and in Istria County in Croatia. The Italian language adopted by the state after the unification of Italy is based on Tuscan, which beforehand was a language spoken mostly by the upper class of Florentine society.[6] Its development was also influenced by other Italian languages and by the Germanic languages of the post-Roman invaders.

Italian is descended from Latin. Unlike most other Romance languages, Italian retains Latin's contrast between short and long consonants. As in most Romance languages, stress is distinctive. In particular, among the Romance languages, Italian is the closest to Latin in terms of vocabulary.[7]

Italian Proverb·Sayings

Advice

¶ After the game, the king and pawn go into the same box.

¶ After the ship has sunk, everyone knows how it might have been saved.

¶ The best armor is to keep out of range.

Language

¶ Translators, traitors.

Money

¶ Money is money's brother.

Poison

¶ Poison quells poison.

Notes

Italians

[6]^ Cohen, Robin (1995). The Cambridge survey of world migration. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. pp. 142–144. ISBN 0-521-44405-5.
[7]^ Macesich, George (2000). Issues in Money and Banking. United States: Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 42. ISBN 0-275-96777-8.
[8]^ Michael Barone (2 September 2010). "The essence of Italian culture and the challenge of the global age". Council for Research in Values and Philosophy. Retrieved 22 September 2012.
[9]^ Keating, Michael (2004). Regions and regionalism in Europe. Cheltenham: Edward Elgar Publishing. p. 378. ISBN 1-84376-127-0.
[10]^ "Italian family and culture". Syracuse University in Florence. Retrieved 22 September 2012.

Italian language

[2]^ a b c d Eurobarometer – Europeans and their languages PDF (485 KB), February 2006
[3]^ a b c d Ethnologue report for language code:ita (Italy) – Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the [4]World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version
[5]^ Languages of Italy - Ethnologue - Languages of the World - Copyright © 2010 SIL International.
[6]^ Legge sulle fonti del diritto of 7 June 1929, laws and regulations are published in the Italian-language Supplemento per le leggi e disposizioni dello Stato della Città del Vaticano attached to the Acta Apostolicae Sedis.
[7]^ Modern Italian The Italian Language Retrieved 2010-05-16
[8]^ a b Grimes, Barbara F. (October 1996). Barbara F. Grimes. ed. Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Consulting Editors: Richard S. Pittman & Joseph E. Grimes (thirteenth ed.). Dallas, Texas: Summer Institute of Linguistics, Academic Pub. ISBN 1-55671-026-7.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_people
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_language

Islander

Islander

Quotes·Quotation by Islander

Dokdo

¶ Dokdo belongs to Korea.

¶ Dokdo restores itself when it belongs to Korea.

¶ I like Japanese anime and manga so much. However, I have no choice but to say "No Takeshima, but Dokdo," because truth is truth.

¶ If you call Dokdo Takeshima, the island must not look so beautiful.

¶ Live truth instead of claiming Takesshima, or Dokdo as Japanese Territory. [Elbert Hubbard]

¶ The beauty of Dokdo is from the love of Korean

¶ There is no Takeshima in the world. It's only kind of a ghost island in some Japanese mind.

¶ Truth is truth. The fact that Dokdo belongs to korea can not be denied.

¶ When you call the island Dokdo; and when you do not call the island Takeshima - it is sincerity.
獨島爲獨島不竹島爲不竹島是眞也。 [獨子]

¶ Yon don't know the whole truth. If you only have half the page.

¶ You shall not steal. You shall not give false evidence against your neighbour. You shall not set your heart on your neighbour's island. You shall not set your heart on your neighbour's territorial sea or territory, or fish, or marine resources, or any of your neighbour's possessions.

Isabel (Your Highness)

Natalie Portman as Isabel

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Highness

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)

Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov (c. 2 January 1920 – 6 April 1992) was a Russian-born American author and biochemist.

@ A planet full of people meant nothing against the dictates of economic necessity!
The Currents of Space (1952)

@ I do not fear computers. I fear the lack of them.

