Student's Encyclopedia of General Knowledge

STUDENT’S

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF

GENERAL

KNOWLEDGE

STUDENT’S

ENCYCLOPEDIA OF

GENERAL

KNOWLEDGE

The Best Reference Book for

Students, Teachers and

Parents.

AZEEM AHMAD

KHAN

GENERAL PRESS

Published by

GENERAL PRESS

4228/1, Ansari Road, Daryaganj

New Delhi – 110002

Ph. : 011 – 23282971, 9911359970

e-mail : generalpressindia@gmail.com

publication may be reproduced, stored in

a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any

form or by any means—electronic,

mechanical, photocopying, recording or

otherwise—without the prior written

permission of the publishers.

First Edition : 2007

Ninth Edition : 2015

ISBN : 9789380914190

Purchase our eBooks from:

Amazon Kindle

Kobo

Flipkart

Published by Azeem Ahmad Khan for

General Press

 
Contents
Preface
 
Common Abbreviations
Famous Books (India)
Famous Books (World)
Hello India
Presidents of India
Prime Ministers of India
Indian States and their Capitals
Indian States and their Languages
Dances of India
Countries and their Capitals
Countries and their Currencies

Countries and their Natives
Countries and their Languages
Countries and their Religions
Continents and Countries
Changed Names of Some Places
Geographical Epithets
Riverside Cities
Cities Associated with Industries
Number of Players
Names of Playgrounds
National Games
Olympic Games
World Cup Soccer
World Cup Cricket
Famous Sportspersons

Sports Cups and Trophies
Sports Terms
Sports Measurements
Sports Stadiums in India
Places Associated with Sports
First in India
First in the World
Popular Titles of Famous Personalities
Nationalities of Famous Personalities
Famous Founders
Popular Slogans
Animal Records
Animal Facts
National Parks and Sanctuaries
Famous Sites (India)

Famous Sites (World)
India’s Superlatives
World’s Superlatives
Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Museums in India
United Nations
Nobel Prize
Indian Nobel Laureates
Bharat Ratna
National Awards
Inventions
Scientific Discoveries
Scientific Instruments
Branches of Science
The Planets

Body Facts
Vitamins
Diseases and Human Body
Festivals of India
Major Religions
Important Days
Important events in Indian History
Important events in World History
Fictional Characters and their Creators
Defining Places
Different Subjects
Professionals
Important Terms
World Records held by India(ns)
Newspapers and Periodicals

The Top 5

Miscellaneous

Quiz

Answers

Index

Preface

Student’s Encyclopedia of General

Knowledge provides the best of GK to

its readers. This handy volume is a

useful source of information and

reference, particularly for students of

classes III to VIII. It is the best reference

work in a single volume for GK teachers

and parents who regularly need to check

facts & figures.

Student’s Encyclopedia of General

Knowledge is a book like no other.

Completely up-to-date, it brings a

wealth of information to the whole class.

The alphabetical order of entries in each

chapter and clear design make the book

an outstanding reference work, while the

lavish and spectacular illustrations

ensure that it is always a pleasure to use.

Every piece of information is authentic

—culled together from several areas of

knowledge ranging from encyclopedias,

fact books, year books, official

government releases, internet and other

reliable sources—and verified for

accuracy.

This book is full of features that aim to

provide useful data in an easily

accessible format. The contents cover a

wide range of subjects including

language & literature, sports & culture,

people & places, history & geography,

science & technology, mythology &

current affairs, etc. ‘Believe It or Not’

boxes contain interesting and amazing

facts. Quiz, given at the end, is an

exciting way to test your knowledge. It

contains 200 important questions based

on the contents of the book. A

comprehensive index helps to find out a

topic quickly.

Once you are convinced that Student’s

Encyclopedia of General Knowledge is

truly a book like no other, kindly

recommend it to your students along with

their school curriculum. It would help

them to broaden their field of

knowledge.

This book will be updated and revised

annually, and published every year in a

new edition. We would welcome

responses from students, teachers and

parents about how useful they found the

book, and any suggestions they might

have towards its improvement. You can

keep in touch with the editors directly.

E-mail them at

generalpressindia@gmail.com. Looking

forward for your comments and

suggestions.

—Publishers

Albert Einstein

Common

Abbreviations

An abbreviation is a short form of a

word or a group of words. They are

commonly used because they save time

and space. Here are some common

abbreviations:

AD — Anno Domini (in the year of Our

Lord)

AIDS — Acquired Immune Deficiency

Syndrome

AIIMS — All India Institute of Medical

Sciences

AIR — All India Radio

a.m. — ante meridiem (before noon)

AMU — Aligarh Muslim University

AP — Associated Press

ATM — Automated Teller Machine

B&W — Black and White

BA — Bachelor of Arts

B B C — British Broadcasting

Corporation

BC — Before Christ

BEd. — Bachelor of Education

BP — Blood Pressure

BSc. — Bachelor of Science

BSF — Border Security Force

B S N L — Bharat Sanchar Nigam

Limited

CA — Chartered Accountant

CBI — Central Bureau of Investigation

CBSE — Central Board of Secondary

Education

CBT — Children’s Book Trust

CFL — Compact Fluorescent Lamp

C I A — Central Intelligence Agency

(USA)

C I D — Criminal Investigation

Department

CNN — Cable News Network

C T B T — Comprehensive Test Ban

Treaty

DIG — Deputy Inspector General

DNA — Deoxyribonucleic Acid

DOS — Disk Operating System

DTP — Desk-top Publishing

DVD — Digital Versatile Disc

E & O E — Errors and Omissions

Exempted

ECG — Electrocardiogram

e.g. — exempli gratia (for example)

EMI — Equated Monthly Installments

etc. — et cetera (and other things)

FBI — Federal Bureau of Investigation

FIFA — Federation International de

Football Association

(Federation of the International

Football Association)

FIR — First Information Report

FM — Frequency Modulation

GMT — Greenwich Mean Time

Govt. — Government

GPO — General Post Office

HIV — Human Immunodeficiency Virus

HQ — Headquarters

IA — Indian Airlines

IAF — Indian Air Force

IAS — Indian Administrative Service

IBM — International Business Machines

ICU — Intensive Care Unit

i.e. — id est (that is)

IG N O U — Indira Gandhi National

Open University

IIT — Indian Institute of Technology

INA — Indian National Army

INTERPOL — International Criminal

Police Commission

IPS — Indian Police Service

IQ — Intelligence Quotient

ISBN — International Standard Book

Number

ISD — International Subscriber Dialling

ISI — Indian Standards Institution/Inter-

Services Intelligence (Pakistan)

IST — Indian Standard Time

ISRO — Indian Space Research

Organization

ITI — Industrial Training Institute

ITO — Income Tax

Officer/International Trade Organization

lbw — leg before wicket

LCD — Liquid-crystal Display

LIC — Life Insurance Corporation

LLB — Bachelor of Laws

LPG — Liquefied Petroleum Gas

Ltd. — Limited

LTTE — Liberation Tigers of Tamil

Eelam

MA — Master of Arts

MBA — Master of Business

Administration

MBBS — Bachelor of Medicine and

Bachelor of Surgery

MLA — Member of Legislative

Assembly

MNC — Multinational Corporation

MO — Money Order

MP — Member of Parliament

Mr. — Mister

Mrs. — Missus/Missis

MSc. — Master of Science

MTNL — Mahanagar Telephone Nigam

Limited

NASA — National Aeronautics and

Space Administration (USA)

NATO — North Atlantic Treaty

Organization

NB — nota bene (note well)

NBT — National Book Trust

NCC — National Cadet Corps

NCERT — National Council of

Educational Research and Training

NDA — National Defence Academy

NFDC — National Film Development

Corporation

NIIT — National Institute of Information

Technology

NRI — Non-resident Indian

OK — Okay (all correct)

OPD — Outdoor Patients Department

PC — Personal Computer

Ph.D — Doctor of Philosophy

PIB — Press Information Bureau

PIN — Postal Index Number/Personal

Identification Number

p.m. — post meridiem (after noon)

PM — Prime Minister

PNB — Punjab National Bank

PO — Post Office

PTI — Press Trust of India

PTO — Please Turn Over

Pvt. — Private

R&D — Research and Development

RBI — Reserve Bank of India

RSVP — repondez sil vous plait

(please reply)

SAARC — South Asian Association for

Regional Co-operation

SAIL — Steel Authority of India

Limited

SBI — State Bank of India

SC — Supreme Court/Schedule Caste

Sign. — Signature

SIM — Subscriber Identification

Module (Card)

SLV — Satellite Launch Vehicle

SMS — Short Message Service

SOS — Save Our Souls

STD — Subscriber Trunk Dialling

TTE — Train Ticket Examiner

UFO — Unidentified Flying Object

UNESCO — United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural

Organization

UNI — United News of India

UNICEF — United Nations Children’s

Fund

UNO — United Nations Organization

UPSC — Union Public Service

Commission

via — by way of

VIP — Very Important Person

viz. — videlicet (namely)

VPP — Value Payable Post

vs. — versus (against)

WHO — World Health Organization

WWF — Worldwide Fund for Nature

www — worldwide web

Xmas — Christmas

YMCA — Young Men’s Christian

Association

YWCA — Young Women’s Christian

Association

Famous Books (India)

Name of the book Author

A Suitable Boy

Ain-i-Akbari

Vikram Seth

Abul Fazal

Anand Math

Arthashastra

Babarnama

Bhagavadgita

Broken Wing

Devdas

Dewan-e-Ghalib

Discovery of India

Gitanjali

Glimpses of World

History

Godan

Golden Gate

Bankim Chandra

Chatterji

Kautilya

Babar

Ved Vyas

Sarojini Naidu

Sharat Chandra

Chatterji

Mirza Ghalib

Jawaharlal Nehru

Rabindranath

Tagore

Jawaharlal Nehru

Premchand

Vikram Seth

Gora

Guide

Guru Granth Sahib

India Divided

India Wins

Freedom

Mahabharata

Man-eaters of

Kumaon

Meghdoot

Midnight’s

Children

My Experiments

with Truth

My Truth

Panchatantra

Ram Charit Manas

Rabindranath

Tagore

R.K. Narayan

Guru Arjun Dev

Dr. Rajendra

Prasad

Maulana Abul

Kalam Azad

Ved Vyas

Jim Corbett

Kalidas

Salman Rushdie

Mahatma Gandhi

Indira Gandhi

Vishnu Sharma

Ramayana

Rangbhoomi

Satanic Verses

Shakuntala

Song of India

Sunny Days

The God of Small

Things

Tulsidas

Valmiki

Premchand

Salman Rushdie

Kalidas

Sarojini Naidu

Sunil Gavaskar

Arundhati Roy

Mirza Ghalib

Premchand

Famous Books

(World)

Name of the book Author

E.M. Forster

A Passage to India

A Tale of Two Cities

Adventures of

Sherlock Holmes

Alice in Wonderland

Animal Farm

Arabian Nights

Arms and the Man

Around the World in

Eighty Days

As You Like It

Das Kapital

David Copperfield

Dr. Zhivago

Great Expectations

Charles Dickens

Sir Arthur

Conan Doyle

Lewis Carroll

George Orwell

Sir Richard

Burton

George Bernard

Shaw

Jules Verne

William

Shakespeare

Karl Marx

Charles Dickens

Boris Pasternak

Charles Dickens

Gulliver’s Travels Jonathan Swift

Hamlet

Harry Potter Series

Iliad

Julius Caesar

Jungle Book

Jurassic Park

Man and Superman

Odyssey

Oliver Twist

Origin of Species

Paradise Lost

William

Shakespeare

J.K. Rowling

Homer

William

Shakespeare

Rudyard Kipling

Michael

Crichton

George Bernard

Shaw

Homer

Charles Dickens

Charles Darwin

John Milton

Principia

Republic

Robinson Crusoe

Romeo and Juliet

Three Musketeers

Through the Looking-

Glass

Treasure Island

Uncle Tom’s Cabin

War and Peace

Sir Isaac

Newton

Plato

Daniel Defoe

William

Shakespeare

Alexander

Dumas

Lewis Carroll

R.L. Stevenson

H.B. Stowe

Count Leo

Tolstoy

William Shakespeare

Hello India

NATIONAL SYMBOLS

National Flag

Our National Flag is a tricolour with

deep saffron at the top, white in the

middle and dark green at the bottom in

equal proportion. The ratio of the width

of the flag to its length is 2:3. In the

centre of the white band is a navy blue

wheel known as Ashok Chakra. It has 24

spokes.

Each colour of the flag has its own

significance :

Saffron — signifies courage and

sacrifice

White — signifies truth and peace

Green — signifies faith and prosperity

The wheel is a symbol of progress round

the clock.

National Emblem

Our National Emblem is a Lion Capital,

adopted from the Ashoka’s Pillar at

Sarnath. It has four lions, standing back

to back, mounted on a base. However

only three lions are visible, the fourth

one remains hidden from the front view.

There is a Dharam Chakra in the centre

of the base, on the right of which is a

figure of a bull and on the left that of a

horse. The words Satyamev Jayate

(Truth Alone Triumphs) are inscribed

below the base.

National Anthem

Jana-gana-mana is our National

Anthem. It was composed originally in

Bengali by Rabindranath Tagore. The

playing time of our National Anthem is

about 52 seconds.

National Song

Vande Mataram is our National Song. It

was composed originally in Sanskrit by

Bankim Chandra Chatterji. It has been

taken from his novel Anand Math.

National Calendar

Saka is our National Calendar. Chaitra

is the first month and Phalguna is the

last month of the Saka year. A normal

Saka year has 365 days.

National Flower

Lotus is our National Flower. It is a

sacred flower and occupies a unique

position in the art and mythology of

ancient India.

National Bird

Peacock is our National Bird. It was

declared the National Bird in 1964 and

its hunting has since been banned.

National Animal

Tiger is our National Animal. It is a

symbol of grace, strength, agility and

enormous power. To check the

dwindling population of tigers in India,

‘Project Tiger’ was launched in April

1973.

National Game

Hockey is our National Game. India has

won 8 Gold, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze

medals in Olympics.

OTHER FACTS

India is the seventh largest and the

second most populous country in the

world. Here are some important facts

about India :

Official name — Republic of India

Local names — Bharat, Hindustan

Area — 32,87,263 sq. km

Population — 1,24,14,91,960

Capital — New Delhi

Currency — Rupee

Timezone — GMT+5.5

Location on world map — Southern

Asia

Official languages — Hindi and

English

Number of states — 28

Number of union territories — 7

Largest state — Rajasthan

Smallest state — Goa

Most populous state — Uttar Pradesh

Least populous state — Sikkim

Most densely populated state — West

Bengal

Most densely populated city — New

Delhi

Presidents of India

Name

Life

span

Tenure

1. Dr. Rajendra

(1884–

26 Jan. 1950

— 13 May

Prasad 1963) 1962

2. Dr.

Sarvepalli

Radhakrishnan

(1888–

1975)

13 May 1962

—13 May

1967

3. Dr. Zakir

Husain

(1897–

1969)

13 May 1967

—3 May

1969

4. Varahagiri

Venkatagiri

(1894–

1980)

24 Aug. 1969

—24 Aug.

1974

5. Fakhruddin

Ali Ahmad

(1905–

1977)

24 Aug. 1974

—11 Feb.

1977

6. Neelam

Sanjiva Reddy

(1913–

1996)

25 July 1977

—25 July

1982

7. Giani Zail

Singh

(1916–

1994)

25 July 1982

—25 July

1987

8. R.

Venkataraman

(1910–

2009)

25 July 1987

—25 July

1992

9. Dr. Shankar

Dayal Sharma

(1918–

1999)

25 July 1992

—25 July

1997

10. K.R.

Narayanan

(1920–

2005)

25 July 1997

—25 July

2002

11. Dr. A.P.J.

Abdul Kalam

1931)

25 July 2002

—25 July

2007

25 July 2007

12. Pratibha

Devisingh Patil

1934)

—25 July

2012

13. Pranab

Mukherjee

1935)

25 July 2012

—till date

Acting Presidents of India:

Name

Life

span

Tenure

1. Varahagiri

Venkatagiri

(1894–

1980)

3 May 1969

—20 July

1969

2. Justice

Muhammad

Hidayatullah

(1905–

1992)

20 July 1969

—24

Aug.1969

3. B.D. Jatti

(1913–

2002)

11 Feb. 1977

—25 July

1977

Prime Ministers of

India

Name

Life

span

Tenure

1. Jawaharlal

Nehru

(1889–

1964)

15 Aug. 1947 —

27 May 1964

2. Lal

Bahadur

Shastri

(1904–

1966)

9 June 1964 —

11 Jan. 1966

3. Indira

Gandhi

(1917–

1984)

24 Jan. 1966 —

24 March 1977

4. Morarji

Desai

(1896–

1995)

24 March 1977

— 28 July 1979

5. Choudhary

Charan Singh

(1902–

1987)

28 July 1979 —

14 Jan 1980

6. Indira

Gandhi

(1917–

1984)

14 Jan. 1980 —

31 Oct. 1984

7. Rajiv

Gandhi

(1944–

1991)

31 Oct. 1984 —

1 Dec. 1989

8. Vishwanath

Pratap Singh

1931)

2 Dec. 1989 —

10 Nov. 1990

9. Chandra

Shekhar

(1927–

2007)

10 Nov. 1990 —

21 June 1991

10. P. V.

Narasimha

Rao

(1921–

2004)

21 June 1991 —

16 May 1996

11. Atal

Bihari

Vajpayee

1926)

16 May 1996 —

28 May 1996

12. H.D. Deve

Gowda

1933)

1 June 1996 —

21 April 1997

13. Inder

Kumar Gujral

1919)

21 April 1997 —

28 Nov. 1997

14. Atal

Bihari

19 March 1998

Vajpayee 1926) — 17 April 1999

15. Atal

Bihari

Vajpayee

1926)

13 Oct. 1999 —

22 May 2004

16. Dr.

Manmohan

Singh

1932)

22 May 2004 —

22 May 2009

17. Dr.

Manmohan

Singh

1932)

22 May 2009 —

26 May 2014

18. Narendra

Modi

1950)

26 May 2014 —

till date

Indian States and their

Capitals

State Capital

Andhra

Pradesh

Arunachal

Pradesh

Assam

Bihar

Chhattisgarh

Goa

Gujarat

Haryana

Himachal

Pradesh

Jammu and

Kashmir

Jharkhand

Karnataka

Kerala

Hyderabad

Itanagar

Dispur

Patna

Raipur

Panaji

Gandhinagar

Chandigarh

Shimla

Jammu (winter) and

Srinagar (summer)

Ranchi

Bengaluru

Thiruvananthapuram

Bhopal

Madhya

Pradesh

Maharashtra

Manipur

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Nagaland

Orissa

Punjab

Rajasthan

Sikkim

Tamil Nadu

Telangana

Tripura

Uttar Pradesh

Mumbai

Imphal

Shillong

Aizawl

Kohima

Bhubaneswar

Chandigarh

Jaipur

Gangtok

Chennai

Hyderabad

Agartala

Lucknow

Uttarakhand

West Bengal

Dehradun

Kolkata

Believe It or Not:

• India and China together account for

more than one-third of the world’s

population.

