Basic Geography of India Trivia Quiz

The Ganges river and the Indus river are the two rivers most immediately linked to India. But as the Indus has most of its course in Pakistan and a small portion in the disputed area Jammu-Kashmir, I have not drawn the Indus on the map.
The Ganges originates on Indian soil in the Himalaya mountain range and flows in a generally west to east direction through the north of India. When it reaches Bangladesh, it gets a new name (the Padma) and then veers to the south, where it empties in a delta on the Bay of Bengal. Total length of the Ganges is estimated at 2,525 km (1,569 mile), of which more than 80% is in India.
Hindus consider the Ganges a sacred stream, and myriads of Hindus travel each year to the city of Varanasi (formerly Benares) to take a ritual bath in the river.
The gharial (crocodilian) and the Ganges river dolphin are but a few species endemic to the Ganges basin that are threatened with extinction.

The Godavari is an important river in India. It originates at Brahmagiri Mountain and flows some 1,465 km (910 mile) west to east into the bay of Bengal. Just before the mouth, the Godavari splits into seven forks. Each of these forks is dedicated to a major prophet in Hinduism, and many people travel to the delta of the Godavari to take a ritual bath in each of the seven forks - especially couples with an unfulfilled desire to have children.
There are at least 20 natural fauna sanctuaries along the Godavari, including the Coringa Mangrove Forests and the Tadoba Andhari Tiger Project.

The Kanchenjunga is one of the highest mountain peaks on earth - only surpassed by Mount Everest and the K2 (aka Mount Godwin-Austen). Reaching a peak at 8,586 m (28,169 feet) the Kanchenjunga lies on the border of India and Nepal.
On the Indian slopes of the Kangchenjunga are a dozen wildlife sanctuaries, where one hopes that species such as the snow leopard and the chestnut-breasted partridge can survive.

Darjeeling is both the name of a city and of a district, the centre of the cultivation of tea of high quality. It is part of the Indian state West Bengal. The area is situated on the slopes of the Himalaya mountain range.
Above 2,000 m (6,600 feet) there are forests, while between 1,000 m (3,300 ft) and 2,000 m tea plantations prevail. Other sources of income for the rapidly growing economy include horticulture and tourism.
There is a small national park in Darjeeling: Singalila National Park, with over 2,500 orchid species.

Delhi is the name of an old megacity, that contains the capital New Delhi. It serves as the National Capital District.
Major tourist attractions include the Qutub Minar, the Red Fort and Humayun's tomb (all elevated to UNESCO World Heritage sites), the Jama Masjid (greatest mosque in the world) and the Lotus Temple.
Delhi is plagued by severe air pollution, especially in the winter months (October - December), although the air quality is quite acceptable during the rest of the year.

Mumbai is the modern name for Bombay, a megacity on the west coast of India. Mumbai is the capital of the state Maharashtra.
Originally the city consisted of seven islands in the Arabian Sea. In the early 1780s started a project of landfill to connect all the islands in order to secure them from frequent flooding, and since 1838 Mumbai thus is one single area of land on the seashore (no longer an archipelago).
Mumbai is known as the financial centre of India, with the national Stock Exchange and the headquarters of most Indian banks. While a large number of billionaires inhabit Mumbai, there are also about a quarter of the inhabitants that can't afford a single-bedroom apartment.
Mumbai is also the centre of the Indian movie industry. Bollywood, as is its nickname, produces more than 100 movies each year, and they gradually enter western culture more easily.

Kolkata (until 2001 Calcutta) is a megacity in the very east of India, near the border with Bangladesh. It is the capital of West Bengal.
It lies on the east bank and former wetlands of the Hooghly river, a tributary to the Ganges. A megacity with a quite low average height, Kolkata is at high risk for flooding - especially during the monsoon season (June - September), when nearly 2/3 of all yearly precipitation hits the city.
The official economy of Kolkata is concentrated on the tertiary sector (services). However, a significant part of the economy is informal labour (not regulated and thus mostly lower paid). While the international poverty standard in 2022 was set on 2.15 USD income per day, at least a quarter of the population of Kolkata does not gain more than 0.32 USD per day.

The Andaman islands form an archipelago of about 300 islands. Together with the Nicobar islands to their south, they make up a remote Indian Union territory. Indeed: they are much closer to Myanmar than to the Indian mainland.
Because of their location, the Andaman islands have somewhat different fauna and flora from the Indian mainland. Some endemic species: the padauk tree, the Andaman shrew, the Andaman drongo (a bird), the Andaman water monitor (a crocodilian).

Bangalore, or as the locals say Bengaluru, is the capital city of the state Karnataka. With a favourable climate, it has gained the nickname "Garden City of India".
Bangalore lies on the plateau of Decca, almost in the middle of southern India. It is an epicentre of the Indian IT industry, and almost 38% of the IT exports were gained in Bangalore. Biotechnology is even more strongly represented, with 47% of the Indian biotech firms having their headquarters in Bangalore.

Chennai (previously Madras) is the capital of the Indian state Tamil Nadu, and lies on the southeastern shore of the Indian mainland. It has a tropical wet and dry climate, with most of the rainfall concentrated in October and November. February and March are by far the driest months, while the temperature rises highest in May and June. Chennai has a very diversified economy, with as major sectors IT, finance, automobile production and healthcare.

The healthcare institutions (among which is the Government General Hospital, founded in 1664) are well known abroad, and several tourists travel to Chennai for their medical treatment.