Mind

@ It is the nature of the mind that makes individuals kin, and the differences in the shape, form or manner of the material atoms out of whose intricate relationships that mind is built are altogether trivial.
Isaac Asimov, The Beginning and the End (1977) as quoted in Todd Siler, Breaking the Mind Barrier (1997)

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov

Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

Isaac Newton (1642-1727)

Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1727 [NS: 4 January 1643 – 31 March 1727]) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist and theologian, who has been "considered by many to be the greatest and most influential scientist who ever lived." His monograph Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, published in 1687, lays the foundations for most of classical mechanics. In this work, Newton described universal gravitation and the three laws of motion, which dominated the scientific view of the physical universe for the next three centuries. Newton showed that the motions of objects on Earth and of celestial bodies are governed by the same set of natural laws, by demonstrating the consistency between Kepler's laws of planetary motion and his theory of gravitation, thus removing the last doubts about heliocentrism and advancing the Scientific Revolution.

The Principia is generally considered to be one of the most important scientific books ever written, due, independently, to the specific physical laws the work successfully described, and for the style of the work, which assisted in setting standards for scientific publication down to the present time. Newton built the first practical reflecting telescope and developed a theory of colour based on the observation that a prism decomposes white light into the many colours that form the visible spectrum. He also formulated an empirical law of cooling and studied the speed of sound. In mathematics, Newton shares the credit with Gottfried Leibniz for the development of differential and integral calculus. He also demonstrated the generalised binomial theorem, developed Newton's method for approximating the roots of a function, and contributed to the study of power series. Newton's work on infinite series was inspired by Simon Stevin's decimals.

Newton, although an unorthodox Christian, was deeply religious, and wrote more on Biblical hermeneutics and occult studies than on science and mathematics. Newton secretly rejected Trinitarianism, and feared being accused of refusing holy orders.

Quotes·Quotations by Isaac Newton

Communication

¶ Tact is the knack of making a point without making an enemy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Isaac_Newton

Ireland and Irish

Ireland and Irish

Ireland

Ireland (i/ˈaɪərlənd/, RP: [ˈʌɪələnd]; Irish: Éire [ˈeːɾʲə]; Ulster-Scots: Airlann or Airlan) is an island to the north-west of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth.[5] To its east is the larger island of Great Britain, from which it is separated by the Irish Sea.

Politically, Ireland is divided between the Republic of Ireland, which covers just under five-sixths of the island, and Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom, which covers the remainder and is located in the north-east of the island. The population of Ireland is approximately 6.4 million. Just under 4.6 million live in the Republic of Ireland and just over 1.8 million live in Northern Ireland.[6]

The island's geography comprises relatively low-lying mountains surrounding a central plain, with several navigable rivers extending inland. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild but changeable oceanic climate, which avoids extremes in temperature. Thick woodlands covered the island until the 17th century. Today, it is one of the most deforested areas in Europe.[7][8] There are twenty-six extant mammal species native to Ireland.

A Norman invasion in the Middle Ages gave way to a Gaelic resurgence in the 13th century. Over sixty years of intermittent warfare in the 1500s led to English dominance after 1603. In the 1690s, a system of Protestant English rule was designed to materially disadvantage the Catholic majority and Protestant dissenters, and was extended during the 18th century. In 1801, Ireland became a part of the United Kingdom. A war of independence in the early 20th century led to the partition of the island, creating the Irish Free State, which became increasingly sovereign over the following decades. Northern Ireland remained a part of the United Kingdom and saw much civil unrest from the late 1960s until the 1990s. This subsided following a political agreement in 1998. In 1973, both parts of Ireland joined the European Economic Community.