Indian States and their

Languages

State Principal language(s)

Andhra

Pradesh

Arunachal

Pradesh

Assam

Bihar

Chhattisgarh

Goa

Gujarat

Haryana

Himachal

Pradesh

Jammu and

Kashmir

Jharkhand

Karnataka

Kerala

Telugu and Urdu

Several tribal dialects

Assamese

Hindi and Bhojpuri

Hindi

Konkani and Marathi

Gujarati

Hindi

Hindi and Pahari

Kashmiri, Urdu, Dogri

and Ladakhi

Hindi and Bhojpuri

Kannada

Malayalam

Hindi

Madhya

Pradesh

Maharashtra

Manipur

Meghalaya

Mizoram

Nagaland

Orissa

Punjab

Rajasthan

Sikkim

Tamil Nadu

Telangana

Tripura

Hindi and Marathi

Manipuri

Khasi, Garo and English

Mizo and English

Several tribal dialects

Oriya

Punjabi

Hindi and Rajasthani

Lepcha, Bhutia and

Nepali

Tamil

Telugu

Bengali and Kokborak

Uttar Pradesh

Uttarakhand

West Bengal

Hindi and Urdu

Hindi, Garhwali and

Kumaoni

Bengali

Believe It or Not:

• In India, more languages are spoken

than in any other country. Tamil is

the oldest surviving language in the

world.

Dances of India

Dance in India has an unbroken tradition

of over 2,000 years. Its themes are

derived from mythology, legends and

classical literature. The main classical,

folk and tribal dances of India are listed

below alongwith the states they are

associated with:

Dance State

Bhangra

Bharata Natyam

Bihu

Garba

Kathak

Kathakali

Kuchipudi

Manipuri

Mohiniattam

Odissi

Punjab

Tamil Nadu

Assam

Gujarat

North India

Kerala

Andhra Pradesh

Manipur

Kerala

Orissa

Other Important Dances

Bamboo dance

Bidesia

Chau

Ghumar

Gidda

Lavni

Assam

Bihar

West Bengal

Rajasthan

Punjab

Maharashtra

Lota

Nautanki

Rouf

Swang

Tamasha

Yakshangana

Madhya Pradesh

Uttar Pradesh

Jammu and Kashmir

Haryana

Maharashtra

Karnataka

Believe It or Not:

• A medium-sized swarm of locusts

contains about a million insects and

consumes about twenty tonnes of

food a day. The swarm keeps on

migrating and eats all plants, crops

and vegetation found in its way.

10.

Countries and their

Capitals

Country Capital

Afghanistan Kabul

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bangladesh

Belgium

Bhutan

Brazil

Bulgaria

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Cuba

Buenos Aires

Canberra

Vienna

Dhaka

Brussels

Thimphu

Brasilia

Sofia

Ottawa

Santiago

Beijing

Bogota

Havana

Denmark

Egypt

Copenhagen

Cairo

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Italy

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Kuwait

Helsinki

Paris

Berlin

Athens

Budapest

New Delhi

Jakarta

Tehran

Baghdad

Jerusalem

Rome

Tokyo

Amman

Nairobi

Kuwait City

Libya

Malaysia

Mauritius

Mexico

Morocco

Myanmar

Nepal

Netherlands

Tripoli

Kuala Lumpur

Port Louis

Mexico City

Rabat

Yangon

Kathmandu

Amsterdam

New Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Pakistan

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Wellington

Abuja

Oslo

Islamabad

Lima

Manila

Warsaw

Lisbon

Russia

Saudi Arabia

South Africa

South Korea

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Sweden

Switzerland

Thailand

Turkey

UAE

USA

Vietnam

Moscow

Riyadh

Pretoria & Cape Town

Seoul

Madrid

Colombo

Khartoum

Stockholm

Bern

Bangkok

Ankara

Abu Dhabi

London

Washington, DC

Hanoi

Zimbabwe Harare

11.

Countries and their

Currencies

Country Currency

Afghanistan Afghani

Algeria

Argentina

Australia

Austria

Bangladesh

Belgium

Bhutan

Brazil

Canada

Chile

China

Colombia

Cuba

Dinar

Peso

Dollar

Euro

Taka

Euro

Ngultrum

Cruzeiro Real

Dollar

Peso

Yuan

Peso

Denmark

Egypt

Krone

Pound

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Italy

Japan

Jordan

Kenya

Korea, North

Euro

Forint

Rupee

Rupiah

Rial

Dinar

Shekel

Euro

Yen

Dinar

Shilling

Won

Korea, South

Kuwait

Malaysia

Mauritius

Mexico

Morocco

Myanmar

Nepal

Won

Dinar

Ringgit

Rupee

Peso

Dirham

Kyat

Rupee

Netherlands

New Zealand

Nigeria

Norway

Pakistan

Peru

Philippines

Portugal

Euro

Dollar

Naira

Krone

Rupee

Sol

Peso

Euro

Russia

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey

UAE

USA

Rouble

Riyal

Dollar

Rand

Euro

Rupee

Dinar

Krona

Franc

Dollar

Baht

Lira

Dirham

Pound Sterling

Dollar

Vietnam

Zimbabwe

Dong

Dollar

12.

Countries and their

Natives

Country Native

Afghanistan Afghan/Afghani

Algeria

Argentina

Australia

Bangladesh

Belgium

Bhutan

Brazil

Britain

Canada

Chile

China

Cuba

Denmark

Algerian

Argentinian

Australian

Bangladeshi

Belgian

Bhutani/Bhutanese

Brazilian

British

Canadian

Chilean

Chinese

Cuban

Dane/Danish

Egypt

England

Egyptian

English

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Ireland

Israel

Italy

Japan

Korea

Kuwait

Finn

French

German

Greek

Hungarian

Indian

Indonesian

Iranian

Iraqi

Irish

Israeli

Italian

Japanese

Korean

Kuwaiti

Malaysia

Mauritius

Mexico

Mongolia

Morocco

Myanmar

Nepal

Netherlands

Norway

Malay/Malayan

Mauritian

Mexican

Mongolian/Mongol

Moroccan/Moor

Burman/Burmese

Nepalese

Dutch

Norwegian

Oman

Pakistan

Peru

Philippines

Poland

Portugal

Russia

Omani

Pakistani

Peruvian

Philippine/Filipino

Polish

Portuguese

Russian

Saudi Arabia

Scotland

Singapore

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sudan

Sweden

Switzerland

Taiwan

Thailand

Tibet

Turkey

USA

Vietnam

Arab

Scottish

Singaporean

South African

Spanish/Spaniard

Sri Lankan

Sudanese

Swedish/Swede

Swiss

Taiwanese

Thai

Tibetan

Turkish

American

Vietnamese

West Indies

Zimbabwe

West Indian

Zimbabwean

13.

Countries and their

Languages

The world is full of languages. Not

certain, but it is estimated that the

languages spoken throughout the world

usually range between 5,000 and 7,000.

Here are some countries of the world

and their official languages:

Country Official language(s)

Argentina

Australia

Bangladesh

Brazil

Canada

China

Denmark

Egypt

France

Spanish

English

Bengali

Portuguese

English and French

Mandarin Chinese

Danish

Arabic

French

Germany

Greece

India

Iran

Iraq

Italy

Japan

Korea

Mexico

Nepal

Netherlands

Pakistan

Poland

Russia

Saudi

German

Greek

Hindi and English

Persian (Farsi)

Arabic

Italian

Japanese

Korean

Spanish

Nepali

Dutch

Urdu

Polish

Russian

Arabic

Arabia

South Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

Sweden

USA

Afrikaans and English

Spanish

Sinhala, Tamil and

English

Swedish

English

14.

Countries and their

Religions

The Christianity is the major religion of

the world followed by the Islam. Here

are some countries of the world and

their major religions :

Country Major religion(s)

Australia

Bangladesh

Brazil

Cambodia

Canada

China

Egypt

France

Germany

Greece

Christianity

Islam

Christianity

Buddhism

Christianity

Confucianism, Buddhism

and Taoism

Islam

Christianity

Greek Orthodox

India Hinduism, Islam, Sikhism,

Iran

Iraq

Italy

Japan

Malaysia

Nepal

Netherlands

Pakistan

Russia

Saudi

Arabia

South

Africa

Spain

Sri Lanka

Christianity, Buddhism

and Jainism

Islam

Christianity

Shintoism and Buddhism

Islam

Hinduism

Christianity

Islam

Christianity and Islam

Islam

Christianity

Buddhism

Sudan

Switzerland

Thailand

UAE

USA

Islam

Christianity

Buddhism

Islam

Christianity

15.

Continents and

Countries

The Earth’s surface is divided into

seven continents, out of which six are

inhabited. Asia is the largest and the

most populated continent. It occupies

30% of the world’s total land area, with

60% of the world’s population.

Australia is the smallest continent.

Antarctica is covered by thick ice and

the only people living there are some

scientists. Here are the six inhabited

continents and their major countries :

Asia

Afghanistan

Bangladesh

Bhutan

China

India

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Israel

Japan

Korea

Kuwait

Malaysia

Mongolia

Myanmar

Nepal

Pakistan

Philippines

Saudi Arabia

Singapore

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Thailand

Turkey

UAE

Vietnam

Europe

Austria

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Denmark

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Hungary

Ireland

Italy

Luxembourg

Netherlands

Norway

Poland

Portugal

Romania

Russia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Africa

Algeria

Cameroon

Egypt

Ethiopia

Kenya

Libya

Mauritius

Morocco

Namibia

Nigeria

Rwanda

Somalia

South Africa

Sudan

Tanzania

Uganda

Zambia

Zimbabwe

North America

Barbados

Canada

Cuba

Jamaica

Mexico

Panama

USA

South America

Argentina

Bolivia

Brazil

Chile

Colombia

Paraguay

Peru

Venezuela

Australia

Fiji

New Zealand

16.

Changed Names of

Some Places

India

New name Old name

Allahabad

Bengaluru

Chennai

Guwahati

Karnataka

Kolkata

Kozhikode

Mumbai

Panaji

Patna

Thiruvananthapuram

Vadodara

Varanasi

Prayag

Bangalore

Madras

Gauhati

Mysore

Calcutta

Calicut

Bombay

Panjim

Patliputra

Trivendrum

Baroda

Banaras

The World

New name Old name

Ankara

Beijing

Cambodia

Dhaka

Ghana

Indonesia

Iran

Iraq

Japan

Malaysia

Myanmar

Netherlands, The

Sri Lanka

Taiwan

Angora

Peking

Kampuchea

Dacca

Gold Cost

Batavia

Persia

Mesopotamia

Nippon

Malaya

Burma

Holland

Ceylon

Formosa

Thailand

Yangon

Zaire

Zimbabwe

Siam

Rangoon

Congo

Rhodesia

17.

Geographical Epithets

India

Epithet Name

Blue Mountains

Nilgiri

City of Lakes

City of Palaces

Garden City

Gateway of India

Land of Coconuts; Spice

Garden of India

Land of Five Rivers

Pink City

Queen of the Arabian Sea

Sorrow of Bengal

Sun City

Hills

Udaipur

Kolkata

Bengaluru

Mumbai

Kerala

Punjab

Jaipur

Cochin

Damoder

River

Jodhpur

The World

City of Arabian Nights

City of Seven Hills;

Eternal City

City of Skyscrapers;

Empire City

Dark Continent

Forbidden City

Gift of the Nile

Holy Land

Island of Pearls

Land of Kangaroos; Land

of the Golden Fleece

Land of Lilies; Land of

Maple Leaf

Land of Morning Calm;

Hermit Kingdom

Land of Rising Sun

Baghdad

Rome

New York

Africa

Lhasa

(Tibet)

Egypt

Palestine

Bahrain

Australia

Canada

Korea

Japan

Finland

Bhutan

Land of Thousand Lakes

Land of Thunderbolt

Land of White Elephant

Playground of Europe

Roof of the World

Sickman of Europe

Sorrow of China; Yellow

River

Sugar Bowl of the World

Thailand

Switzerland

Pamirs

(Tibet)

Turkey

River

Huang He

Cuba

18.

Riverside Cities

Indian Cities

City River

Agra (UP)

Yamuna

Ahmedabad (Gujarat)

Ayodhya (UP)

Cuttack (Orissa)

Delhi

Guwahati (Assam)

Hardwar (Uttarakhand)

Hyderabad (AP)

Kanpur (UP)

Kolkata (West Bengal)

Lucknow (UP)

Mathura (UP)

Patna (Bihar)

Srinagar (J&K)

Surat (Gujarat)

Tiruchirappalli (Tamil

Sabarmati

Saryu

Mahanadi

Yamuna

Brahmaputra

Ganga

Musi

Ganga

Hooghly

Gomti

Yamuna

Ganga

Jhelum

Tapti

Kaveri

Nadu)

Ujjain (MP)

Varanasi (UP)

Vijayawada (AP)

Shipra

Ganga

Krishna

Foreign Cities

Baghdad (Iraq)

Berlin (Germany)

Cairo (Egypt)

Karachi (Pakistan)

Lahore (Pakistan)

London (England)

Moscow (Russia)

New York (USA)

Paris (France)

Tigris

Spree

Nile

Indus

Ravi

Thames

Moskva

Hudson

Seine

Rome (Italy)

Tokyo (Japan)

Washington, DC (USA)

Tiber

Sumida

Potomac

19.

Cities Associated with

Industries

Indian Cities

City Industry

Agra (UP)

Ahmedabad

(Gujarat)

Aligarh (UP)

Anand (Gujarat)

Bengaluru

(Karnataka)

Bhilai

(Chhattisgarh)

Bokaro

(Jharkhand)

Chittaranjan

(West Bengal)

Delhi

Ferozabad (UP)

Jamshedpur

Shoes, leather

Textiles

Locks

Amul dairy

Aircraft, telephones,

computers

Steel

Locomotives

Publishing

Glass bangles

Iron, steel

(Jharkhand)

Jharia

(Jharkhand)

Kanpur (UP)

Kolar

(Karnataka)

Ludhiana

(Punjab)

Meerut (UP)

Mirzapur (UP)

Moradabad (UP)

Nepanagar (MP)

Visakhapatnam

(AP)

Coal mines

Textiles, leather

goods

Gold mines

Hosiery

Scissors

Carpets

Brassware

Newsprint

Ship-building

Foreign Cities

Abadan (Iran)

Detroit (USA)

Dhaka (Bangladesh)

Geneva (Switzerland)

Havana (Cuba)

Hollywood (USA)

Johannesburg (South

Africa)

Kimberley (South

Africa)

Tehran (Iran)

Venice (Italy)

Wellington (New

Zealand)

Oil refineries

Automobiles

Jute

Watches

Cigars, sugar

Films

Gold mines

Diamond

mines

Carpets

Glass

Dairy

products

20.

Number of Players

Game Number of players

Badminton

Baseball

1 or 2

Basketball

Cricket

Football

Hockey

Ice hockey

Kabaddi

Polo

Rugby League

Rugby Union

Table tennis

Tennis

Volleyball

Water polo

1 or 2

Believe It or Not:

• Ice hockey is the world’s fastest

team game.

• There is enough salt in the sea to

cover all the continents with a layer

of salt 150 m thick.

• The world’s longest boundary lies

between Canada and the USA,

which extends for 6,416 km.

21.

Names of Playgrounds

Game Playground

Badminton

Baseball

Court

Diamond

Basketball

Billiards

Boxing

Chess

Cricket

Football

Golf

Hockey

Ice hockey

Polo

Race

Shooting

Court

Table

Ring

Board

Ground

Course

Field

Rink

Ground

Track

Range

Skating

Swimming

Table tennis

Tennis

Rink

Pool

Table

Court

Volleyball

Wrestling

Court

Arena

Believe It or Not:

• The kiwi lays an egg a quarter of her

own weight. The egg weighs 420 g

— the kiwi weighs 1.7 kg.

• A huge underwater river flows

underneath the Nile, with six times

more water than the river above.

• Termites build their nests in huge

mounds many times taller than

themselves. If people lived in huge

buildings equivalent to a termite’s

nest, they would be over 4,000 m

high.

22.

National Games

Country National game

Argentina

Australia

Football

Cricket

Brazil

Canada

China

England

India

Japan

Malaysia

Russia

Scotland

Spain

USA

Football

Ice hockey

Table tennis

Cricket

Hockey

Ju-jitsu

Badminton

Chess

Rugby

Bull fighting

Baseball

Believe It or Not:

• Brazil is the only country to have

played in every World Cup Soccer

Tournament.

• Ronaldo of Brazil is the highest

goal-scorer in the history of the

World Cup Soccer.

• The game of rugby was first played

in 1823 at Rugby School (England)

when William Webb Ellis picked up

the ball and ran with it during a

game of football.

23.

Olympic Games

Olympic Games are the most important

international athletic competition in the

world. They are held every four years,

each time in a different country. This

world’s oldest sports event brings

together thousands of the world’s finest

athletes to compete against one another

in a variety of individual and team

sports. More than 10,000 athletes

representing over 190 nations

participate in the Olympics. Millions of

people attend the games and more than 1

billion people throughout the world

watch the Olympics on television.

Ancient Olympics

The Olympics Games originated in

ancient Greece and were held from 776

BC to AD 393. They were celebrated

like religious festivals, honouring Zeus,

the king of the gods. The Roman

conquered Greece during the 140’s BC,

and the games soon lost their religious

meaning. In AD 393, Emperor

Theodosius I banned the games.

Modern Olympics

Baron Pierre de Coubertine, a french

educator, revived the games to

encourage world peace and friendship

and to promote healthy sporting

competition for the youth of the world.

The first modern Olympic Games were

held in Athens, Greece, in 1896. In the

opening ceremony, the athletes of

Greece march into the stadium first, in

honour of the original games held in

ancient Greece. The athletes of the host

country enter last.

The International Olympic Committee

(IOC) is the governing body of the

Olympic Games. The IOC has its

headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The Committee approves the sports and

events to be included in the games. The

IOC also selects the host cities for the

games, seven years in advance. Host

cities provide a special housing

compound called the Olympic Village

for the athletes and coaches.

Olympic Flame

The flame symbolizes the light of spirit,

knowledge and life, and it is a message

of peace. The fire is ignited in Olympia,

Greece, by using a mirror to concentrate

the rays of the Sun. Runners transport the

flame in a torch relay from Greece to the

site of the games. The final runner

carries the torch into the stadium, circles

the tract and lights a huge cauldron

(pot). The flame is kept burning

throughout the games and then

extinguished during the closing

ceremony.

Olympic Emblem and Flag

The Olympic Emblem, created in 1913,

consists of five interlocking rings that

represent the continents of Africa, Asia,

Australia, Europe and the Americas. The

flag of every nation competing in the

games has at least one of these colours.

The Olympic Flag is white in colour,

originally made of cotton. The Emblem

is placed in the middle of the flag.

