Hayley+K.+&+Makayla+R

=**India**= Hindi is the national language of India. It is written with a script called Devanagari, which looks like this: "Hindi" Hindi has quite a few sounds that are similar to English. For example, h, n, k, t, p, y, and l, are all sounds heard in Hindi. Another difference is the syntax. English word order goes: Subject, Verb, Object; Hindi word order goes: Subject, Verb, Object. So "I learn Hindi" would be "I Hindi Learn." English is the secondary official language. It is used for most official or political documents. Hindi and English aren't the only languages though. Almost every state has its own language. For example, in Karnataka, most people speak Kannada. In Manipur, they speak Meitei. Most children know 3 languages once they've been to school: English, Hindi, and their state language. Indian clothing has become westernized over time, so it is common to see t-shirts and jeans. India does, however, have its own unique and beautiful clothes too. Saris are commonly worn by women. They consist of a long strip of fabric that is wrapped around the body over a petticoat and blouse. A long embroidered shirt and pants is usually worn by kids and teenage girls. The name of this type of clothing varies from place to place, but it is sometimes called Salwar Kameez or Punjabi. Men usually wear a kurta. A kurta is a long shirt and baggy pants. A dhoti (a long piece of fabric, usually 7m long) is sometimes wrapped around a kurta. The food in India is very different from American food. Indians use many spices, such as Saffron, Curry Powder, Cumin, Ginger, Tamarind, Garlic, and Coriander. Rice is the main food eaten in India. It is served with virtually every meal. In south India, spicy soups are used as a sauce for it. Curry, which is a very popular food, is also a common "rice topper". Curry is usually contains coconut milk, spices, and plain yogurt. Meals are usually served with a flat bread, such as Chapati or Naan. Indians drink water and soda like Americans, but they also have their own drinks, such as a lassi. A lassi is sort of like a smoothie. They are made of yogurt, water, spices (especially cumin), and ice. Sweet lassis are made with pureed fruit instead of spices. Another drink found in India is tea. Indians usually have one kind of tea. It isn't found in America, but tastes similar to Chai and English Breakfast tea. There are fast food places found in large cities, but hamburgers are hardly ever served. Hindus consider cows holy, so it is a sin to kill one. Many Indians are vegetarian because of their religions. =*Governments- Laws (Hayley)= The Constitution of India is the basis of Indian government. The government controls 28 states and 7 union territories. Similar to American, India's government is made up of 3 branches: Executive, Legislative and Judicial. India is controlled mostly by the president and the prime minister, much like the president and vice president of the US. The executive branch is led by the president and the council of ministers. The Legislative is made up of the upper house, called Lok Sabha, and the lower house, the Rajya Sabha. These are like the congress and house of representatives. The president is also part of the Legislative Branch. The Judicial branch contains the supreme court and 21 high courts. There are also many small criminal, civil, and family courts. The major laws of India are found in the Civil Procedure Code, the Indian Civil Code, and the Criminal Procedure Code. India has many different religions, but Hinduism is the most popular. About 80% of Indians are Hindu. Hindus believe there are hundreds of gods and goddesses. They usually serve the one that is associated with their state. Hinduism was said to have been born over 2,000 years ago, and majorly influences Indias culture. Around 500 BC, Islam and Jainism were founded. Today, only .5% of Indians are Jains and .7% are Buddhists. Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism are known to be the three religions that molded Indian philosophy. In the 15th century, Sikhism was developed. 2% of Indians are Sikhs. There were many other attempts to form new religions. For example, Akabar (who reigned from 1556-1605) tried to start a new religion called Din-E- Elahi, but it did not survive. The Lingayat, a group of people from south India, claim to have started a new religion, though many people just see it as a branch of Hinduism. Today, Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam are the main religions of India. 12% of the population follow Islam. Christanity (2.5%), Judaism(.0005%) and Zoroastrianism(.01%) are also religions in India.
 * Money
 * *Geography
 * =Language- (Hayley)=
 * Culture- Hobby, Holidays, Recreation, Sports, Ethnic Groups, Entertainment
 * =Clothes (Hayley)=
 * =Food (Hayley)=
 * Landmarks- Cities, Sites, Hotels
 * Economy- Agriculture, Products, Industry
 * Architecture- housing
 * Time Zone
 * *History
 * Population
 * =*Religion (Hayley)=

India's transportation is very similar to America. In big cities, cars and buses are common. Rickshaws, which are not found in America, are used on a regular basis. Rickshaws are bikes pulling a car-like place to sit. Taxis and motorbikes crowd the streets. India has very different traffic laws. Cars, taxis and buses honk constantly. Indians use their horns much more often then we do in America. Sometimes vehicles honk as a greeting, other time to warn people when they are coming.There are hardly any traffic lights, instead the horn is used to tell when certain groups of cars are coming and going. In villages, people walk and ride bikes. Animals are used occasionally.
 * =Transportation (Hayley)=


 * Education
 * Tradition- Social, Marriage, Customs, Lifestyle
 * Social Classes
 * Jobs
 * Arts- Music, Painting, Sculpture, Literature

Hi, I don't really care which ones I do. I guess these would be my favorites though: Government, Language, Religion, Clothes, Food, Transportation, Traditions (Social Rules),and Music. So I guess I'll do Language, Government, Religion and Food. If you want one of those you can tell me and we can switch.