Irish culture has had a significant influence on other cultures, particularly in the fields of literature and, to a lesser degree, science and education. Alongside mainstream Western culture, a strong indigenous culture exists, as expressed for example through Gaelic games, Irish music, and the Irish language. The culture of the island has also many features shared with Great Britain, as expressed through sports such as soccer, rugby, horse racing, and golf, as well as the English language.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland (/ˈaɪərlənd/ or /ˈɑrlənd/; Irish: Éire, pronounced [ˈeːɾʲə]), also known as the Republic of Ireland (Irish: Poblacht na hÉireann), is a sovereign state in Europe occupying about five-sixths of the island of Ireland. It is a unitary parliamentary republic[8] with an elected president serving as head of state. The head of government—called the Taoiseach—is nominated by the lower house of parliament (Dáil Éireann). The capital is Dublin in the east of the island. The state shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, a part of the United Kingdom. It is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, with the Celtic Sea to the south, Saint George's Channel to the south east, and the Irish Sea to the east.

The modern Irish state gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1922 following a war of independence resulting in the Anglo-Irish Treaty, with Northern Ireland exercising an option to remain in the United Kingdom. Initially a dominion within the British Empire called the Irish Free State, a new constitution and the name of "Ireland" were adopted in 1937. In 1949 the remaining duties of the British monarch were removed and Ireland was declared a republic, with the description Republic of Ireland. The state had no formal relations with Northern Ireland for most of the twentieth century, but since 1999 they have co-operated on a number of policy areas under the North-South Ministerial Council created under the Good Friday Agreement.

Whilst Ireland today ranks amongst the wealthiest countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita,[9] the country was once one of the poorest in Western Europe. Economic protectionism was dismantled in the late 1950s and Ireland joined the European Economic Community in 1973. Economic liberalism from the late 1980s onwards resulted in rapid economic expansion, particularly from 1995 to 2007, which became known as the Celtic Tiger period. An unprecedented financial crisis beginning in 2008 ended this era of rapid economic growth.[10][11]

In 2011, Ireland was ranked the seventh most developed nation in the world by the United Nations' Human Development Index,[12] Ireland is also highly ranked for press, economic and political freedom. Ireland is a member of the European Union and is a founding member of the Council of Europe and the OECD. It pursues a policy of neutrality through non-alignment and consequently is not a member of NATO, although it does participate in Partnership for Peace.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland

Irish people

The Irish people (Irish: Muintir na hÉireann or na hÉireannaigh; Ulster-Scots: Airisch or Airish fowk)[8][9] are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years (according to archaeological studies, see Prehistoric Ireland). The Irish people's earliest ancestors are recorded in legends – they are claimed to be descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha Dé Danann and the Milesians.[10] Lebor Gabála Érenn, a book of Irish mythology tells that Milesians were Scythian descendants.[11]

The main groups that interacted with the Irish in the Middle Ages include the Picts, Scots, and the Vikings. Due to this contact, Icelanders are noted for having some Irish descent. The Anglo-Norman invasion of the High Middle Ages, the English plantations and the subsequent English rule of the country introduced the Normans and Flemish into Ireland. Welsh, Picts, Bretons, and small parties of Gauls and even Anglo-Saxons are known in Ireland from much earlier times.
There have been many notable Irish people throughout history. The 6th century Irish monk and missionary Columbanus is regarded as one of the "fathers of Europe",[12] followed by Kilian of Würzburg and Vergilius of Salzburg. The scientist Robert Boyle is considered the "father of chemistry". Famous Irish explorers include Brendan the Navigator, Robert McClure, Ernest Shackleton and Tom Crean. By some accounts, the first European child born in North America had Irish descent on both sides;[13] and an Irishman was the first European to set foot on American soil in Columbus' expedition of 1492.[14]

There are descendants of Irish people living in many western countries, particularly in English-speaking countries. Historically, emigration has been caused by politics, famine and economic issues. An estimated 50 to 80 million people are descendants of Irish people, primarily in the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia, Canada and Iceland; there are also smaller numbers in Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Jamaica, Barbados, South Africa, New Zealand, France, Germany and Brazil. The largest number of descendants of Irish people live in the United States – the number that claim partial Irish ancestry is about ten times more than the population of Ireland itself.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_people

Irish Proverbs

Failure

¶ The girl who can't dance says the band can't play.