Colour of ring Continent represented

Blue ring

Yellow ring

Black ring

Green ring

Red ring

Europe

Asia

Africa

Australia

America

Olympic Motto

Citius, Altius, Fortius

These are Latin words which are

translated as:

‘Swifter, Higher, Stronger’.

Olympic Epigram

“The essential thing in life is not

conquering but fighting well.”

Olympic Medals

The winners are awarded medals, but no

prize money. The top three finishers in

each event receive a medal and a

diploma. The next five finishers get only

a diploma. Each first-place winner

receives a gold medal, which is actually

made of silver and coated with gold.

The second-place medal is made of

silver and the third-place medal is made

of bronze. The design for the medal

changes for each Olympics. All

members of a winning relay team get a

medal. In team sports, all the members

of a winning team who have played in at

least one of the games during the

competition receive a medal.

The Summer Games

The Olympic Games consist of the

Summer Games and the Winter Games.

The Summer Games are held during the

summer season of the host city, usually

between July and October. These games

last 16 days. Athletes compete in more

than 270 separate events during the

Summer Games. Women first

participated in Olympics in 1900 in

Paris.

The Winter Games

The Winter Games with over 60 events

are usually held in February and last 16

days. The games attract approximately

2,000 athletes from around 60 countries.

The Winter Games, established in 1924,

took place the same year as the Summer

Games. Beginning in 1994, the Winter

and Summer Games were divided and

scheduled on four-year cycles two years

apart.

India’s Major Achievements in

Olympics :

• Indian hockey team has won 8 Gold,

1 Silver and 2 Bronze medals in

Olympics so far.

• K.D. Jadhav has won a Bronze

medal in wrestling in 1952

Olympics.

• Leander Paes has won a Bronze

medal in tennis in 1996 Olympics.

• Karnam Malleswari has won a

Bronze medal in weightlifting in

2000 Olympics.

• Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

has won a Silver medal in double

trap shooting in 2004 Olympics.

• Abhinav Bindra won the first ever

individual Gold medal for India in

the Men’s 10 m air rifle event in

2008 Olympics.

• Sushil Kumar won a Bronze medal in

the men’s 66 kg freestyle wrestling

and Vijender Kumar won a Bronze

in the middleweight boxing in 2008

Olympics.

24.

World Cup Soccer

The World Cup Soccer Tournament,

organized by the Federation of the

International Football Association

(FIFA), is one of the most popular sports

tournaments in the world. It is held every

four years to determine the world’s

soccer champion. The Cup given to the

winner is made of pure solid gold and is

12 inches in height.

Winners and the venues of the

previous World Cup Soccer

Tournaments are as follows :

THE WORLD CUP SOCCER TOURNAMENT

RECORD

Year Winner Runner-up Score

1930 Uruguay Argentina 4 – 2

1934 Italy Czechoslovakia 2 – 1

1938 Italy Hungary 4 – 2

1950 Uruguay Brazil 2 – 1

1954

Germany

Hungary 3 – 2

1958 Brazil Sweden 5 – 2

1962 Brazil Czechoslovakia 3 – 1

1966 England W Germany 4 – 2

1970 Brazil Italy 4 – 1

1974

Germany

Holland 2 – 1

1978 Argentina Holland 3 – 1

1982 Italy W Germany 3 – 1

1986 Argentina W Germany 3 – 2

1990

Germany

Argentina 1 – 0

1994 Brazil Italy 3 – 2

1998 France Brazil 3 – 0

2002 Brazil Germany 3 – 0

2006 Italy France 5 – 3

2010 Spain Netherlands 1 – 0

2014 Germany Argentina 1 – 0

The following statistics give the earlier

winners:

Country Won In year

Brazil

times

1958, 1962, 1970,

1994, 2002

Italy

times

1934, 1938, 1982,

2006

Germany

times

1954, 1974, 1990,

2014

25.

World Cup Cricket

The World Cup Cricket Tournament is

held every four years. The first

tournament was held in 1975 in England

in which England, Australia, West

Indies, New Zealand, India and Pakistan

took Part. The West Indies won this

tournament and also the next one in

1979. The first three tournaments, for

three consecutive occasions — 1975,

1979 and 1983, were held in England.

The ICC (International Cricket

Council) is in charge of the overall

administration of the World Cup Cricket

Tournament, though the ruling bodies of

the countries where the tournaments take

place are responsible for local

arrangements. The ICC was originally

founded in 1909 as the Imperial Cricket

Conference but was renamed the

International Cricket Council in 1989.

Winners and the venues of the

previous World Cup Cricket

Tournaments are as follows:

THE WORLD CUP CRICKET

TOURNAMENT RECORD

Year Winner

Runner-

Venue

1975

West

Indies

Australia England

1979

West

Indies

England England

1983 India

West

Indies

England

1987 Australia England

India and

Pakistan

1992 Pakistan England

Australia

and New

Zealand

1996

Sri

Lanka

Australia

India,

Pakistan and

Sri Lanka

1999 Australia Pakistan England

2003 Australia India

South

Africa

2007 Australia

Sri

Lanka

West Indies

2011 India

Sri

Lanka

India

Believe It or Not:

• The English, the founder of the

cricket, have never won the World

Cup.

• Indian hockey team failed to qualify

for the Beijing Olympics 2008.

• Some species of the bamboo plant

have been found to grow at up to 91

cm per day.

26.

Famous Sportspersons

Archery

Limba Ram

Shyam Lal

Athletics

Milkha Singh

P. T. Usha

Shiny Wilson

Ashwini Nachappa

Paramjit Singh

Carl Lewis

Jesse Owens

Michael Johnson

Badminton

Prakash Padukone

Syed Modi

Gopi Chand

Basketball

Hanuman Singh

Suman Sharma

Michael Jordan

Billiards

Geet Sethi

Michael Ferreira

Wilson Jones

Mike Russel

Boxing

Vijender Kumar

Khaur Singh

Muhammad Ali

Mike Tyson

Evander Holyfield

Chess

Vishwanathan Anand

Dibyendu Barua

Vijaylakshmi Subbaraman

Gary Kasparov

Anatoly Karpov

Bobby Fischer

Cricket

Bishan Singh Bedi

Mohinder Amarnath

M.A.K. Pataudi

Ravi Shastri

Sunil Gavaskar

Kapil Dev

Sachin Tendulkar

Javagal Srinath

Mahendra Singh Dhoni

Sir Donald Bradman

Sir Richard Hadlee

Grieg Chappel

Allan Border

Sir Garfield Sobers

Sir Vivian Richards

Imran Khan

Wasim Akram

Brian Lara

Sanath Jayasuriya

Steve Waugh

Football

Subroto Bhattacharjee

Baichung Bhutia

Pele

Diego Maradona

Ronaldo

Ronaldinho

Zinedine Zidane

David Beckham

Golf

Chiranjeev Milkha Singh

Ali Sher

Nick Faldo

Hockey

Dhyan Chand

Dhanraj Pillay

Pargat Singh

Mohd. Shahid

Mountaineering

Tenzing Norgay

Bachendri Pal

Santosh Yadav

Major H.P.S. Ahluwalia

Sir Edmund Hillary

Shooting

Abhinav Bindra

Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

Jaspal Rana

Swimming

Khazan Singh

Sebastian Xavier

English Channel Swimming

Mihir Sen

Arati Saha

Tennis

Leander Paes

Mahesh Bhupati

Vijay Amritraj

Sania Mirza

Stefan Edberg

Boris Becker

Andre Agassi

Pete Sampras

Martina Navratilova

Steffi Graf

Monica Seles

Martina Hingis

Venus Williams

Maria Sharapova

Weightlifting

Karnam Malleswari

Kanjurani Devi

Wrestling

K.D. Jadhav

Sushil Kumar

Satpal Singh

27.

Sports Cups and

Trophies

National

Associated

Name Sport

Aga Khan Cup

Bengaluru Blues

Challenge Cup

Burdwan Trophy

DCM Trophy

Dhyan Chand Trophy

Duleep Trophy

Durand Cup

Ezra Cup

Irani Trophy

Jayalakshmi Cup

Lady Ratan Tata

Trophy

Ranji Trophy

Hockey

Basketball

Weightlifting

Football

Hockey

Cricket

Football

Polo

Cricket

Table tennis

(Women)

Hockey

(Women)

Cricket

Santosh Trophy

Subroto Mukherji Cup

Wellington Cup

Winchester Cup

Football

Rowing

Polo

International

Name Associated Sport

American Cup

Ashes

Corbillion Cup

Davis Cup

Derby

Merdeka Cup

Prince of Wales

Yacht racing

Cricket (Australia-

England)

World table tennis

(Women)

Tennis

Horse racing

(England)

Cup

Ryder Cup

Sharjah Cup

Thomas Cup

Tunku Abdul

Rehman Cup

Uber Cup

Walker Cup

William Cup

Wimbledon

Trophy

Football (Asia)

Golf (England)

Cricket

World badminton

(Men)

Badminton (Asia)

World badminton

(Women)

Golf (England)

Basketball

Tennis

28.

Sports Terms

Archery

Target

Bull’s-eye

Badminton

Let

Drop

Fault

Smash

Deuce

Baseball

Pitcher

Put out

Home

Bunting

Basketball

Dribble

Pivot

Multiple throws

Free throw

Holding

Billiards

Cue

Pot

Cannon

Jigger

Boxing

Punch

Hook

Jab

Knockout

Upper cut

Bridge

Dummy

Revoke

Trump

Tricks

Chess

Bishop

Check

Checkmate

Gambit

Stalemate

Cricket

lbw

Duck

Googly

Stumped

Hat trick

Hit wicket

Crease

Maiden over

Drive

Wide ball

No ball

Silly point

Follow on

Leg bye

Chinaman

Football

Dribble

Hat trick

Handball

Throw-in

Free kick

Corner kick

Penalty kick

Golf

Put

Caddie

Tee

Bogey

Birdie

Hockey

Dribble

Hat trick

Bully

Scoop

Roll-in

Short corner

Carry

Horse racing

Jockey

Punter

Polo

Bunker

Mallet

Chukker

Rugby

Scrum

Drop goal

Touchdown

Shooting

Bull’s-eye

Plug

Swimming

Freestyle

Breast stroke

Backstroke

Butterfly stroke

Medley

Tennis

Let

Fault

Smash

Deuce

Backhand

Volley

Half Volley

Ace

Volleyball

Volley

Doubling

Blocking

Booster

Service

Weightlifting

Snatch

Clean and jerk

Military press

Bench press

Wrestling

Scissor

Heave

Half-Nelson

Head lock

29.

Sports Measurements

Here are standard measurements of some

sports playgrounds and goods:

Badminton

Court — 44 ft × 17 ft (for singles)

44 ft × 20 ft (for doubles)

Basketball

Court — 85 ft × 46 ft

Height of basket — 10 ft (3.05 m)

Billiards

Table — 12 ft × 6 ft

Cricket

Length of pitch — 22 yards (20.1 m)

Maximum length of bat — 38 inches

(96.5 cm)

Maximum width of bat — 4.5 inches

(11.4 cm)

Weight of ball — 5.5–5.75 ounces

(156–163 g)

Football

Length of field — 100–130 yards (90–

120 m)

Breadth of field — 50–100 yards (45–

90 m)

Height of goal — 8 ft (2.44 m)

Width of goal — 24 ft (7.3 m)

Golf

Diameter of hole — 4.25 inches (10.8

cm)

Hockey

Length of field — 100 yards (90 m)

Breadth of field — 55–60 yards (50–55

Marathon

Distance to be run — 26 miles, 385

yards (42.195 km)

Polo

Ground — 300 yd × 160 yd

Tennis

Court — 78 ft × 27 ft (for singles)

78 ft × 36 ft (for doubles)

Volleyball

Court — 30 ft × 30 ft

30.

Sports Stadiums in

India

Name Location

Ambedkar Stadium

Barabati Stadium

Brabourne Stadium

Chepauk Stadium

Dhyan Chand Stadium

Eden Gardens

Feroz Shah Kotla Ground

Green Park

Indira Gandhi Indoor

Stadium

Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium

Keenan Stadium

Lal Bahadur Shastri

Stadium

National Stadium

Netaji Indoor Stadium

New Delhi

Cuttack

Mumbai

Chennai

Lucknow

Kolkata

New Delhi

Kanpur

New Delhi

Jamshedpur

Hyderabad

New Delhi

Kolkata

Ranjit Stadium

Sawai Man Singh Stadium

Shivaji Stadium

Talkatora Indoor Stadium

Vallabh Bhai Patel

Stadium

Wankhede Stadium

Yadvindra Stadium

Yuba Bharati (Salt Lake)

Stadium

Kolkata

Jaipur

New Delhi

Mumbai

Patiala

Kolkata

Believe It or Not:

• Snakes never close their eyes at any

time.

• If you fell down from the Mount

Everest, at 8,850 m high, it would

take you 43 seconds to hit the

ground.

• The Queen Alexandra’s birdwing is

the world’s largest butterfly, with

wings measuring up to 28 cm

across.

31.

Places Associated with

Sports

National

Associated

Place Location with

Ambedkar

Stadium

New Delhi Football

Chepauk

Stadium

Chennai Cricket

Dhyan Chand

Stadium

Lucknow Hockey

Eden Gardens Kolkata Cricket

Ferozshah

Kotla Ground

New Delhi Cricket

Green Park Kanpur Cricket

Lal Bahadur

Shastri

Stadium

Hyderabad Hockey

Sawai Man

Jaipur Hockey

Singh Stadium

Shivaji

Stadium

New Delhi Hockey

Wankhede

Stadium

Mumbai Cricket

Yuba Bharati

Stadium

Kolkata Football

International

Place Location

Associated

with

Blackheath England Rugby

Epsom England

Horse

racing

Forest Hills USA Tennis

Hurlingham England Polo

Leeds England Cricket

Lord’s England Cricket

Maracana

Municipal

Stadium

Brazil Football

Oval England Cricket

Putney England Rowing

Wembley England Football

Wimbledon England Tennis

Believe It or Not:

• More than 90 per cent of all species

of flowers have no scent at all.

Rafflesia is the world’s biggest

flower. It grows up to 1 m across.

• There are nearly three times as many

as plant species as there are animal

species.

32.

First in India

First President of India

Dr. Rajendra

Prasad (1950)

First Prime Minister of Jawaharlal

India Nehru (1947)

First woman Prime

Minister of India

Indira Gandhi

(1966)

First man to go into the

space

Rakesh Sharma

(1984)

First woman to go into

the space

Kalpana

Chawla (1997)

First man to climb

Mount Everest

Tenzing Norgay

(1953)

First woman to climb

Mount Everest

Bachendri Pal

(1984)

First woman to climb

Mount Everest twice

Santosh Yadav

(1992, 93)

First man to get Nobel

Prize

Rabindranath

Tagore (1913)

First woman to get

Nobel Prize

Mother Teresa

(1979)

First woman Minister

Vijayalakshmi

Pandit (1937)

First woman Chief

Minister of a state (UP)

Sucheta

Kripalani

(1963)

First woman Governor

of a state (UP)

Sarojini Naidu

First woman Judge of

Supreme Court

M. Fatima

Beevi (1989)

First woman IAS

officer

Anna George

Malhotra

(1950)

First woman IPS

officer

Kiran Bedi

(1972)

First woman airline

pilot

Durba Banerji

First woman to win

Miss World title

Reita Faria

(1966)

First woman to win

Miss Universe title

Sushmita Sen

(1994)

First man to swim

across the English

Channel

Mihir Sen

(1958)

First woman to swim

across the English

Channel

Arati Saha

(1959)

First man to win an

Oscar

Bhanu Athaiya

(1982)

First man to make a J.R.D. Tata

commercial flight (1932)

First Mughal Emperor

in India

Babar (1526)

First Muslim woman to

sit on the throne of

Delhi

Razia Sultana

(1236)

First Viceroy of India Lord Canning

First Governor-

General of India

Warren

Hastings (1772)

First Governor-

General of free India

Lord

Mountbatten

(1947)

First (and the last)

Indian Governor-

General of free India

Rajagopalachari

(1948)

First President of

Indian National

Congress

W.C. Bonerjee

(1885)

First Indian to win

Gold Medal in

Olympics

Abhinav Bindra

(2008)

First film

Raja

Harishchandra

(1913)

First talkie film

Alam Ara

(1931)

First newspaper

Bengal Gazette

(1780)

First satellite

Aryabhatta

(1975)

33.

First in the World

First man to go into

the space

Yuri Gagarin

(1961)

First woman to go into

Valentina

Tereshkova

the space (1963)

First man to set foot

on the Moon

Neil Armstrong

(1969)

First men to climb

Mount Everest

Sir Edmund

Hillary and

Tenzing Norgay

(1953)

First woman to climb

Mount Everest

Junko Tabei

(1975)

First woman to climb

Mount Everest twice

Santosh Yadav

(1992,93)

First President of

USA

George

Washington

(1789)

First Prime Minister

of Britain

Sir Robert

Walpole (1721)

First lady Prime

Minister of a country

(Sri Lanka)

Sirimavo

Bandaranaike

(1960)

First lady Prime

Minister of Britain

Margaret

Thatcher (1979)

First lady Prime

Minister of Pakistan

Benazir Bhutto

(1988)

First man to sail round

the world

Ferdinand

Magellan (1521)

First man to reach

South Pole

Roald Amundsen

(1911)

First woman to reach

South Pole

Fran Phipps

(1971)

First man to reach

North Pole

Robert Peary

(1909)

First woman to reach

North Pole

Karoline

Mikkelsen

(1935)

First surgeon to

perform the successful

human heart transplant

Christiaan

Barnard (1967)

First European to

invade India

Alexander the

Great (326 BC)

First Chinese pilgrim

to visit India

Fahien (405 AD)

First European to visit

China

Marco Polo

(1271)

First country to win

the Football World

Cup

Uruguay (1930)

First satellite Sputnik 1 (1957)

Believe It or Not:

• The rate of sweating in men is

double that of women.

• The highest speed ever recorded on

any national rail system is 574.8

km/h by a French highspeed TGV

train.

• The Australian 2,000 km long Great

Barrier Reef is the world’s largest

structure made by living things. It is

so large that it can be seen from the

Moon.

34.

Popular Titles of

Famous Personalities

India

Title Original name

Bapu/Father of the

Nation

Chacha/Panditji

Deenbandhu

Flying Sikh

Grand Old Man of

India

Gurudev

Haryana Hurricane

Hockey Wizard

Little Master

Lokmanya

Loknayak/JP

Mahamana

Mahatma Gandhi

Jawaharlal Nehru

C.F. Andrews

Milkha Singh

Dadabhai Naoroji

Rabindranath

Tagore

Kapil Dev

Dhyan Chand

Sunil Gavaskar

Bal Gangadhar

Tilak

Jayaprakash

Narayan

Madan Mohan

Malviya

Man of Iron Sardar Vallabh

Bhai Patel

Man of Peace

Master Blaster

Netaji

Nightingale of

India

Sher-e-Kashmir

Sher-e-

Punjab/Punjab

Kesari

Tiger of the Snows

Lal Bahadur

Shastri

Sachin Tendulkar

Subhash Chandra

Bose

Sarojini Naidu

Sheikh Muhammad

Abdullah

Lala Lajpat Rai

Tenzing Norgay

The World

Bangabandhu

Bard of Avon

Black Pearl

Don

Father of English

Poetry

Frontier

Sheikh Mujib-

ur-Rehman

William

Shakespeare

Pele

Sir Donald

Bradman

Geoffrey

Chaucer

Gandhi/Badshah Khan

Fuhrer (Leader

GBS

Lady of the Lamp

Man of Blood and

Iron/Iron Chancellor

Man of Destiny/Little

Corporal

Abdul Ghaffar

Khan

Adolf Hitler

George

Bernard Shah

Florence

Nightingale

Otto Von

Bismarck

Napoleon

Bonaparte

35.

