Polity

The Indian Flag:

• The Indian flag was adopted on July 22, 1947, and officially presented to India during the midnight session of the Assembly on August 14, 1947.
• The flag’s width-to-length ratio is 2:3.
• The flag has three equal-width bands: deep saffron (orange) at the top, white in the middle, and dark green at the bottom.
• In the center of the white band is a navy-blue wheel (chakra) with 24 spokes. The diameter of the wheel is about the same as the width of the white band.

The Flag Code of India 2002:

• The Flag Code of India 2002 came into effect on January 26, 2002, replacing the previous ‘Flag Code-Indias.’
• According to the Flag Code of India 2002, there are no restrictions on displaying the National Flag by the general public, private organizations, educational institutions, etc., except as specified in the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950, the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971, and any other relevant laws.

National Emblem:

• The National Emblem of India is a depiction of the Lion Capital of Ashoka, which was originally created in the 3rd century BCE.
• The emblem features four lions standing back-to-back on a circular base, with an elephant, a horse, a bull, and a lion in between the spokes of the wheels.
• The words “Satyameva Jayate” (Truth Alone Triumphs) are inscribed below the emblem in Devanagari script.

National Emblem and Seal of the Government of India

• The National Emblem of India is a copy of the top part of Ashoka’s Pillar, which is located in Sarnath.
• The original pillar has four lions carved back-to-back, but only three are visible in the emblem.
• The emblem is placed on a base plate called an abacus.
• In the center of the base plate, there is a wheel with spokes called the Dharma Chakra.
• On the right side of the Dharma Chakra, there is a picture of a bull, and on the left side, there is a picture of a horse.
• There are words written in Devanagari script that say “Satyameva Jayate,” which means “Truth Alone Triumphs.”
• The Government of India chose the National Emblem on January 26, 1950.

National Anthem (Jana Gana Mana)

• Rabindranath Tagore wrote the National Anthem in 1911.
• It was first sung on December 27, 1911, at a meeting of the Indian National Congress in Calcutta.
• The Constituent Assembly of India chose it as the National Anthem on January 24, 1950.
• Tagore himself translated the National Anthem into English in 1919.

National Song (Vande Mataram)

• Composer: Bankimchandra Chatterjee
• Adopted on: January 24, 1950, along with the National Anthem
• English Translation: Done by Sri Aurobindo
• Origin: It comes from Bankim Chandra Chatterjee’s novel “Ananda Math,” which was published in 1882.
• Significance: It was written in Sanskrit and inspired people during the fight for freedom.
• First Performance: It was first sung at the Indian National Congress meeting in 1896.

National Calendar (Saka)

• Introduced on: March 22, 1957 (Saka 1879)
• Purpose: To have a unified Indian National Calendar for official use.
• Based on: The Saka era, which started with the spring equinox in 78 AD.
• Months: Chaitra is the first month, and Phalguna is the last month of the Saka year.
• New Year: Chaitra 1 falls on March 22 or March 21, depending on the leap year.

National Animal:

• The tiger (Panthera tigris) has been chosen as India’s national animal since November 1972.

• To protect the decreasing number of tigers in India, ‘Project Tiger’ was started in April 1973. Currently, 27 tiger reserves in India cover an area of 3776 square kilometers.

National Bird:

• The peacock (Pavo cristatus) is India’s national bird. It is fully protected under the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

• Hunting peacocks has been banned since it was declared the national bird in 1964.

National Flower:

• The lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is India’s national flower. It has been an important symbol in Indian culture for a very long time.

National Tree:

• The Banyan Tree (Ficus benghalensis) is India’s national tree. It has the widest-reaching roots of all known trees, covering several acres.

National Fruit:

• The mango (Manigifera indica) is India’s national fruit. It has been grown in India (except in hilly areas) since ancient times.