References

Ireland and Irish

[5]^ "Islands by Area". UN System-Wide Earthwatch. United Nations Environment Programme. 1998-02-18. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
[6]^ The 2011 population of the Republic of Ireland was 4,588,252 and that of Northern Ireland in 2011 was 1,810,863. These are Census data from the official governmental statistics agencies in the respective jurisdictions:
Central Statistics Office, Dublin
Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (2008). "Population and Migration Estimates Northern Ireland (2008)". Belfast: Department of Finance and Personnel. Retrieved 2010-01-11.
[7]^ Brown, Felicity (2 September 2009). "Total forest coverage by country". Environment Data. The Guardian. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
[8]^ Solnit, Rebecca (1997). Book of Migrations: Some Passages in Ireland. London: Verso. p. 100. ISBN 1-85984-186-4.

Republic of Ireland

[9]^ "Country Comparison: GDP – per capita (PPP)". World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
[10]^ "EU: Causes of Growth differentials in Europe", WAWFA think tank
[11]^ Nicoll, Ruaridh (16 May 2009). "Ireland: As the Celtic Tiger roars its last". The Guardian (London). Retrieved 30 March 2010.
[12]^ United Nations (2011). "Table 1". Human Development Index and its components. United Nations Development Programme. Retrieved 26 November 2011.

Irish people

[8]^ Saint Patrick's Journey – Monasteries BBC. Retrieved 27 October 2011.
[9]^ Tourism Airlan – Corporate Plen 2008–2010 Tourism Ireland. Retrieved 27 October 2011. Archived January 2012
[10]^ Boylan, Henry (1998). A Dictionary of Irish Biography, 3rd Edition. Dublin: Gill and MacMillan. pp. xvi. ISBN 0-7171-2945-4.
[11]^ M. Virpiranta, Struggles of Sun against Thunder: Development of Druidism and Christianity. Perfect Paperback, 2011.
[12]^ a b "Pope Calls Irish Monk a Father of Europe". Zenit. 2007-07-11. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
[13]^ a b Smiley, p 630
[14]^ a b c d MacManus, p 343-344

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ireland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_people

Iori Yoshizuki (葦月伊織, YOSHIZUKI Iori) from I"s (アイズ, Aizu)

Iori Yoshizuki (葦月伊織, YOSHIZUKI Iori) from I"s (アイズ, Aizu)

Iori Yoshizuki was born March 21, 1981 (she is 16 years old as the series begins). Iori is prim, proper, and friendly, not to mention gorgeous. She's a girl who's easy to like and get along with. This generally positive outlook is put to the test from the beginning of the series, which opens on a magazine article featuring Iori in a swimsuit spread. Suddenly, Iori's the center of attention, and she finds it difficult to differentiate whether people (particularly guys) like her for herself or her beauty.

Quotes·Quotations by ***

***

¶

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I%22s

Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982)

Ingrid Bergman (1915-1982)

Ingrid Bergman (29 August 1915 – 29 August 1982) was a Swedish actress who starred in a variety of European and American films. She won three Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards, and the Tony Award for Best Actress. She is ranked as the fourth greatest female star of American cinema of all time by the American Film Institute. She is best remembered for her roles as Ilsa Lund in Casablanca (1942), a World War II drama co-starring Humphrey Bogart and as Alicia Huberman in Notorious (1946), an Alfred Hitchcock thriller co-starring Cary Grant.

Before becoming a star in American films, she had already been a leading actress in Swedish films. Her first introduction to American audiences came with her starring role in the English remake of Intermezzo in 1939. In America, she brought to the screen a "Nordic freshness and vitality", along with exceptional beauty and intelligence, and according to the St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture, she quickly became "the ideal of American womanhood" and one of Hollywood's greatest leading actresses.