Nationalities of

Famous Personalities

Personality Country

Abraham Lincoln

Adolf Hitler

Albert Einstein

Alexander the

Great

Alfred Bernhard

Nobel

Benito Mussolini

Charlie Chaplin

Christiaan

Barnard

Christopher

Columbus

Florence

Nightingale

Galileo Galilei

Leonardo da Vinci

USA

Germany (born

Austria)

USA (born

Germany)

Macedonia

Sweden

Italy

England

South Africa

Italy

France

Louis Braille

Mao Tse-tung

China

Martin Luther

King

Muhammad Ali

Napoleon

Bonaparte

Neil Armstrong

Nelson Mandela

Otto Von

Bismarck

Pele

Sir Donald

Bradman

Sir Edmund

Hillary

USA

Pakistan (born

USA)

France

USA

South Africa

Germany

Brazil

Australia

New Zealand

Sir Isaac Newton

Sir Winston

Churchill

Vasco da Gama

Vladimir Lenin

Walt Disney

William

Shakespeare

Yuri Gagarin

England

Britain

Portugal

Russia

USA

England

Russia

Believe It or Not:

• Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

drew his plans for a helicopter

hundreds of years before flying

machines were actually invented.

36.

Famous Founders

Foundation Founder

Aligarh Muslim

Sir Syed

Ahmad Khan

Swami

University

Arya Samaj

Banaras Hindu

University

Bhabha Atomic

Research Centre

(BARC)

Brahmo Samaj

Buddhism

Christianity

Din-e-Elahi

Indian National Army

Indian National

Congress

Islam

Jainism

Dayanand

Saraswati

Madan Mohan

Malviya

Homi Jehangir

Bhabha

Raja Ram

Mohan Rai

Gautam

Buddha

Jesus Christ

Akbar

Subhash

Chandra Bose

A.O. Hume

Prophet

Missionaries of

Charity

Modern Nursing

System

Muhammad

Vardhamana

Mahavira

Mother Teresa

Florence

Nightingale

Muslim League

Ramakrishna Mission

Red Cross

Saka Era

Shantiniketan

Sikhism

Zoroastrianism (Parsi

Nawab

Salimullah

Khan

Swami

Vivekanand

Jean Henri

Dunant

Kanishka

Rabindranath

Tagore

religion)

Guru Nanak

Zoroaster

Believe It or Not:

• The atom bomb dropped on

Hiroshima killed 80,000 people

instantly.

• There are more species of fish than

there are of mammals, birds,

reptiles and amphibians put

together.

• There is about 200 times more gold

buried in the sea than has been

mined from the land.

37.

Popular Slogans

Do or die.

— Mahatma Gandhi

Aram haram hai.

— Jawaharlal Nehru

Play the game in the spirit of the game.

— Jawaharlal Nehru

Give me blood, I will give you freedom.

— Subhash Chandra Bose

Dilli Chalo.

— Subhash Chandra Bose

Swaraj is my birthright and I will have

it.

— Bal Gangadhar Tilak

Jai Jawan, Jai Kisan.

— Lal Bahadur Shastri

Direct Action.

— Ali Jinnah

Government of the people, by the

people, for the people.

— Abraham Lincoln

Just as I would not like to be a slave, so

I would not like to be a master.

— Abraham Lincoln

That’s one small step for man, one giant

leap for mankind.

—Neil Armstrong

Eureka! Eureka! (I have found it.)

— Archimedes

Man is by nature a political animal.

—Aristotle

The roots of education are bitter, but the

fruit is sweet.

—Aristotle

I am the greatest!

—Muhammad Ali

Every man has his price.

—Sir Robert Walpole

The child is the father of a man.

—William Wordsworth

Old wood best to burn, old wine to

drink, old friends to trust and old authors

to read.

—Francis Bacon

Believe It or Not:

• An ant can pull a load 300 times

heavier than itself and lift an item 50

times its own weight.

• It rains nearly everyday on Mount

Waialeale in Hawaii. In fact, there

are only about 15 days in a year

when it does not rain.

38.

Animal Records

Record Animal Description

Largest

animal

Blue whale

30 m long,

135 tonnes

Largest

land animal

African

elephant

3.5 m tall,

6.5 tonnes

Tallest

land animal

Giraffe 5.5 m tall

Fastest

land animal

Cheetah 110 km/h

Largest

land

carnivore

Polar bear

2.5 m long,

500 kg

Largest

bird

Ostrich

2.75 m tall,

150 kg

Smallest

bird

Bee

hummingbird

5 cm long,

3 g

Fastest

flying bird

Swift 200 km/h

Fastest

diving bird

Peregrine

falcon

360 km/h

Largest

bird of

prey

Andean

condor

3 m wing-

span, 12 kg

Largest fish Whale shark

13 m long,

20 tonnes

Smallest

fish

Dwarf goby 1 cm long

Fastest fish Sailfish 110 km/h

Largest

snake

Anaconda

9 m long,

250 kg

Longest

snake

Reticulated

python

10 m long

Shortest

Thread snake 10 cm long

snake

Largest

venomous

snake

King cobra 5.0 m long

Largest

reptile

Saltwater

crocodile

4.8 m

long,450 kg

Largest

lizard

Komodo

dragon

2.25 m

long, 60 kg

Largest

rodent

Capybara

1.4 m Long,

110 kg

Largest

insect

Goliath

beetle

11 cm long,

100 g

Longest

insect

Stick insect 35 cm long

Fastest

insect

Dragonfly 75 km/h

Largest

spider

Goliath bird-

eating spider

28 cm leg-

span

39.

Animal Facts

Flying Fish

The flying fish cannot fly like a bird, but

it leaps into the air, up to 3 m and then

glides for about 200 m before splashing

back. It usually does this only when

frightened.

Egg Laying Mammal

Platypus is a mammal, although it lays

eggs. It grows up to 60 cm long, lives in

a burrow and hunts in the water. It is

found in Australia. Only a few mammals

lay eggs.

Bee-size Baby

A new-born kangaroo measures only

about 2 cm. It crawls into its mother’s

pouch and stays there for six months,

feeding on milk and growing.

Musical Insects

Insects have no voice. The noise they

make are all produced by their wings or

legs. The rapid movement of their wings

or legs make that noise. Grasshoppers

sing by rubbing their legs against a rough

patch on their wings. Crickets use their

wings to make sound.

Unique Pattern

No two zebras have exactly the same

pattern of stripes. Like human

fingerprints, each zebra’s stripe pattern

is unique.

Vampire’s Dinner

Vampire bats, found in South America,

feed on blood. They lap blood by bitting

asleep animals without disturbing them.

The bat’s saliva contains a substance

which stops the blood from clotting.

Longest Pregnancy

The Asian elephant has the longest

pregnancy period in mammals. It has an

average pregnancy period of one year

nine months and a maximum of two years

one month.

Great Hunters

Although sharks have poor eyesight, but

they have an excellent sense of smell.

They can smell blood diluted a million

times in water and thus can detect a

wounded animal in the sea. All living

animals produce a small amount of

electricity. Sharks can sense this

electricity and find where animals are

hiding.

Smart Cuckoos

Cuckoos do not make their nests. A

female cuckoo lays an egg in the nest of

another bird and takes away one of the

host’s eggs to make room for it. The host

bird has the task of hatching and feeding

the young cuckoo. As it grows up, the

young cuckoo pushes all the host bird’s

eggs and young from the nest. By the

time it is ready to leave the nest, the

young cuckoo may be several times the

size of its long-suffering foster parents.

Electric Eel

An electric eel is a freshwater fish

measuring up to 2 m long. It produces

powerful electric shocks of up to 500

volts. A shock of this power can kill a

human.

Champion Migrant

The Arctic tern is the champion in

migration. It travels the longest distance

during the migratory journey. It covers a

round trip of about 36,000 km from the

Arctic to the Antarctic and back.

Wandering Wonder

The wandering albatross has the longest

wings of any bird. When outstretched,

they measure as much as 3.3 m from tip

to tip.

Red Alert

Most of the people think that a bull is

irritated by the red colour. Well, it is not

the colour that irritates the animal. A

bull is colour-blind! It gets angry to see

the cloth or bull fighter’s cape because it

is being waved about.

Sense of Smell

Unlike most birds, the kiwi has a good

sense of smell which helps it to find

food at night. A kiwi has nostrils at the

tip of its long beak. It uses its sense of

smell to find out earthworms and insects

hiding in the soil.

Rarest Pandas

Giant pandas are some of the rarest

animals in the world. There are less than

1,000 giant pandas left. They live only in

high mountain ranges in three isolated

parts of China. They need to eat about 20

kg of one special type of bamboo a day

and spend about twelve hours a day

feeding. Many pandas starve if the

bamboo crop fails or is cut down.

Whales are Mammals

Whales are not fish. They are mammals,

as they give birth to babies and feed

them on milk. They do not have gills like

fish and therefore come to the surface

every 5-10 minutes to breathe. They

breathe through blowholes on their

backs.

They are not Insects

Spiders and scorpions are not insects.

An insect has six legs whereas a spider

or a scorpion has eight legs. They belong

to a family of animals called Arachnida.

Do they really Dance

It is a myth that snakes dance on the

music played by a snake-charmer for

them. In fact, they are deaf! They just

follow the movements of the flute as they

get frightened.

40.

National Parks and

Sanctuaries

A national park or a sanctuary is a

protected area for the animals. Poaching

and killing of wildlife is illegal under

the Wildlife Protection Act. Cultivation,

grazing domestic animals and collection

of forest products are permitted in a

sanctuary, but such activities are strictly

prohibited in a national park. At present,

India has 89 national parks and 490

sanctuaries covering about 4.7% of the

total geographical area of the country.

Here are some important national parks

and sanctuaries:

Name

Area

(sq.

km.)

Location

Annamalai

Sanctuary

958

Annamalai,

Tamil Nadu

Bandhavgarh

National Park

449 Shahdol, MP

Bandipur

National Park

866

Near Mysore,

Karnataka

Corbett

National Park

1,134

Nainital,

Uttarakhand

Dachigam

National Park

141

Dachigam,

Kashmir

Dandeli

Sanctuary

5,730

Near Dharwar,

Karnataka

Dhauladhar

Sanctuary

944

Kangra,

Himachal

Pradesh

Dudhwa

National Park

811

Lakhimpurkheri,

Gir National

Park

259

Junagarh,

Gujarat

Hazaribagh

Sanctuary

186

Hazaribagh,

Jharkhand

Hemis

National Park

4,100

Ladakh, Jammu

& Kashmir

Kanha

National Park

1,945 Mandla, MP

Kaziranga

National Park

696 Jorhat, Assam

Keoladeo

Ghana Bird

Sanctuary

Bharatpur,

Rajasthan

Manas

Sanctuary

390

Barpeta Road,

Assam

Pachmarhi Hoshangabad,

Sanctuary

461

Periyar

Sanctuary

775 Idukki, Kerala

Rajaji

National Park

820

Near Dehradun,

Uttarakhand

Ranthambhor

National Park

1,174

Sawai

Madhopur,

Rajasthan

Sanjay Gandhi

National Park

103

Mumbai,

Maharashtra

Sariska

Sanctuary

800

Alwar,

Rajasthan

Similipal

National Park

2,750

Mayurbhanj,

Orissa

Sonai-Rupai

175 Tezpur, Assam

Sanctuary

Sunderban

National Park

2,585

24, Pargana,

West Bengal

Wild Ass

Sanctuary

4,953

Rann of Kutch,

Gujarat

41.

Famous Sites (India)

Site Location

Ajanta & Ellora

Akbar’s Tomb Aurangabad,

Maharashtra

Amarnath Cave

Anand Bhavan

Brindavan

Gardens

Buland

Darwaza

Char Minar

Chilka Lake

Dal Lake

Dalal Street

Dilwara

Temples

Dolls Museum

Gateway of

India

Gol Gumbaz

Sikandara, Near Agra

Pahalgam, J&K

Allahabad

Mysore, Karnataka

Fatehpur Sikri, Near

Agra

Hyderabad

Bhubaneswar

Srinagar

Mumbai

Mount Abu, Rajasthan

New Delhi

Mumbai

Bijapur, Karnataka

Golden Temple

Hawa Mahal

Howrah Bridge

Humayun’s

Tomb

India Gate

Jagannath

Temple

Jallianwala

Bagh

Jama Masjid

Jantar Mantar

Jog Falls

Juhu Beach

Kanyakumari

Amritsar, Punjab

Jaipur, Rajasthan

Howrah

New Delhi

Puri (Orissa)

Amritsar, Punjab

Delhi

New Delhi

Mysore, Karnataka

Mumbai

Tamil Nadu

Madhya Pradesh

Khajuraho

Kranti Maidan

Lotus Temple

Marina Beach

Meenakshi

Temple

Moti Masjid

Natraj Temple

Nishat Bagh

Parliament

House

Pushkar

Qutub Minar

Raj Ghat

Rameshwaram

Mumbai

New Delhi

Chennai

Madurai, Tamil Nadu

Agra

Chennai

Srinagar

New Delhi

Near Ajmer,

Rajasthan

New Delhi

Delhi

Tamil Nadu

Rashtrapati

Bhavan

Red Fort

Rock Garden

Sanchi Stupa

Sarnath Stupa

Science City

Shalimar

Gardens

Somnath

Temple

Sun Temple

Supreme Court

Taj Mahal

Tirupati Temple

New Delhi

Delhi

Chandigarh

Sanchi, Near Bhopal

Sarnath, Near

Varanasi

Kolkata

Srinagar

Gujarat

Konark, Orissa

New Delhi

Agra

Andhra Pradesh

Kolkata

Victoria

Memorial

42.

Famous Sites (World)

Site Location

Angel Falls

Angkor Vat

Venezuela

Aswan Dam

Big Ben

British Museum

Buckingham

Palace

CN Tower

Colosseum

Downing Street

Eiffel Tower

Elysee Palace

Empire State

Building

Grand Canyon

Great Barrier

Reef

Cambodia

Egypt

London, UK

Toronto, Canada

Rome, Italy

London, UK

Paris, France

New York, USA

Arizona, USA

Australia

Great Sphinx

Great Wall of

China

Harappa

Kaaba

Kailash Parvat

Leaning Tower of

Pisa

London Bridge

Merdeka Palace

Mohenjo-daro

Mount Rushmore

Pearl Harbour

Pentagon

Petronas Twin

Giza, Egypt

China

Pakistan

Mecca, Saudi

Arabia

Tibet

Pisa, Italy

London

Jakarta, Indonesia

Sindh, Pakistan

South Dakota, USA

Hawaii Islands,

USA

Washington, DC,

USA

Towers

Procelain Tower

Pyramids of Giza

Red Square

Scotland Yard

Statue of Liberty

Stonehenge

Suez Canal

Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia

Nanking, China

Cairo, Egypt

Moscow, Russia

London, UK

New York, USA

Wiltshire, England

Egypt

Sydney Opera

House

Vatican City

Victoria Falls

Wailing Wall

Wall Street

White House

Sydney, Australia

Rome, Italy

Zambia

Jerusalem, Israel

New York, USA

Washington, DC,

USA

Whitehall London, UK

43.

India’s Superlatives

Geographical Superlatives

Largest state

Smallest state

Rajasthan

Most populous

state

Least populous

state

Most populous

city

Largest desert

Largest delta

Largest

freshwater lake

Largest

saltwater lake

Highest

mountain peak

Highest

waterfall

Goa

Uttar Pradesh

Sikkim

Mumbai

Thar

Sunderbans (Ganga-

Brahmaputra)

Kolleru, Andhra

Pradesh

Chilka Lake, Orissa

Nanga Parbat,

Kashmir

Jog Falls, Mysore

Ganga

Mawsynram

(Meghalaya)

Longest river

Wettest place

Other Superlatives

Largest fort

Largest

residence

Largest temple

Largest mosque

Largest

gurdwara

Largest church

Largest

covered

stadium

Red Fort, Delhi

Rashtrapati Bhavan

Srirangam Temple,

Tiruchirappalli

Jama Masjid, Delhi

Golden Temple,

Amritsar

Se Cathedral, Old

Goa

Yuba Bharati (Salt

Lake)

Largest indoor

stadium

Largest dome

Largest prison

Largest zoo

Largest

cantilever

bridge

Tallest building

Tallest minaret

Highest

gateway

Highest dam

Longest

railway

platform

Indira Gandhi Indoor

Stadium

Gol Gumbaz, Bijapur

Tihar Central Jail,

New Delhi

Zoological Garden,

Kolkata

Howrah Bridge

Shreepati Arcade,

Mumbai

Qutub Minar

Buland Darwaza

Bhakra Nangal Dam,

Punjab

Kharagpur, West

Bengal

Longest road

Longest river

bridge

Fastest train

Grand Trunk Road

Mahatma Gandhi Setu,

Patna

Shatabdi Express

44.

World’s Superlatives

Geographical Superlatives

Largest continent

Smallest

continent

Largest country

Smallest country

Most populous

country

Most populous

city

Largest

democratic

country

Largest and

deepest ocean

Smallest ocean

Largest sea

Largest desert

Largest delta

Largest

Asia

Australia

Russia

Vatican City

China

Tokyo

India

Pacific

Arctic

Coral Sea

Sahara

Sunderbans (Ganga-

Brahmaputra)

Lake Superior,

Canada-USA

freshwater lake

Largest

saltwater lake

Caspian Sea

Largest island

Largest

peninsula

Largest river

Longest river

Highest

mountain peak

Highest

waterfall

Highest plateau

Longest

mountain range

Lowest point on

Greenland

Arabia

Amazon, Brazil

Nile, Egypt

Mount Everest,

Nepal-Tibet

Angel Falls,

Venezuela

Tibet

Andes, South

America

Dead Sea, Israel-

the Earth

Deepest point in

the oceans

Jordan

Mariana Trench,

Pacific Ocean

Other Superlatives

Largest

office

building

Largest

church

Largest

stadium

Largest

airport

Tallest

building

Pentagon, Washington,

Basilica of St. Peter,

Vatican City

Strahov Stadium, Prague

King Khalid International

Airport, Saudi Arabia

Petronas Twin Towers,

Kuala Lumpur

Tallest

statue

Longest

wall

Fastest

train

Statue of Liberty, New

York

The Great Wall of China

TGV Express, France

45.

Seven Wonders of the

Ancient World

The Seven Wonders of the ancient world

were seven outstanding objects that

were built in ancient times. Today, only

the pyramids are still standing. All the

rest have been destroyed by earthquakes,

fire or invaders. These Seven Wonders

are arranged here in the order in which

they were built.

The Pyramids of Egypt

(Giza, Egypt; built from 2700 to 2500

BC)

They were built as royal tombs for the

Egyptian pharoahs. There are many

ancient pyramids in Egypt, but the

greatest are the three at Giza. The largest

of these is the Great Pyramid of Cheops

which stands about 146 m high.

The Hanging Gardens of Babylon

(Iraq; built around 580 BC)

These were spectacular gardens, rising

in a series of terraces (rather than

hanging). They were built by king

Nebuchadnezzar II for his wife. Nothing

remains of them.

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia

(Greece; made around 457 BC)

It was a wooden statue of the king of the

gods, Zeus, covered with gold and ivory.

This 12 m high majestic seated figure

was created by the sculptor Phidias.

The Temple of Artemis (or Diana) at

Ephesus

(Turkey; built around 400 BC)

It was one of the largest temples in the

ancient world built mostly of marble in

honour of a Greek goddess, Artemis.

Some of its marble columns are in the

British Museum in London.

The Tomb of Mausolus

(Turkey; built around 353 BC)

This was a magnificent tomb of

Mausolus, a ruler of Caria, built at

Helicarnassus by his widow. It was a

very massive tomb of white marble.

The Colossus of Rhodes

(Greece; built around 280 BC)

It was a huge, bronze statue of Sun god

Helios, stood at the entrance of the

harbour of Rhodes. It was about 30 m

high.

The Pharos of Alexanderia

(Egypt; built around 270 BC)

This was the largest lighthouse of the

ancient world, built on the island of

Pharos in the harbour of Alexandria by

Ptolemy II. It was about 135 m tall. It

had a wood fire burning on top and its

light could be seen 65 km away.

46.

Museums in India

For the preservation of Indian heritage in

the fields of art, sculpture, technology

etc., a number of museums have been

maintained. Here are some famous

museums and the cities in which they are

situated:

Museum Location

Allahabad Museum

Art in Industry Museum

Bharat Kala Bhavan

Birla Technological &

Industrial Museum

Calico Textiles Museum

Gandhi Memorial

Museum

Ganga Museum

Indian Museum

National Gallery of

Allahabad

Kolkata

Varanasi

Kolkata

Ahmedabad

Madurai

Bikaner

Kolkata

New Delhi

Modern Art

National Museum

New Delhi

National Museum of

Natural History

National Sports Museum

Prince of Wales Museum

Salar Jung Museum

Shankar’s International

Dolls Museum

Victoria Memorial

War Memorial Museum

Watson Museum

New Delhi

Patiala

Mumbai

Hyderabad

New Delhi

Kolkata

Delhi

Rajkot

Believe It or Not:

• Prehistoric paintings show the

Sahara desert as fertile land

inhabited by a wide variety of

animals.

• The Eiffel Tower in Paris was built

in 1889 using more than 7,000

tonnes of iron.

• The last ‘super volcanic’ eruption

occurred in April 1815, when

Tambora in Indonesia exploded

with the eruption column reaching a

height of about 28 miles killing

more than 90,000 people.

47.

United Nations

The United Nations is the largest

international organization with 193

member countries. It works for world

peace and security and the betterment of

humanity. The United Nations was

established on October 24, 1945, shortly

after World War II. As the war drew to

an end, the nations that opposed

Germany, Italy and Japan decided that

such a war must never happen again.

Therefore, representatives of these

nations worked out a plan for an

organization to help keep peace in the

world. The name United Nations was

proposed by US President Franklin D.

Roosevelt.

UN Headquarters

The UN headquarters consists of several

buildings along the East river in New

York city. The three main buildings are

the General Assembly Building, the

Secretariat Building and the Conference

Building. The flags of all the member

nations fly in front of the UN

headquarters.

UN Flag

The white UN emblem is superimposed

on a light blue background. The emblem

consists of the global map, surrounded

by the two olive branches open at the

top.

Official Languages

The official languages of the UN are —

Arabic, Chinese, English, French,

Russian and Spanish. However, the

working languages are English and

French only. Delegates of different

nations may address the General

Assembly in any language if they

provide a translation into one of the

official languages.

UN Charter

The Charter of the United Nations is the

Constitution of the UN. It includes the

plan used for organizing the UN and the

rules by which the UN is governed. UN

members agree to carry out the

requirements of the Charter. A member

nation that violates the Charter may be

suspended or even expelled from the

UN. The Charter has 19 chapters

divided into 11 articles that explains the

purposes and principles of the UN.

Purposes and Principles of UN

The Charter lists four purposes and

seven principles of the United Nations:

The four purposes of the United

Nations are as follows:

1. To preserve world peace and

security.

2. To encourage nations to be just in

their actions towards each other.

3. To help nations cooperate in trying

to solve their problems.

4. To serve as an agency through

which nations can work towards these

goals.

The seven principles of the United

Nations are as follows:

1. All members have equal rights.

2. All members are expected to carry

out their duties under the Charter.

3. All members agree to the principle

of settling their disputes peacefully.

4. All members agree not to use force

or the threat of force against other

nations, except in self-defense.

5. All members agree to help the UN

in every action it takes to carry out the

purposes of the Charter.

6. The UN agrees to act on the

principle that non-member nations have

the same duties as member nations to

preserve world peace and security.

7. The UN accepts the principle of not

interfering in the actions of a member

nation within its own borders. But these

actions must not hurt other nations .

The Six Major UN Organs

The Charter sets up the six main organs

of the UN and explains the duties,

powers and operating methods of each.

These organs are:

1. General Assembly

2. Security Council

3. Secretariat

4. Economic and Social Council

5. International Court of Justice

6. Trusteeship Council

Here are the functions in brief of these

six major UN organs:

1. The General Assembly is the only

major organ of the UN in which all

members are represented. It controls

much of the UN’s work and debates

major issues of international affairs.

2. The Security Council has the major

responsibility in the UN to maintain

international peace and security. The

Charter gives the council special powers

to carry out this responsibility.

3. The Secretariat manages the day-to-

day business of the United Nations. Its

main job is to provide services for all

the other UN organs.

4. The Economic and Social Council

works to encourage higher standards of

living, better health, cultural and

educational cooperation among nations

and observance of human rights.

5. The International Council of Justice

handles international legal disputes. The

headquarters of the court are at The

Hague in the Netherlands.

6. The Trusteeship Council was

designed to help a number of territories

that were not self-governing at the time

the UN was founded. The council

suspended its operations in 1994, after

the last of the territories gained

independence but it still exists under the

UN Charter.

48.

Nobel Prize

Nobel Prize, named after Alfred

Bernhard Nobel, is the most prestigious

award in the world. The six Nobel

Prizes are awarded each year to those

who, in the opinion of judges, have

contributed the most in the fields of

physics, chemistry, physiology or

medicine, literature, peace and

economics. The first prizes were

awarded in 1901. The Nobel Prize for

economics was established by the

Swedish National Bank and awarded for

the first time in 1969.

The Nobel Prizes are awarded

annually on December 10, the death

anniversary of the founder. He left 9

million US dollars to set up the prizes.

The interest that this money earns each

year is used for the prizes. The value of

each of the six prizes is about 1 million

US dollars. Besides the cash prize, each

award consists of a gold medal and a

diploma bearing a citation. The peace

prize is awarded in Oslo, Norway. The

other prizes are presented in Stockholm,

Sweden.

A candidate may not apply directly for

a prize. A qualified person must submit

each name in writing. Two or three

people may share a prize. Sometimes,

prizes are not awarded or awarded in a

latter year. The peace prize has been

omitted most frequently. For the literary

prize, the Swedish Academy considers

only works that have appeared in print.

The academy usually selects an author

for his or her complete work rather than

for one book.

Year of

institution

1901

Founder Alfred Bernhard Nobel

Awarded

December 10

Disciplines

Physics, Chemistry,

Physiology/Medicine, Literature,

Peace and Economics

Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833–1896)

Alfred Bernhard Nobel was a Swedish

inventor and industrialist. He was born

in Stockholm in 1833. He invented how

to make a safe and manageable

explosive, called dynamite, in 1866.

Construction and mining companies

and the military ordered large

quantities of dynamite because of its

relative safety and explosive power.

Nobel set up factories around the

world, and sales of dynamite and other

explosives brought him great wealth.

Within a few years, Nobel became one

of the world’s richest men.

Nobel was found dead on December

10, 1896 at his desk. Swedes found out

about the Nobel Prizes after his death,

when they read his will in which he had

donated the annual income from his

fortune to support the award. In his

will, he ordered that, “The most worthy

shall receive the prize, whether he is

Swedish or not.”

49.

Indian Nobel

Laureates

Rabindranath Tagore (1861–1941)

Literature, 1913

He was awarded the Nobel Prize in

recognition of his work Gitanjali (Song

Offerings), a collection of 103 poems.

He was a distinguished poet, dramatist,

novelist, painter and philosopher, who

founded Shantiniketan.

Sir C.V. Raman (1888–1970)

Physics, 1930

He received the Nobel Prize for his

theory relating to the scattering of light,

known as ‘Raman’s Effect’. The theory

discovered in 1928 explains the change

in the frequency of light passing through

a transparent medium.

Dr. Har Gobind Khorana (1922–1996)

Medicine, 1968

He received the Nobel Prize for

interpreting the genetic code and

analysing its function in protein

synthesis. He shared the Nobel Prize

with two other fellow scientists,

Marshall W. Nirenberg and Robert W.

Holley.

Mother Teresa (1910–1997)

Peace, 1979

She was awarded the Nobel Prize for

her missionary services. She was born

in Yugoslavia and came to Kolkata in

1929 as a missionary. She founded

Missionaries of Charity and served

dying destitutes, lepers and drug addicts.

Dr. Subramaniam Chandrashekhar

(1910–1995)

Physics, 1983

He received the Nobel Prize for his

theory on white dwarf stars known as

‘Chandrashekhar Limit’, which

determines the minimum mass of a dying

star which enables it to survive. He

authored several books on astrophysics.

Dr. Amartya Sen (b 1933)

Economics, 1998

He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his

theory which relates economics with

common man. He has distinguished

himself with his outstanding writings on

famine, poverty, democracy and social

issues.

50.

Bharat Ratna

Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian

award given in India. It is generally

conferred on 23 January each year for

exceptional service towards the

advancement of art, literature and

science, and in recognition of public

service of the higher order.

The Bharat Ratna medallion is made

of bronze and shaped like a pipal leaf.

The ribbon is white in colour. The

award can also be granted

posthumously.

Recipients of Bharat Ratna

1954

Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

C. Rajagopalachari

Dr. C.V. Raman

1955

Dr. Bhagwan Das

Dr. M. Visvesvaraya

Jawaharlal Nehru

1957 Govind Ballabh Pant

1958 Dr. D.K. Karve

1961

Dr. B.C. Roy

Purushottam Das Tondon

1962 Dr. Rajendra Prasad

1963

Dr. Zakir Husain

Dr. P. V. Kane

1966 Lal Bahadur Shastri*

1971 Indira Gandhi

1975 V. V. Giri

1976 K. Kamraj*

1980 Mother Teresa

1983 Acharya Vinobha Bhave*

1987 Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan

1988 M.G. Ramachandran*

1990

Dr. B.R. Ambedkar*

Dr. Nelson Mandela

1991

Rajiv Gandhi*

Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel*

Morarji Desai

1992

Maulana Abul Kalam Azad*

J.R.D. Tata

Satyajit Ray

1997

Aruna Asaf Ali*

Gulzari Lal Nanda*

Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

1998

M.S. Subbalakshmi

Chidambaram Subramaniam

1999

Jayaprakash Narayan*

Dr. Amartya Sen

Gopinath Bordoloi*

Pandit Ravi Shankar

2001

Lata Mangeshkar

Bismillah Khan

2008 Pandit Bhimsen Joshi

Note: *stands for posthumous.

51.

National Awards

Arjuna Award

This award is given to a sportsperson

who has displayed outstanding

performance for three years, both at

national and international levels.

Aryabhatta Award

This award was instituted by the

Astronautics Society of India and is

given to a scientist who contributes to

the promotion of astronautics in the

country.

Bharat Ratna

It is the highest civilian award in India.

It is given for exceptional service

towards the advancement of art,

literature and science, and in recognition

of public service of the highest order.

Bharatiya Jnanpith Award

It is regarded as the highest literary

award in India. It is awarded to

outstanding authors of creative literature

in any of the Indian languages recognized

by the Constitution of India.

Bhatnagar Award

This award is given by the Council of

Scientific and Industrial Research

(CSIR) in memory of the late Dr. Shanti

Swarup Bhatnagar for important

contribution in any field of science.

Borlaug Award

This award is given to outstanding

agricultural scientists. It was instituted

in honour of the world’s renowned

wheat scientist Norman E. Borlaug.

Dada Saheb Phalke Award

This award is conferred by the

Government of India for outstanding

contribution to the Indian film industry.

The award is named after Dhundiraj

Govind Phalke, the father of Indian

cinema, who made India’s first feature

film, Raja Harishchandra, in 1913.

Dronacharya Award

This award is given to sports coaches

who have trained sportspersons or teams

making outstanding achievements in the

year for which the award is given.

Param Vir Chakra

It is the highest gallantry award in India.

It is awarded for the most conspicuous

bravery, or some act of valour or self-

sacrifice, in the presence of the enemy,

whether on land, at sea or in the air.

Sahitya Akademi Award

This award is given by the Sahitya

Akademi for outstanding literary work in

Indian languages. The Akademi gives 22

awards to literary works in the Indian

languages recognized by it.

52.

Inventions

Invention Inventor Country

Aeroplane

Wright

Brothers

USA

Bicycle K.

Macmillan

Scotland

Cinematograph

Thomas

Alva

Edison

USA

Computer

Charles

Babbage

England

Dynamite

Alfred

Bernhard

Nobel

Sweden

Dynamo

Michael

Faraday

England

Electric bulb

Thomas

Alva

Edison

USA

Gramophone

Berliner

USA

Helicopter Sikorsky USA

Hovercraft

Cockerell

England

Lift E.G. Otis USA

Microphone

Berliner

USA

Microscope Z. Jansen Netherlands

Motor car/automobile Karl Benz Germany

Parachute

Blanchard

France

Pneumatic bicycle tyre

J.B.

Dunlop

Scotland

Printing press

Johannes

Gutenburg

Germany

Radio Marconi Italy

Revolver

Samuel

Colt

USA

Safety razor

K.C.

Gillette

USA

Sewing machine

Elias

Howe

USA

Shorthand/Stenography

Sir Isaac

Pitman

England

Steam engine

James

Watt

Scotland

Stethoscope Laennac France

Submarine

David

Bushnell

USA

Telegraph

Samuel

USA

Morse

Telephone

Alexander

Graham

Bell

USA

Telescope

Galileo

Galilei

Italy

Television

John

Logie

Baird

Scotland

Thermometer

G.D.

Fahrenheit

Poland

Typewriter C. Sholes USA

X-ray machine

Wilhelm

Roentgen

Germany

53.

Scientific Discoveries

Discovery Discoverer Country Year

Blood

circulation

William

Harvey

England 1628

Electrons J.J.

Thomson

England 1897

Hydrogen

Henry

Cavendish

France 1766

Insulin

Frederick

Banting &

J.J.R.

Macleod

Canada 1921

Law of

gravitation

Isaac

Newton

England 1666

Laws of

motion

Isaac

Newton

England 1687

Lightning

conductor

Benjamin

Franklin

USA 1746

Oxygen

Joseph

Priestly

England 1774

Penicillin Alexander

Fleming

England 1928

Rabies

vaccine

Louis

Pasteur

France 1860

Radium

Marie

Curie &

Pierre

Curie

France 1898

Theory of

evolution

Charles

Darwin

England 1859

Theory of

relativity

Albert

Einstein

Germany 1905

Vaccination

Edward

Jenner

England 1796

Vitamins C. Funk Poland 1912

Difference between an invention and a

discovery:

Invention — the act of creating or

designing something which did not exist

before e.g. Graham Bell invented

telephone.

Discovery — the act of finding out or

bringing to light or gaining knowledge of

something, especially for the first time

which already existed e.g. Columbus

discovered America.

Believe It or Not:

• Thomas Alva Edison obtained 1,093

United States patents, the most the

US patent office has ever issued to

one person.

• Astronauts become a little taller in

space! Because there is less gravity,

so their bones are less squashed

together.

• Atomic clocks are accurate to 0.001

seconds in 1,000 years. Since 1967,

the world’s time has been set by

atomic clocks.

54.

Scientific Instruments

Altimeter — used especially in an

aircraft for measuring altitude (the height

above sea level).

Amplifier — used for amplifying sound

or radio signals.

Anemometer — used for measuring the

velocity and force of wind.

Audiometer — used for measuring the

intensity of sound.

Barometer — used for measuring

atmospheric pressure.

Binoculars — used for seeing distant

objects.

Cardiograph — used for recording

movements of the heart.

Compass — used for finding direction.

Dynamo — used for converting

mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Endoscope — used for viewing the

internal organs of a body.

Hygrometer — used for measuring

humidity in atmosphere.

Lactometer — used for determining the

purity of milk.

Microphone — used for changing sound

waves into electrical signals.

Microscope — used for looking very

small objects which cannot be seen with

the naked eye.

Odometer — used for measuring the

distance travelled by a vehicle.

Periscope — used especially in a

submarine for seeing objects above the

sea level.

Photometer — used for measuring the

luminous intensity of a source of light.

Projector — used for presenting an

enlarged image of a photograph or a film

onto a screen.

Radar — used for detecting the

direction and range of an approaching

aircraft.

Rain gauge — used for measuring the

amount of rainfall.

Seismograph — used for recording and

measuring earthquakes.

Sextant — used for measuring the angle

of elevation of an object, usually a high

building, mountain or heavenly body, in

order to find its distance and height.

Speedometer — used for measuring the

speed of a vehicle.

Sphygmomanometer — used for

measuring blood pressure.

Stethoscope — used by a doctor for

examining the movements of heart and

lungs.

Telescope — used for observing

heavenly bodies.

Transformer — used for increasing or

reducing the voltage.

Transponder — used for receiving

signals and transmitting them

immediately by its own.

55.

Branches of Science

Acoustics — deals with the study of

sound.

Aeronautics — deals with the study or

practice of constructing and flying

aircraft.

Anatomy — deals with the study of the

internal parts of living organisms.

Astronomy — deals with the study of

the heavenly bodies such as the Sun,

Moon, stars, planets, etc.

Biology — deals with the study of the

living things.

Botany — deals with the study of

plants.

Chemistry — deals with the study of the

composition of substances and laws of

their combination, etc.

Cosmology — deals with the study of

the universe — its origin, nature,

structure, evolution and development.

Ecology — deals with the study of the

relationship between living organisms

and their environment.