After her excellent performance in Victor Fleming's remake of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in 1941, she was noticed by her future producer David O. Selznick, who called her "the most completely conscientious actress" he had ever worked with. He gave her a seven-year acting contract, thereby supporting her continued success. A few of her other starring roles, besides Casablanca, included For Whom the Bell Tolls (1943), Gaslight (1944), The Bells of St. Mary's (1945), Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), Notorious (1946), and Under Capricorn (1949), and the independent production, Joan of Arc (1948).

In 1950, after a decade of stardom in American films, she starred in the Italian film Stromboli, which led to a love affair with director Roberto Rossellini while they were both already married. The affair and then marriage with Rossellini created a scandal that forced her to remain in Europe until 1956, when she made a successful Hollywood return in Anastasia, for which she won her second Academy Award, as well as the forgiveness of her fans. Many of her personal and film documents can be seen in the Wesleyan University Cinema Archives.

Quotes·Quotation by Ingrid Bergman

Entertainment

¶ It's not whether you really cry. It's whether the audience thinks you are crying.

Ingrid Bergman as Ilsa Lund from Casablanca (1942)

¶ Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.'

Ingrid Bergman as María from For Whom The Bell Tolls (1943)

¶ Maria: I do not know how to kiss, or I would kiss you. Where do the noses go?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingrid_Bergman

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984)

Indira Gandhi (1917-1984)

Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Hindi: इंदिरा प्रियदर्शिनी गांधी, Indirā Priyadarśinī Gāndhī, née Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician who served as the third Prime Minister of India for three consecutive terms (1966–77) and a fourth term (1980–84). Gandhi was the second female head of government in the world after Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Sri Lanka, and she remains as the world's second longest serving female Prime Minister as of 2012. She was the first woman to become prime minister in India.

Gandhi was the only child of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister of independent India. She adhered to the quasi-socialist policies of industrial development that had been begun by her father. Gandhi established closer relations with the Soviet Union, depending on that nation for support in India’s long-standing conflict with Pakistan. She was also the only Indian Prime Minister to have declared a state of emergency in order to 'rule by decree' and the only Indian Prime Minister to have been imprisoned after holding that office. She was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in retaliation for ordering Operation Blue Star.

Quotes·Quotation

Advice

¶ You can't shake hands with a clenched fist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi

India

India
Republic of India
Bhārat Gaṇarājya

India (i/ˈɪndiə/), officially the Republic of India (Bhārat Gaṇarājya), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

Home to the ancient Indus Valley Civilisation and a region of historic trade routes and vast empires, the Indian subcontinent was identified with its commercial and cultural wealth for much of its long history. Four of the world's major religions—Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism—originated here, whereas Zoroastrianism, Christianity, and Islam arrived in the 1st millennium CE and also helped shape the region's diverse culture. Gradually annexed by and brought under the administration of the British East India Company from the early 18th century and administered directly by the United Kingdom from the mid-19th century, India became an independent nation in 1947 after a struggle for independence that was marked by non-violent resistance led by Mahatma Gandhi.

According to World Bank, the Indian economy is the world's tenth-largest by nominal GDP and third-largest by purchasing power parity (PPP). Following market-based economic reforms in 1991, India became one of the fastest-growing major economies; it is considered a newly industrialised country. However, it continues to face the challenges of poverty, illiteracy, corruption, malnutrition, and inadequate public healthcare. A nuclear weapons state and a regional power, it has the third-largest standing army in the world and ranks ninth in military expenditure among nations. India is a federal constitutional republic governed under a parliamentary system consisting of 28 states and 7 union territories. India is a pluralistic, multilingual, and multiethnic society. It is also home to a diversity of wildlife in a variety of protected habitats.

Indian Proverbs

Advice

¶ Call on God, but row away from the rocks.

Life

¶ Life is not a continuum of pleasant choices, but of inevitable problems that call for strength, determination, and hard work.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/India

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