Entomology — deals with the study of

insects.

Genetics — deals with the study of the

ways in which different characteristics

are passed from one generation of living

organisms to the next.

Geology — deals with the study of the

Earth — its origin, structure,

composition, etc.

Hydrology — deals with the study of the

occurrence and distribution of water —

underground, in oceans and in the

atmosphere.

Meteorology — deals with the study of

the earth’s atmosphere and its changes,

used especially for forecasting weather.

Morphology — deals with the study of

the form and external structure of living

organisms.

Optics — deals with the study of light.

Ornithology — deals with the study of

birds.

Pharmacology — deals with the study

of medicines and their uses.

Physics — deals with the study of

matter, force and energy, e.g. heat, light,

sound, gravity, etc.

Psychiatry — deals with the study,

diagnosis, prevention and treatment of

mental disorders.

Psychology — deals with the study of

the mind and behaviour of humans and

animals.

Seismology — deals with the study of

earthquakes.

Zoology — deals with the study of

animals.

56.

The Planets

The word ‘planet’ comes from the Greek

word planetes meaning ‘wanderer’. Our

Solar System has eight planets. Here is

the important data about these planets:

Planet

Mean

distance

from

the Sun

(million

km)

Equatorial

diameter

(km)

Period of

revolution

round the

Sun

Mercury 57.9 4,879 88 days

Venus 108.2 12,100 224.7 days

Earth 149.6 12,756

365.26

days

Mars 227.9 6,796 687 days

Jupiter 778.4 142,800

11.86

years

Saturn 1,429.4 120,000

29.46

years

Uranus 2,875.0 51,000 84 years

Neptune 4,504.3 49,500

164.79

years

Note : The data given here is as per

NASA’s website. Some planets also

have many smaller satellites or moons.

Important Facts:

• Largest planet — Jupiter

• Smallest planet — Mercury

• Planet nearest to the Sun — Mercury

• Planet farthest from the Sun —

Neptune

• Hottest and brightest planet — Venus

• Coldest planet — Uranus

• Longest days — Mercury

• Shortest days — Jupiter

• Saturn is the only planet which has

rings around it.

• Jupiter is twice the size of all the

other planets put together.

• Mars is also called the ‘red planet’

because its soil and rocks are red.

57.

Body Facts

• Liver is the largest organ in our

body, weighing about 1.6 kg.

• Each day our heart beats normally

over 1,00,000 times.

• The normal temperature of our body

is 37oC or 98oF.

• There are 206 bones in our skeleton.

A new-born baby has 300 bones, out

of which 94 bones join together as

he or she grows.

• Most people have 12 pairs of ribs.

But one out of every 20 people has

at least one extra pair.

• An average man has about 5.5 liters

of blood.

• Each side of the brain controls the

opposite side of the body.

• The hair on our head usually lives

for 2-6 years before dropping out.

• The fastest muscles in our body are

those that blink the eyelids. We can

blink as fast as 200 times per

minute.

• Our eyelids have the thinnest skin on

our body (only 1 mm thick) while

our soles have the thickest skin

(about 3 mm thick).

• It takes about 17 muscles to smile,

but about 43 to frown.

• The size and shape of a person’s

nose can affect his or her voice.

• The coronary heart disease is the

most common cause of sudden

death.

• One brain cell may be connected to

as many as 25,000 other brain cells.

• A meal takes as long as 15 hours to

pass through our whole digestive

system.

• Through blinking we spend about

half an hour of our waking day with

our eyes closed.

• The thigh bone, called femur, is the

longest and the largest bone in our

body. The smallest bone is the

stirrup bone in the middle ear.

58.

Vitamins

Here is a brief description about the

functions of all important vitamins,

diseases caused due to their deficiencies

and their sources:

Functions

Deficiency

symptoms

Vitamin

Essential for

the

development

of babies

before birth

and the

growth of

children;

especially

needed for

the growth of

bones and

teeth; keeps

the skin

Night

blindness; poor

growth, rough

and dry skin;

xerophthalmia,

in which the

surface of the

eyes becomes

dry.

healthy.

Vitamin

Like vitamin

A, this

vitamin is

also needed

for growth;

our body also

needs it to

change

carbohydrates

into energy.

Beriberi, a

disease of the

nervous

system.

Vitamin

Needed for

growth and

for healthy

skin and eyes;

promotes the

body’s use of

Cracks in the

skin at the

corners of the

mouth; scaly

skin around the

nose and ears;

oxygen in

converting

food into

energy.

eyes become

extremely

sensitive to

light.

Vitamin

B12

Essential for

the normal

functioning of

an another

vitamin

called folic

acid; they

both are

needed to

produce

DNA.

A deficiency of

either of these

vitamins

causes

anaemia; lack

of vitamin B12

also damages

the nervous

system.

Essential for

healthy blood

Vitamin

vessels,

bones and

teeth; also

helps to form

collagen, a

protein that

holds tissues

together.

S c u r v y , a

disease in

which bleeding

occurs under

the skin,

around teeth

and bones.

Vitamin

Helps in

absorption

and

metabolism

of calcium

and

phosphorus

and thus

assists in

R i c k e t s , a

disease in

which bones

fail to harden

sufficiently and

become bent.

body growth.

Vitamin

Plays an

important

role in

maintaining

cell

membranes.

Deficiency of

vitamin E

occurs rarely

and produces

few symptoms.

Vitamin

Essential for

blood

clotting.

Delay in blood

clotting.

59.

Diseases and Human

Body

Here are the names of some diseases and

parts of the human body affected by

them:

Diseases

Parts of the human

body affected

AIDS

Arthritis

Asthma

Cataract

Dermatitis

Diabetes

Diphtheria

Eczema

Goitre

Jaundice

Immune system of the

body

Joints

Bronchial muscles

Eyes

Skin

Pancreas, Blood

Throat

Skin

Thyroid gland

Liver

Leukaemia Blood

Malaria

Paralysis

Pneumonia

Polio

Pyrrhoea

Rickets

Tetanus

Tonsillitis

Trachoma

Tuberculosis

Typhoid

Spinal cord

Nervous system

Lungs

Legs

Gums

Bones

Muscles

Tonsils (Glands in

throat)

Eyes

Lungs

Intestines

Believe It or Not:

• Through blinking we spend about

half an hour of our waking day with

our eyes closed.

• The fastest muscles in our body are

those that blink our eyelids.

Although we normally blink without

thinking but we can blink up to 200

times a minute.

60.

Festivals of India

Here are some important festivals of

India with their brief descriptions:

Baisakhi

A harvest festival of Punjab.

Basant Panchmi

A festival marking the beginning of

spring; celebrated in February.

Buddh Poornima

A festival celebrating the birth

anniversary of Lord Buddha.

Christmas

A festival celebrating the birth

anniversary of Jesus Christ, occurs on

25th December.

Dashera

A festival celebrated to commemorate

the victory of Rama (the Good) over

Ravana (the Evil).

Diwali (also Deepawali)

A festival of lights, held in October or

November, celebrated to commemorate

the return of Lord Rama to Ayodhya

after 14 years of exile.

Easter

A festival celebrating the resurrection (a

rising from the dead) of Jesus Christ that

occurs on a Sunday in March or April.

Eid Milad-un-Nabi

A Muslim festival to observe the birth

and death anniversary of Prophet

Muhammad.

Eid-ul-Fitr

A Muslim festival, the ‘Feast of

Breaking Fast’, held on the first day after

the month of Ramzan.

Eid-ul-Zuha (also Baqraeid)

A Muslim festival, the ‘Feast of

Sacrifice’, celebrated to show the

intention of ‘Kurbani’ (sacrifice) in the

name of God.

Good Friday

A Friday before Easter, remembered by

Christians as the day of crucifixion

(killing by fastening to a cross with

nails) of Jesus Christ.

Guruparv

A festival celebrating the birth

anniversary of Guru Nanak.

Holi

A festival of colours, held in March,

marking the end of winter.

Janmashtmi

A festival celebrating the birth

anniversary of Lord Krishna.

Mahavir Jayanti

A festival celebrating the birth

anniversary of Lord Mahavira.

Muharram

A Muslim festival, observed in the

memory of the martyrdom of Hasan and

Husain, the grandsons of Prophet

Muhammad.

Navroz (also Nowroj)

A Parsi festival celebrated on the first

day of the Parsi new year.

Onam

A harvest festival of Kerala (during

which boat races are held).

Pongal

A harvest festival celebrated in many

parts of South India (Tamil Nadu,

Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, etc.)

Raksha Bandhan

A festival in which sisters tie rakhis on

their brothers’ wrists and pray for them.

Brothers promise them to provide

security and support.

Ram Navmi

A festival celebrating the birth

anniversary of Lord Rama.

61.

Major Religions

BUDDHISM

Founder

Gautam Siddhartha Buddha

(563–483 BC), born in

Lumbini, Nepal

Date

founded

500 BC, India

Sacred

text

The Tripitaka (a collection

of Buddha’s teachings)

Places of

worship

Vihar (Temple) and

Monastery (where monks

reside)

Sects Mahayana and Hinayana

Sacred

places

Lumbini (Nepal) where

Buddha was born, Bodh

Gaya (Bihar) where he

received Enlightenment and

Kusinagar (UP) where he

attained ‘Nirvana’.

China, Tibet, Korea, Nepal,

Bhutan, Thailand, Myanmar,

Followed

Sri Lanka, Mongolia,

Cambodia, Taiwan,

Indonesia and Vietnam

CHRISTIANITY

Founder

Jesus Christ (4 BC–AD 30),

born in Bethlehem, also

called Jesus of Nazareth

Date

founded

1st AD

Sacred

text

Holy Bible consisting of the

Old Testament (before

Christ) and the New

Testament (during and after

Christ)

Place of

worship

Church

Sects Catholics and Protestants

Sacred

place

Jerusalem where Christ

lived and preached

Followed

Spread all over the world

HINDUISM

Founder Of divine origin

Date

founded

1500 BC, India

Sacred

texts

The Vedas, the Upanishads,

the Bhagavadgita and the

epics of the Mahabharata

and the Ramayana

Place of

worship

Mandir (Temple)

Sacred

places

Ayodhya, Mathura,

Amarnath, Hardwar,

Varanasi, Tirupati, Puri,

Rameshwaram, Kedarnath,

etc.

Followed

Concentrated in India and

Nepal and also in Mauritius,

Sri Lanka, Bhutan, Fiji,

Indonesia, Guyana and

Trinidad

ISLAM

Founder

Prophet Muhammad (AD

570–632), born in Mecca,

Saudi Arabia

Date

founded

7th AD, Arabian Peninsula

Sacred

texts

The Qur’an (words of

God), the Hadis (collection

of Prophet’s sayings)

Place of

worship

Masjid (Mosque)

Sects Sunnis and Shias

Sacred

places

Mecca and Medina

Followed

Spread all over the world

JAINISM

Founder

Vardhamana Mahavira

(599–527 BC), born in

Kunda near Vaishali, India

Date

founded

600 BC, India

Sacred

text

No specific text

Place of

worship

Temple

Sacred

place

Kunda near Vaishali, India

Followed

Mainly concentrated in India

JUDAISM

Founder

Abraham (2000 BC) and

Moses (1200 BC), born in

Egypt

Date

founded

2000 BC

Sacred

texts

The Hals, found particularly

in the five books of the

Bible; commentary on Torah

known as Talmud and

Midrash

Place of

worship

Synagogue

Sacred

place

Jerusalem

Followed

Worldwide with

concentration in Israel and

United States

SIKHISM

Founder

Guru Nanak (1469–1539),

born in Talwandi village,

now in Pakistan

Date

founded

1500 AD

Sacred

text

The Guru Granth Sahib

Place of

worship

Gurdwara

Sacred

place

Golden Temple, Amritsar

Followed

India

ZOROASTRIANISM (PARSI

RELIGION)

Founder

Zoroaster (600 BC),

born in Iran

Date

founded

600 BC, Iran

Sacred text The Zend Avesta

Place of

worship

Fire Temple

Followed in Iran and north-west India

62.

Important Days

National

Armed Forces Flag Day

Children’s Day

December 7

November

Gandhi Jayanti

Independence Day

Jallianwala Bagh Day

Kisan Divas (Farmer’s

Day)

Martyrs’ Day

National Integration Day

National Science Day

Republic Day

Teachers’ Day

October 2

August 15

April 13

December

January 30

October 31

February 28

January 26

September 5

International

Earth Day

Human Rights Day

International Labour Day

April 22

December

International Literacy

Day

International Women’s

Day

Red Cross Day

UN Day

World AIDS Day

World Environment Day

World Health Day

World No Tobacco Day

World Population Day

May 1

September 8

March 8

May 8

October 24

December 1

June 5

April 7

May 31

July 11

Believe It or Not:

• With no wind or rain, the footprints

made by the astronauts will remain

on the Moon forever.

• The heaviest hailstones on record

weighed up to 1 kg and are reported

to have killed 92 people in the

Gopalganj area of Bangladesh on

April 14, 1986.

63.

Important events in

Indian History

1526 — First Battle of Panipat

1556 — Second Battle of Panipat

1576 — Battle of Haldighati — Rana

Pratap defeated by Akbar

1600 — East India Company established

in India

1761 — Third Battle of Panipat

1853 — First railway line opened in

India between Bombay and Thane

1857 — First War of Independence

1885 — Indian National Congress

founded by A.O. Hume

1905 — Partition of Bengal

1911 — Capital of India transferred

from Calcutta to Delhi

1919 — Jallianwala Bagh massacre at

Amritsar (April 13)

1943 — Indian National Army organized

by Subhash Chandra Bose at Singapore;

Bengal famine

1947 — India became Independent;

Partition of India

1948 — Mahatma Gandhi assassinated

by Nathuram Vinayak Godse (Jan. 30)

1950 — India became a Republic (Jan.

26)

1952 — First General Elections held

1962 — Indo-China War

1965 — First Indo-Pak War

1971 — Second Indo-Pak War;

Birth of Bangladesh

1972 — Shimla Agreement signed

between India and Pakistan

1974 — First underground nuclear test

conducted at Pokhran, Rajasthan

1975 — First Indian satellite,

Aryabhatta, launched (April 19);

Emergency declared in the country

(June 26)

1983 — India won the Cricket World

Cup

1984 — First Indian, Rakesh Sharma,

went into the space;

Indira Gandhi assassinated

1991 — Rajiv Gandhi assassinated

1998 — Five underground nuclear tests

conducted at Pokhran

2003 — Kalpana Chawla died with

other six crew members in the Columbia

Space Shuttle explosion (Feb. 1)

2007 — India won the inaugural ICC

World Twenty20 tournament at

Johannesburg

64.

Important events in

World History

563 BC — Birth of Lord Buddha

4 BC — Birth of Jesus Christ

570 AD — Birth of Prophet Muhammad

1492 — Columbus discovered America

1564 — Birth of William Shakespeare

1783 — USA became independent

1789 — French Revolution

1837 — Accession of Queen Victoria to

the throne of England

1865 — Abraham Lincoln assassinated

1896 — Olympic Games revived in

Athens

1901 — Nobel Prize first awarded

1903 — Wright Brothers make their first

flight

1904 — FIFA founded in Paris

1914–18 — World War I

1917 — Russian Revolution

1920 — League of Nations founded

1939–45 — World War II

1941 — Japan attacked Pearl Harbour

1945 — First atom bomb dropped on

Hiroshima (Aug. 6);

Second atom bomb dropped on

Nagasaki (Aug. 9);

UNO founded (Oct. 24)

1957 — First man-made satellite,

Sputnik I, launched by the former

USSR

1961 — First man, Yuri Gagarin, went

into the space

1967 — First human heart transplant

operation conducted by Christiaan

Barnard

1969 — US astronauts, Neil Armstrong

and Edwin Aldrin, landed on the

Moon

1981 — First reports of AIDS

1983 — IBM launched personal

computer (PC)

1990 — Nelson Mandela freed from

prison after 27 years;

West and East Germany united

1991 — USSR disintegrated into 15

Republics

1997 — Hong Kong returned to China

after 99 years of British rule

2001 — Terrorist attacks on America

(Sep. 11)

2002 — ‘Euro’ becomes the official

currency of twelve European

countries

2008 — Barack Obama elected the 44th

President of United States

65.

Fictional Characters

and their Creators

Here are some famous fictional

characters and their creators :

Character Creator

Adam

Alice

Chacha

Chaudhary

David

Copperfield

Dr. Zhivago

Gora

Gulliver

Hamid

Hamlet

Harry Poter

Huckleberry

Finn

John Milton

Lewis Carroll

Pran

Charles Dickens

Boris Pasternak

Rabindranath Tagore

Jonathan Swift

Premchand

William Shakespeare

J.K. Rowling

Mark Twain

Ian Fleming

Walt Disney

James Bond

Mickey Mouse

Mowgli

Romeo

Shakuntala

Sherlock

Holmes

Rudyard Kipling

William Shakespeare

Kalidas

Sir Arthur Conan

Doyle

Believe It or Not:

• The dragon in China is a symbol of

good luck. They think that dragons

bring prosperity and good fortune.

• A bird known as mocking bird, can

imitate the songs of about forty

different birds.

• The world’s largest leaves are those

of the Raffia palm, which grow up

to 20 m long.

• The United States Library of

Congress contains more than 86

million items. It is the largest library

in the world.

66.

Defining Places

Apiary — a place where bees are kept.

Arsenal — a place where weapons and

explosives are made or stored.

Asylum — a hospital for the care of

mentally ill people.

Aviary — a large cage or building

where birds are kept.

Barracks — a large building or a group

of buildings where soldiers live.

Brewery — a building in which beer is

made.

Cafe — a small restaurant serving

meals and drinks at a cheap rate.

Castle — a large building with thick

walls, towers, etc. for defence.

Cloakroom — a room for keeping

luggage at a railway station or in any

public building.

Convent — a building in which nuns

live.

Creche — a place where babies are

looked after while their parents work,

shop, etc.

Crematory — a place where dead

people are burnt.

Dockyard — a place where ships are

built and repaired.

Dormitory — a room or hall for several

people to sleep in, especially in a

school, hotel or other institution.

Galley — a kitchen in a ship or an

aircraft.

Hangar — a large shed in which

aircraft are kept.

Harbour — an area of water in which

ships can take shelter.

Kiln — a place where bricks are made.

Laboratory — a room or building used

for scientific experiments, testing,

research, etc.

Mess — a building or room in which

members of a hostel or the armed forces

have their meals.

Mint — a place where money is coined.

Mortuary — a room or building in the

hospital used for the temporary storage

of dead bodies.

Motel — a hotel for motorists, with

space for parking cars near the rooms.

Orchard — a piece of land, usually

enclosed, in which fruit trees are grown.

Pantry — a small room or large

cupboard close to a kitchen, for keeping

food, etc. in.

Pavilion — a building next to a sports

ground where players sit during a match.

Ward — a separate part or room in a

hospital for a particular group of

patients.

67.

Different Subjects

Anthropology — the study of the human

beings, especially their origins,

developments, customs and beliefs.

Archaeology — the study of ancient

cultures, people and periods of history

by scientific analysis of their material

remains.

Astrology — the study of the positions

and movements of the stars and planets

in the belief that they influence human

affairs.

Cartography — the art of drawing maps

and charts.

Chronology — the art of arranging dates

of historical events in the order in which

they occurred.

Demography — the study of the

population, especially with reference to

its size, distribution, rate of birth, death,

diseases, etc.

Economics — the study of the principles

of production and distribution of goods,

the creation of wealth, and national

income.

Geography — the study of the earth’s

surface, its physical features, divisions,

climate, products, population, etc.

Lexicography — the art of writing and

editing dictionaries.

Numismatics — the study and collection

of cions and medals.

Philately — the study and collection of

postage stamps.

Philology — the study of the historical

development of languages or a particular

language.

Phonetics — the study of speech

sounds, their pronunciation and their

production.

Telepathy — the art of communication

of thoughts or feelings from one mind to

another without the normal use of the

senses.

Theology — the study of the nature of

God and of the foundations of religious

belief.

Believe It or Not:

• It is impossible to sneeze and keep

your eyes open at the same time.

• The tsunami waves move at over 700

km/h and can be up to 30 m high.

• The Moon is moving slowly away

from the Earth at the rate of an inch

per year.

68.

Professionals

Astrologer — a person who predicts

future from the study of the positions of

the stars and the movements of the

planets.

Blacksmith — a person who makes and

repairs things made of iron.

Broker — a person who acts as a

middleman in bargains.

Butcher — a person who sells meat or

kills animals for this.

Cartographer — a person who draws

maps and charts.

Chore ographe r — a person who

arranges the steps and movements in

dances.

Confectioner — a person who makes

and sells sweets, cakes, pastries, etc.

Draper — a person who sells clothes.

Florist — a person who sells flowers.

Goldsmith — a person who makes

articles of gold.

Grocer — a person who sells food in

packets and general small household

goods.

Jockey — a person who rides in horse

races.

Lexicographer — a person who writes

and edits dictionaries.

Lyricist — a person who writes the

words of songs.

Mason — a person who builds stone

houses.

Optician — a person who makes and

sells spectacles, contact lenses and other

optical goods.

Plumber — a person who fits or repairs

pipes and taps.

Porter — a person who carries

people’s luggage and other loads.

Publisher — a person who publishes

books, newspapers, magazines, etc.

Retailer — a shopkeeper who sells

goods in small quantities to the general

public.

Sculptor — a person who makes figures

or objects by carving wood or stones,

shaping clay, etc.

Surgeon — a doctor who performs

medical operations.

Tanner — a person who makes animal

skin into leather by treating it with

chemicals.

Teller — a cashier who pays out money

especially in a bank.

Undertaker — a person who arranges

funerals.

Veterinarian — a doctor who treats

animal diseases and injuries.

Vintner — a person who sells wines.

69.

Important Terms

Affidavit — a written statement made

on oath before an authority, that can be

used as evidence in court.

Ambassador — a person who lives in a

foreign country and represents there his

or her own country.

Atheist — a person who does not

believe in the existence of God.

Auction — a public event at which

things are sold to the person who offers

the most money for them.

Ballot — a system of secret voting.

Bankrupt — a person who is unable to

pay his or her debts, whose property is

then taken by the court and used to repay

those debts.

Bibliophile — a person who loves and

collects books.

Brain Drain — the loss of a country

when skilled and intelligent people

leave it to go and live in other countries

for better opportunities.

Calligraphy — an art of beautiful

handwriting.

Capital punishment — a punishment of

death.

Catalogue — a complete list of items,

e.g. books, etc.

Census — the official counting of a

country’s population.

Coalition — a temporary union of

separate political parties, usually in

order to form a government.

held for certain years, to print, publish,

sell, broadcast, film or record an

original work or any part of it.

Curfew — an official order for the

civilians to stay indoors for a specific

period.

Epicure — a person fond of food and

drink of high quality.

Extravagant — a person who spends

money unnecessarily.

Fourth State — a term that is applied to

the press, e.g. newspapers, journalists,

etc.

Honorary — a post or a person which

is not paid or a degree given as an

honour, without the usual qualification

being required.

Ledger — a book in which a bank,

business firm, etc. records its accounts.

Licence — a written permission from

the government to carry out a trade or

use something.

Lullaby — a soft gentle song sung to

make a child go to sleep.

Manifesto — declaration of principles

and policies by a political party on the

eve of a general election.

Manuscript — a paper or a document,

especially an author’s work when it is

written by hand or typed.

Massacre — the killing of a large

number of human beings.

Migration — moving from one place to

another to live or to work.

Monarchy — a system of government

where the king or the queen is the head.

Obituary — notification of a person’s

death, especially in a newspaper, often

with a short account of his or her life

and achievements.

Optimist — a person who is always

hopeful and looks only on the bright side

of a thing.

Orphan — a child whose parents are

dead.

Paparazzi — journalists or

photographers who follow famous

people around in order to get interesting

stories and photographs.

Passbook — a book provided by the

bank which contains the record of a

customer’s account.

Patent — an official document giving

the holder the sole right to make, use or

sell an invention and preventing others

from copying it.

Pessimist — a person who is always

disappointed and looks only on the dark

side of a thing.

Piracy — illegal copying of books,

cassettes, CDs, etc.

Post-mortem — a medical examination

of a person’s body made after his or her

death in order to find the cause of death.

Prospectus — a printed document or a

thin book that gives details about a

course, school, college, business, etc.

Quack — a person who dishonestly

claims to have special knowledge and

skill, especially in medicine.

Refugee — a person who has been

forced to leave his or her country for

political or religious reasons and takes

shelter in a foreign country.

Republic — a system of government in

which there is an elected president, but

no king or queen.

Royalty — the percentage to which a

writer, illustrator or musician is entitled

on the sale of a book, painting, or a

musical composition.

Sovereign — a fully independent nation

or state with complete freedom to

govern itself.

Summons — an order to a person to

appear in a law court at a specific time.

Theist — a person who believes in the

existence of God.

Universal — a law, theory, etc. which is

applicable to all or same anywhere.

Veteran — a person who has a long

experience in any profession.

Volunteer — a person who does

something or offers service, of his or her

own will.

Warrant — a written order from a

court, giving the police authority to

arrest someone or to search a place.

White Elephant — a possession or a

thing that is useless and often expensive

to maintain.

Will — a legal document in which a

person states how he or she wants his or

her property and money to be disposed

of after his or her death.

Calligraphy

70.

World Records held

by India(ns)

• Lata Mangeshkar has the world

record for maximum number of song

recordings to her credit.

• Santosh Yadav is the only woman in

the world to have climbed Mount

Everest twice.

• Captain Durba Banerjee is the only

woman pilot in the world with most

flying hours (18,500 flying hours

between 1959–88).

• Dr. M.C. Modi has the world record

for performing the most eye

operations to his credit. He has

performed about 5,95,000 eye

operations between 1943 and 1997.

• Gul Muhammad (1957–97), a

resident of Ballimaran, Delhi, was

the shortest man in the world. He

was 22.5 inches (57.2 cm) tall and

weighed 17 kg.

• Zero was first used in India.

Brahmagupta (598–660 AD) was

the first mathematician to treat zero

as a number.

• There are about 325 languages and

dialects being used in India, much

more than any other country.

• Tamil is the oldest of all Indian

languages and also the oldest living

language in the world.

• The Constitution of India is the

longest in the world. It has 395

Articles and 12 Schedules.

• India tops the world in film

production. More than 800 films a

year are made in India.

• India leads the world in cattle

population. There are over 80

million draught animals in India.

• India has the largest postal network

in the world. It has 1,53,454 post

offices of which 89% are in the

rural areas.

• The State Bank of India has the

maximum number of branches. It has

over 9,000 branches with 51 foreign

offices in 31 countries.

• The Hero Cycles Ltd. is the largest

manufacturer of bicycles in the

world. The company was started

with a capacity of 25 bicycles per

day and today it has a production

capacity of 19,500 bicycles per day

at two units.

• Mawsynram in Meghalaya, with an

average annual rainfall of 467

inches, is the wettest place in the

world, closely followed by

Cherrapunjee with 450 inches of

rainfall per year.

• Shankar’s International Dolls

Museum in New Delhi has the

largest collection of costume dolls

in the world. It has over 6,000 dolls

from 80 countries and all of them

are dressed in the traditional

costumes of their countries.

• India is the largest producer of milk

in the world. Its annual production

of milk is over 70 million tonnes.

• India is the largest producer of tea in

the world. 30% of the world’s

output is produced in India.

• India leads the world in mango

production. Its annual production of

10 million metric tonnes accounts

for 65% of the world production.

• India’s annual spice production of

2.5 million tonnes accounts for

about 33% of the world production.

• The 833 m long Kharagpur Railway

Platform in West Bengal is the

longest railway platform in the

world.

• The Sunderbans (Ganga-Brahmputra)

Delta in West Bengal and

Bangladesh is the largest delta in the

world. It covers an area of 75,000

sq. km.

• The Siachen Glacier on the Indo-Pak

border is the world’s longest

glacier. It is 75.6 km long and 2.8

km broad. It is also the highest battle

ground in the world.

• The 1,220 m long corridor of the

Ramanathaswamy Temple at

Rameshwaram, Tamil Nadu is the

longest corridor in the world. It has

983 richly carved pillars.

• The Khardungla Road in Leh-Manali

sector at a height of 5,682 m is the

highest motorable road in the world.

• The Leh Airport in Ladakh at a

height of 3,256 m is the highest non-

military airport in the world.

• The ‘Samrat Yantra’, built by Sawai

Jai Singh II at Jaipur in 1728, is the

biggest sundial in the world. It is

27.4 m tall.

Lata Mangeshkar

71.

Newspapers and

Periodicals

Here are some important facts about

Indian newspapers and periodicals:

First Newspaper of India

Bengal Gazette, published from Kolkata

in 1780. It was a weekly brought out on

Saturdays by James Augustus Hickey.

Oldest Existing Newspaper

Mumbai Samachar, started in 1822. This

Gujarati daily, published from Mumbai

is the oldest daily of Asia.

Oldest existing English Daily

The Times of India, started in 1838 from

Mumbai.

Oldest Magazine

Calcutta Review in English since 1844.

Number of Daily Newspapers

More than 5,000 daily newspapers are

published in India in about 100

languages and dialects.

Most Newspapers in a Language

The highest number of newspapers are

published in Hindi (about 2,200 dailies).

Most Newspapers from a State

Uttar Pradesh, with 8,400 newspapers

including 810 dailies.

Largest Selling Daily

The Times of India, having twelve

editions in English. It has a circulation

of 21,52,000.

Largest Selling Periodical

Saras Salil, a Hindi fortnightly,

published from New Delhi. It has a

circulation of 11,01,600 copies.

Most Editions of a Daily

The Indian Express, published from 18

centres.

First Financial Daily

The Economic Times, launched by the

Times Group in 1961.

Longest Running Cartoon

R.K. Laxman’s cartoon ‘You Said It’

featuring the common man has been

appearing regularly in The Times of

India since 1951.

Oldest Existing Children’s Magazine

Chandamama, started in July 1947 from

Chennai by B. Vishwanath Reddy. It is

now published in 12 languages.

Only Children’s Magazine in Braille

Chandamama started a special version in

Braille in 1981. It is currently a

quarterly, combining three issues of

ordinary Chandamama which is a

monthly.

News Ngencies

Press Trust of India (PTI), started in

1947;

United News of India (UNI), started in

1961.

72.

The Top 5

Largest Continents

Continent

Approx. area (sq.

km)

1. Asia

2. Africa

3. North

America

4. South

America

5. Antarctica

4,44,93,000

3,02,93,000

2,44,54,000

1,78,38,000

1,42,00,000

Largest Oceans

Ocean

Approx. area (sq.

km)

1. Pacific Ocean

2. Atlantic

Ocean

3. Indian Ocean

16,62,40,000

8,22,17,000

7,34,26,000

4. Southern

Ocean

5. Arctic Ocean

2,03,27,000

1,39,86,000

Largest Countries

Country Area (sq. km)

1. Russia

2. Canada

3. China

4. USA

5. Brazil

1,70,75,400

99,70,537

95,96,961

93,72,614

85,11,965

Largest Seas

Sea

Approx. area (sq.

km)

1. Coral Sea

2. Arabian Sea

3. South China Sea

4. Caribbean Sea

5. Mediterranean

Sea

47,91,000

38,64,000

36,86,000

27,53,000

25,15,000

Smallest Countries

Country Area (sq. km)

1. Vatican City

2. Monaco

3. Nauru

4. Tuvalu

5. San Marino

0.44

1.95

21.23

26.00

61.00

Largest Planets

Planet Max. diameter (km)

1. Jupiter

2. Saturn

3. Uranus

4. Neptune

5. Earth

1,42,800

1,20,000

51,000

49,500

12,756

Countries with the Highest Population

Country Estimated population

(2009)

1. China

2. India

3. USA

Indonesia

5. Brazil

1,33,00,44,000

1,14,79,95,000

30,38,24,000

23,75,12,000

19,19,08,000

Organized Religions

Religion Followers

1. Christianity

2. Islam

3. Hinduism

2,13,00,00,000

1,51,00,00,000

90,70,00,000

4. Buddhism

5. Judaism

38,75,00,000

2,13,50,000

Highest Mountains

Mountain Location

Height

(m)

1. Everest

2. K 2 (Godwin-

Austen)

3. Kanchenjunga

4. Lhotse

5. Makalu

Nepal-

Tibet

Kashmir-

China

Nepal-

Sikkim

Nepal-

Tibet

Nepal-

Tibet

8,850

8,611

8,598

8,501

8,470

Largest Human Organs

Organ Average weight (g)

1. Liver

1,560

2. Brain male 1,410

female 1,265

3. Lungs right 580

left 510

total 1,090

4. Heart male 315

female 265

5. Kidney left 150

right 140

total 290

Largest Deserts

Desert Location

Approx. area

(sq. km)

1. Sahara

2. Arabian

3. Gobi

North

Africa

Southwest

Asia

Mongolia-

90,00,000

23,30,000

12,95,000

Patagonian

5. Great

Basin

China

Argentina

Southwest

USA

6,73,000

4,92,000

Longest Rivers

River

Length

(km)

1. Nile (Tanzania, Uganda,

Sudan, Egypt)

2. Amazon (Brazil)

3. Yangtze Kiang (China)

4. Mississippi-Missouri-Red

Rock (USA)

5. Yenisey-Angara-Selenga

6,670

6,450

6,300

5,970

5,540

(Russia)

Largest Lakes

Lake Location

Approx.

area (sq.

km)

Caspian

Sea

Superior

Victoria

4. Aral

Sea

5. Huron

Iran-Rep. of

former USSR

USA-Canada

Kenya-

Tanzania-

Uganda

Kazakhstan

USA-Canada

3,71,000

82,350

69,500

65,500

59,600

Highest Waterfalls

Waterfall River Location

Drop

(m)

1. Angel

2. Tugela

3. Utigard

Mongefossen

5. Yosemite

Caroni

Tugela

Jostedal

Glacier

Monge

Yosemite

Creek

Venezuela

South

Africa

Norway

USA

980

948

800

774

739

Most Widely Spoken Languages

Language No. of speakers

1. Mandarin Chinese 1,00,00,00,000

2. English

3. Hindi

4. Spanish

5. Russian

52,00,00,000

45,00,00,000

35,00,00,000

30,00,00,000

Highest Mountains

Mountain Location

Height

(m)

1. Everest

2. K 2 (Godwin-

Austen)

3. Kanchenjunga

4. Lhotse

5. Makalu

Nepal-

Tibet

Kashmir-

China

Nepal-

Sikkim

Nepal-

Tibet

8,850

8,611

8,598

8,501

8,470

Nepal-

Tibet

Largest Islands

Island Location

Approx. area

(sq. km)

Greenland

2. New

Guinea

3. Borneo

Madagascar

5. Baffin

Arctic

Ocean

West

Pacific

Ocean

Indian

Ocean

Indian

Ocean

Arctic

21,75,600

7,89,900

7,51,000

5,87,040

5,07,450

Ocean

Deadliest Snakes

Species Native Region

1. Taipan

2. Black

Mamba

3. Tiger Snake

4. Common

Krait

5. Death

Adder

Australia & New

Guinea

Southern & Central

Africa

Australia

South Asia

Australia

Tallest Habitable Buildings

Building Location Storeys Height(m)

1. Burj

Dubai

2. Taipei

101

Shanghai

World

Financial

Dubai

(UAE)

Taipei

(Taiwan)

162

101

818

509

Centre

Petronas

Twin

Towers

5. Wills

Tower

(Sears)

Shanghai

Kuala

Lumpur

Chicago

101

110

492

452

442

Commonest Phobias

Object of Phobia Medical Term

1. Spiders

2. People & social

situations

3. Flying

4. Heights

Arachnophobia

Anthrophobia or

Sociophobia

Aerophobia

Acrophobia or

5. Confined

spaces

Altophobia

Claustrophobia

Longest Bridges

Bridge Country

Length

(m)

1. Akashi Kaikyo

(1998)

2. Store Baelt

(1998)

3. Humber (1981)

4. Jiangyin (1998)

5. Tsing Ma (1997)

Japan

Denmark

China

1,991

1,624

1,410

1,385

1,377

73.

Miscellaneous

UNION TERRITORIES OF INDIA

Name Capital

Area

(sq.

km)

Population

Andaman

& Nicobar

Islands

Port Blair 8,249 3,56,152

Chandigarh

Chandigarh 114 9,00,635

3. Dadra &

Nagar

Haveli

Silvassa 491 2,20,490

4. Daman

& Diu

Daman 112 1,58,204

5. Delhi New Delhi 1,483 1,38,50,507

Lakshadeep

Kavaratti 32 60,650

Puducherry

Puducherry 492 9,74,345

COMMISSIONED RANKS IN

INDIAN FORCE

The following are the commissioned

ranks in the three services, beginning

with the highest rank and going down

the order; each rank is shown opposite

its equivalent in the other service:

Army Navy Air Force

General Admiral

Air Chief

Marshal

Lieutenant

General

Vice Admiral Air Marshal

Major

General

Rear Admiral

Air Vice

Marshal

Brigadier Commodore Air

Commodore

Colonel Captain

Group

Captain

Lieutenant

Colonel

Commander

Wing

Commander

Major

Lieutenant

Commander

Squadron

Leader

Captain Lieutenant

Flight

Lieutenant

Sub

Lieutenant

Flying

Officer

WORLD LEADERS

ASSASSINATED

Abraham President of the

1865

Lincoln United Sates

Indira Gandhi

Prime Minister of

India

1984

John F.

Kennedy

President of the

United States

1963

Liyaqat Ali

Khan

First Prime

Minister of

Pakistan

1951

Mahatma

Gandhi

Father of the

Nation, India

1948

Martin Luther

King

American Negro

Leader

1968

Rajiv Gandhi

Former Prime

Minister of India

1991

Ranasingha President of Sri

1993

Premdasa Lanka

Sheikh

Mujib-ur-

Rehman

President of

Bangladesh

1975

Zia-ur-

Rehman

President of

Bangladesh

1981

Benazir

Bhutto

Former Prime

Minister of

Pakistan

2007

UNITS OF MEASUREMENTS

Name of unit Used to measure

Ampere Electric current

Calorie Quantity of heat

Carat Purity of gold

Celsius (Centigrade) Temperature

Decibel Sound

Diopter Power of a lense

Fahrenheit Temperature

Joule Energy

Kelvin Temperature

Knot Speed of a ship

Light Year Distance in space

Newton Force

Ream Sheets of paper

Watt Electric power

CONVERSION FACTORS

Length

1 inch = 2.54 cm

12 inch = 1 foot

3 feet = 1 yard

1 mile = 1.6 km

1 nautical mile = 1.85 km

Weight

1 ounce = 28.35 g

16 ounce = 1 pound

1 pound = 454 g

1 tonne = 1,000 kg

Capacity

1 gallon (UK) = 4.55 litres

74.

Quiz

1. What is the full form of ATM?

2. What does FIR stand for?

3. What is the full form of MBBS?

4. What does WWF stand for?

5. Who wrote ‘Ramayana’?

6. Who is the author of ‘A Suitable

Boy’?

7. Who wrote ‘Arabian Nights’?

8. Who is the author of ‘Jungle Book’?

9. What colour in our National Flag

signifies faith and prosperity?

10. How many lions are there in our

National Emblem?

11. Which book is the source of our

National Song?

12. Which is the third most widely

spoken language in the world?

13. How many states and union

territories are there in India?

14. Which is the largest Indian state?

15. Which is the most populous state in

India?

16. Who was the first President of India?

17. Which Indian President occupied the

office for the shortest term?

18. Who was the first President of India

to be elected unopposed?

19. Who was the President of India

when Prime Minister Indira Gandhi

declared a state of emergency in 1975?

20. Who is known as ‘The Father of

India’s Missile Programme’?

21. Who was the youngest Prime

Minister of India?

22. Which Indian Prime Minister died in

Russia?

23. What is the capital of Uttarakhand?

24. Which city is the capital of two

Indian states?

25. Which language is spoken in Kerala?

26. Telugu is the principal language of

which Indian state?

27. What is the famous classical dance

form of Kerala?

28. Which Indian state would you

associate with Garba?

29. Bihu is the famous dance form of

which Indian state?

30. What is the capital of Australia?

31. What is the capital of Malaysia?

32. What is the currency of China?

33. What is the currency of Saudi

Arabia?

34. What is the single currency of the

European Union?

35. What are the natives of Netherlands

called?

36. What are the natives of Scotland

called?

37. What is the official language of

Brazil?

38. What is the official language of Iran?

39. What is the major religion in

Thailand?

40. In which country is the religion

Shintoism followed?

41. Which is the largest and the most

populated continent?

42. On which continent is Brazil?

43. Which country has the longest

international boundary with India?

44. On which continent is the South

Pole?

45. How is Banaras better known today?

46. What was the old name of Japan?

47. How is Mesopotamia better known

today?

48. Which city is called ‘The Gateway

of India’?

49. Which country is known as ‘The Gift

of the Nile’?

50. On the banks of which river

Guwahati is situated?

51. Which capital city is situated on the

banks of river Thames?

52. Which river flows through Baghdad?

53. What is Moradabad famous for?

54. What is Johannesburg famous for?

55. How many players are there in a

team of basketball?

56. Which is considered the fastest team

game in the world?

57. Which two countries share the

world’s longest boundary?

58. What is the playground of wrestling

called?

59. Which game is also known as ping-

pong?

60. Which ball game is played in the

largest ground?

61. What is the national game of Russia?

62. What is the national game of USA?

63. Which country invented ice hockey?

64. Where were the Olympic Games

originated?

65. Who is said to be ‘The Father of

Modern Olympics’?

66. How many rings are there in the

Olympic flag?

67. What colour ring in the Olympic flag

represents Asia?

68. How many days do the Summer

Olympic Games last?

69. Which country has won the most

Gold medals in the Olympic hockey?

70. Who won the Silver Medal for India

in double trap shooting in Athens

Olympics, 2004?

71. Which is the only country to have

played in every World Cup Soccer

Tournament?

72. Which country has won the most

World Cup Soccer Tournaments?

73. Who is the highest goal-scorer in the

history of the World Cup Soccer?

74. In which year did India win the

World Cup in cricket?

75. Who was the captain of the Indian

cricket team that won the World Cup in

1983?

76. Which game is Baichung Bhutia

associated with?

77. What was the original name of

Muhammad Ali?

78. For what country did Zinedine

Zidane play?

79. Who is the only woman tennis player

to win the Wimbledon singles title nine

times?

80. Which game the Irani Trophy is

associated with?

81. Which game the Davis Cup is

associated with?

82. Which is the oldest football

tournament in India?

83. Which game the term knockout is

associated with?

84. What is the colour of the highest belt

in karate?

85. What colour is the card that means

the player is sent off the field in soccer?

86. What is the length of a cricket pitch?

87. What is the width of a football goal?

88. At what height are the baskets hung

in basketball?

89. What is the duration of a normal

hockey match?

90. Where is the Wankhede Stadium?

91. Which is the largest indoor stadium

in India?

92. Which cricket stadium in India has

the largest seating capacity?

93. Which game the Ambedkar Stadium

is associated with?

94. Which game the Maracana

Municipal Stadium is associated with?

95. Which is the world’s biggest

flower?

96. Who was the first Indian to win an

Oscar?

97. Which was the first Indian talkie

film?

98. Who were the first people to reach

the top of Mount Everest?

99. Which country has TGVs?

100. The Great Barrier Reef lies off the

coast of which country?

101. Who is popularly known as ‘The

Nightingale of India’?

102. Who is popularly known as ‘The

Black Pearl’?

103. What nationality was Florence

Nightingale?

104. In which country was Albert

Einstein born?

105. Which great 16th-century Italian

artist and thinker designed a helicopter

that was never built?

106. Who founded the Missionaries of

Charity?

107. Who founded the Aligarh Muslim

University?

108. Who gave the popular slogan ‘Jai

Jawan, Jai Kisan’?

109. Who said ‘That’s one small step for

man, one giant leap for mankind’?

110. Which is the fastest land animal?

111. Which is the smallest bird?

112. Which is the largest lizard?

113. Name one egg laying mammal.

114. Which mammal has the longest

pregnancy period?

115. Which bird travels the longest

distance during its migratory journey?

116. Which bird has the longest wings?

117. Where is the Kaziranga National

Park?

118. Which National Park is famous for

Asiatic lions?

119. Where is the Rock Garden in India?

120. Where is Science City in India?

121. Where is Grand Canyon?

122. Name the building which houses the

US Defence Ministry in Washington,

DC.

123. Which is the largest prison in

India?

124. Which is the highest mountain peak

in Indian territory?

125. Which is the tallest building in

India?

126. Which place in India receives the

maximum rainfall annually?

127. Which is the largest river in the

world?

128. Which is the largest and deepest

Ocean?

129. Which is the lowest point on the

earth?

130. Which is the highest waterfall in the

world?

131. How many triangular sides does a

pyramid have?

132. Where were the Hanging Gardens

of Babylon built?

133. Where is the Salar Jung Museum?

134. Who first proposed the name

‘United Nations’?

135. How many countries are in the UN?

136. In what city is the UN

headquarters?

137. On which date the Nobel Prizes are

awarded annually?

138. Who invented the dynamite?

139. Which Indian scientist won the

Nobel Prize for Medicine in 1968?

140. For what discipline was Amartya

Sen awarded the Nobel Prize in 1998?

141. Who was the first foreigner to

receive Bharat Ratna?

142. Which is the highest sports award

given to sportspersons in India?

143. Which is the highest gallantry

award in India?

144. Who invented the helicopter?

145. Which invention is usually credited

to Johannes Gutenburg?

146. Who propounded ‘The Theory of

Evolution’?

147. Which scientist obtained the most

patents from the US patent office?

148. Which instrument is used for

measuring the distance travelled by a

vehicle?

149. What device is used by submarine

crews to see above the water?

150. Which branch of science deals with

the study of plants?

151. What is a scientist who studies the

weather called?

152. Which is usually associated with

fine weather : high pressure or low

pressure?

153. Which is the largest planet in our

Solar System?

154. Which planet is famous for the

rings around it?

155. Which is the largest organ in our

body?

156. What is the largest bone in our

body?

157. How many bones are there in an

adult’s skull?

158. Deficiency of which vitamin causes

night blindness?

159. Which vitamin helps in blood

clotting?

160. Which part of our body is affected

by jaundice?

161. Which goddess is worshiped on the

Diwali festival?

162. Name the festival of Kerala during

which boat races are held.

163. Where was Lord Buddha born?

164. Where was Jesus Christ born?

165. What is the meaning of

Bhagavadgita?

166. What is the holy journey to Mecca

made by the Muslims called?

167. To which religion do the sects

Sunnis and Shias belong?

168. Who worship in a Fire Temple?

169. On which date do we celebrate

Children’s Day?

170. Whose birthday is celebrated as

Teachers’ Day in India?

171. In which year did India become a

Republic?

172. Which Indian astronaut died in the

Columbia Space Shuttle explosion in

2003?

173. In which year did people first walk

on the moon?

174. In which year did the atom bombs

drop on Japan?

175. What large machine was used for

the first time in World War I?

176. Who created the famous cartoon

character Micky Mouse?

177. Who is the creator of the fictional

character Mowgli?

178. What is a place where money is

coined called?

179. What we call a room at a railway

station that is used for keeping luggage?

180. What subject deals with the study

and collection of postage stamps?

181. How fast do tsunami waves move?

182. What is a person who draws maps

and charts called?

183. What is a doctor who treats animals

called?

184. What is a person who loves and

collects books called?

185. What is the illegal copying of

books, CDs and cassettes called?

186. Which is the oldest living language

in the world?

187. Which country has the largest

postal network?

188. Which is the longest railway

platform in the world?

189. Which is the world’s highest battle

ground?

190. Which is the oldest existing English

daily in India?

191. Which is the largest country?

192. Which is the second most populated

country?

193. Which religion has the largest

followers in the world?

194. Which is the fastest growing

religion in the world?

195. How high is Mount Everest?

196. In which continent are the world’s

highest mountains?

197. Which is the most widely spoken

language in the world?

198. Which is the highest commissioned

rank in Indian navy?

199. What is the unit of sound?

200. How many centimeters are there in

one inch?

75.

Answers

1. Automated Teller Machine

2. First Information Report

3. Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor

of Surgery

4. Worldwide Fund for Nature

5. Valmiki

6. Vikram Seth

7. Sir Richard Burton

8. Rudyard Kipling

9. Green

10. Four

11. Anand Math

12. Hindi

13. 28 states & 7 union territories

14. Rajasthan

15. Uttar Pradesh

16. Dr. Rajendra Prasad

17. Dr. Zakir Husain (2 years)

18. Neelam Sanjiva Reddy

19. Fakhruddin Ali Ahmad

20. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

21. Rajiv Gandhi

22. Lal Bahadur Shastri

23. Dehradun

24. Chandigarh

25. Malayalam

26. Andhra Pradesh

27. Kathakali

28. Gujarat

29. Assam

30. Canberra

31. Kuala Lumpur

32. Yuan

33. Riyal

34. Euro

35. Dutch

36. Scottish

37. Portuguese

38. Persian

39. Buddhism

40. Japan

41. Asia

42. South America

43. China

44. Antarctica

45. Varanasi

46. Nippon

47. Iraq

48. Mumbai

49. Egypt

50. Brahmaputra

51. London

52. Tigris

53. Brassware

54. Gold mines

55. Five

56. Ice hockey

57. Canada and the USA

58. Arena

59. Table tennis

60. Polo

61. Chess

62. Baseball

63. Canada

64. Greece

65. Baron Pierre de Coubertine

66. Five

67. Yellow

68. 16 days

69. India (8 medals)

70. Major Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore

71. Brazil

72. Brazil (5 times)

73. Ronaldo (Brazil)

74. 1983

75. Kapil Dev

76. Football

77. Cassius Clay

78. France

79. Martina Navratilova

80. Cricket

81. Tennis

82. Durand Cup

83. Boxing

84. Black

85. Red

86. 22 yards (66 feet)

87. 24 feet

88. 10 feet

89. 70 minutes

90. Mumbai

91. Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium

92. Eden Gardens (Kolkata)

93. Football

94. Football

95. Rafflesia

96. Bhanu Athaiya

97. Alam Ara

098. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing

Norgay

099. France

100. Australia

101. Sarojini Naidu

102. Pele

103. Italian

104. Germany

105. Leonardo da Vinci

106. Mother Teresa

107. Sir Syed Ahmad Khan

108. Lal Bahadur Shastri

109. Neil Armstrong

110. Cheetah

111. Bee hummingbird

112. Komodo dragon

113. Platypus

114. Asian elephant

115. Arctic tern

116. Wandering albatross

117. Jorhat (Assam)

118. Gir National Park

119. Chandigarh

120. Kolkata

121. Arizona (USA)

122. Pentagon

123. Tihar Central Jail

124. Nanga Parbat (Kashmir)

125. Shreepati Arcade (Mumbai)

126. Mawsynram (Meghalaya)

127. Amazon

128. Pacific

129. Dead Sea

130. Angel Falls

131. Four

132. Iraq

133. Hyderabad

134. Franklin D. Roosevelt (US

President)

135. 191

136. New York City

137. December 10

138. Alfred Bernhard Nobel

139. Dr. Har Gobind Khorana

140. Economics

141. Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan

142. Arjuna Award

143. Param Vir Chakra

144. Sikorsky

145. Printing Press

146. Charles Darwin

147. Thomas Alva Edison

148. Odometer

149. Periscope

150. Botany

151. Meteorologist

152. High pressure

153. Jupiter

154. Saturn

155. Liver

156. Thigh bone (femur)

157. 22

158. Vitamin A

159. Vitamin K

160. Liver

161. Lakshmi

162. Onam

163. Lumbini (Nepal)

164. Bethlehem

165. Song of the Lord

166. Hajj

167. Islam

168. Parsees

169. November 14

170. Dr. S. Radhakrishnan’s

171. 1950

172. Kalpana Chawla

173. 1969

174. 1945

175. Tank

176. Walt Disney

177. Rudyard Kipling

178. Mint

179. Cloakroom

180. Philately

181. At over 700 km/h

182. Cartographer

183. Veterinarian

184. Bibliophile

185. Piracy

186. Tamil

187. India

188. Kharagpur

189. Siachen Glacier

190. The Times of India

191. Russia

192. India

193. Christianity

194. Islam

195. 8,850 m

196. Asia

197. Mandarin Chinese

198. Admiral

199. Decibel

200. 2.54 cm

76.

Index

abbreviations

animals

deadliest snakes

facts

national parks and sanctuaries
records
assassinations, world leaders
awards
Bharat Ratna
national
Nobel Prize
Bharat Ratna
body facts
books
India
world
bridges, longest
buildings, tallest
capitals

countries
Indian states
Chandrashekhar, Dr. S.
changed names of some places
cities and industries
commissioned ranks in indian force
continents
largest
conversion factors
countries
capitals
currencies
languages
largest
natives

population
Religions
smallest
cricket, World Cup
currencies
dances of india
dates, historic
india
world
days, important
defence, ranks
defining places
deserts, largest
discoveries, scientific
diseases

epithets, geographical
facts
animals
human body
India
planets
festivals
fictional characters and their creators
first in
India
world
founders, famous
games
national
Olympic

history, important events
India
world
human body
diseases
facts
organs, largest
India
industrial cities
instruments, scientific
inventions
islands, largest
Khorana, Dr. Har Gobind
lakes, largest
languages

countries
Indian states
most widely spoken
largest, tallest.....
animals
India
top 5
world
measurements, sports
media, print
monuments
India
seven wonders
world
mountains, largest

museums
national parks and sanctuaries
nationalities of famous personalities
natives of different countries
newspapers and periodicals
nobel laureates, indian
Nobel Prize
Nobel, Alfred Bernhard
oceans, largest
old and new names
Olympic games
India’s achievements
persons, famous
assassinated
founders

nationalities
slogans
titles
phobias, commonest
places, definitions
planets
largest
players, number of
playgrounds, names of
population
presidents of india
prime ministers of india
professionals
Raman, Sir C.V.
records

animals
India(ns)
record makers
India
world
religions
countries
Top 5
rivers
cities
longest
science
branches
discoveries
instruments

inventions
planets
seas, largest
Sen, Dr. Amartya
Seven Wonders
sites, famous
India
world
slogans
snakes, deadliest
Soccer, World Cup
sports cups and trophies
sports measurements
sports stadiums
India (places associated with sports)

international  (places  associated  with
sports)
sports
cups and trophies
measurements
names of playgrounds
national games
number of players
olympic games
sportspersons
stadiums, india
stadium,  international  (places
associated with sports)
terms
World Cup Cricket

World Cup Soccer
subjects, different
superlatives
India
world
symbols, national
Tagore, Rabindranath
Teresa, Mother
terms, important
titles
geographical
persons
top 5
cups and trophies, sports
union territories of india

United Nations

units of measurements

vitamins

waterfalls, highest

World Cup

cricket

soccer

World Records held by India(ns)

• Bestselling eBooks •

• 1984 by George Orwell

ISBN: 9789380914947

• A Lot like Love by Sumrit Shahi

ISBN: 9789380914114

• Animal Farm by George Orwell

ISBN: 9789380914701

• Gitanjali by Ranbindranath Tagore

ISBN: 9789380914886

• How to Analyze People on Sight by Elsie

Lincoln Benedict and Ralph Paine Benedict

ISBN: 9789380914015

• Love Happens only Once by Rochak

Bhatnagar

ISBN: 9789380914183

• Mein Kampf (My Struggle) by Adolf Hitler

ISBN: 9789380914855

• Muhammad: The Last Prophet of Islam by

G.M. Draycott

ISBN: 9788190276696

• My Experiments with Truth by M.K.

Gandhi

ISBN: 9789380914619

• One Life One Love by Rochak Bhatnagar

ISBN: 9789380914350

• Polka Dots, Pony Tails and Purple Pouts

by Amrita Anand

ISBN: 9789380914305

• Relativity by Albert Einstein

ISBN: 9789380914220

• Selected Stories of Rabindranath Tagore

ISBN: 9789380914770

• Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

ISBN: 9789380914145

• The Art of War by Sun Tzu

ISBN: 9789380914893

• The Autobiography of a Yogi by

Parmahansa Yogananda

ISBN: 9789380914602

• The Bhagavad Gita by Sir Edwin Arnold

ISBN: 9789380914275

• The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank

ISBN: 9789380914312

• Thirty Year Old Virgin by Ankit Uttam

ISBN: 9789380914206

• Uff Ye Emotions 2 by Vinit K. Bansal

ISBN: 9789380914756