Indian Miscellanea

First in India: Women

Prime Minister: Indira Gandhi

Chief Minister of a State: Sucheta Kriplani (Uttar Pradesh)

Cabinet Minister: Vijayalakshmi Pandit

Central Minister: Rajkumari Amrit Kaur

Speaker of Lok Sabha: Shanno Devi

Governor of a State: Sarojini Naidu

Currency Note Press (Nashik Road): This press prints banknotes in denominations of ₹10, ₹50, and ₹100.

Security Printing Press (Hyderabad): This press prints postal stationery for the southern states and central excise stamps for the entire country. It also prints inland letter cards, postcards, competition postcards, and embossed envelopes.

Security Paper Mills (Hoshangabad): This paper mill makes special paper for printing banknotes and non-judicial stamp paper of higher denominations.

Here is the rewritten content in simpler language:

First President of Indian National Congress: Dr. Annie Besant

First Indian President of Indian National Congress: Sarojini Naidu

First President of UN General Assembly: Vijayalakshmi Pandit

First Woman on the throne of Delhi: Razia Sultan

First to swim across the English Channel: Arti Saha (now Mrs. Arti Gupta)

First to climb Mount Everest: Bachhendri Pal

First to Circumnavigate (Sail round the world): Ujwala Rai

First IAS Officer: Anna George Malhotra

First IPS Officer: Kiran Bedi

First Advocate: Camelia Sorabji

First Judge: Anna Chandi

First Judge of a High Court: Anna Chandi

First Judge of Supreme court: M. Fathima Beevi

First Chief Justice of a High Court: Leila Seth

First Doctor: Kadambini Ganguli

First to Pass MA: Chandra Mukhi Bose

First Editor of English newspaper: Dina Vakil

First Chief Engineer: P. K. Thresia

First to receive a Sena Medal: Constable Bimla Devi (88 BN of CRPF)

Youngest to climb Mount Everest: Malavath Poorna

Firsts in India: Women

• First to Climb Mount Everest: Dicky Dolma (19) from Manali in 1993.
• First Magistrate: Santosh Yadav (ITBP officer) in 1993.

Firsts in India: Men

• First Indian to swim across the English Channel: Mihir Sen.
• First to Climb Mount Everest: Tenzing Norgay.
• First to climb Mount Everest without Oxygen: Phu Dorjee.
• First to climb Mount Everest twice: Nwang Gombu.
• First Indian to join ICS (now IAS): Satyendra Nath Tagore.
• First Indian to receive a Nobel Prize: Rabindra Nath Tagore.
• First Indian in Space (first cosmonaut): Sqn Ldr Rakesh Sharma.

Other Firsts in India

• First to be crowned ‘Miss World’: Reita Faria.
• First to be crowned ‘Miss Universe’: Sushmita Sen.
• First to be crowned ‘Miss India’: Pratima (1947).
• First woman cosmonaut from India: Kalpana Chawla.
• First woman President: Pratibha Devisingh Patil.
• First woman to win Nobel Prize: Mother Teresa.

Governor-General:

• Warren Hastings: First Governor-General of Free India.
• Lord Mountbatten: First Governor-General of Independent India.
• Lord Canning: First Viceroy of India.
• C. Rajagopalachari: First and last Indian Governor-General of Free India.

President of India:

• Dr. Rajendra Prasad: First President of India.
• Dr. S. Radhakrishnan: First Vice-President of India.
• Dr. Zakir Hussain: First Muslim President of India.
• Giani Zail Singh: First Sikh President of India.

Prime Minister of India:

• Pt. Jawaharlal Nehru: First Prime Minister of India.

Other Important Figures:

• G. V. Mavlankar: First Speaker of Lok Sabha.
• Justice H. L. Kania: First Chief Justice of India.
• W. C. Bannerjee: First President of Indian National Congress.
• S. P. Sinha: First Indian to become a member of the Viceroy’s Executive Council.
• Dr. Nagendra Singh: First Indian to become President of the International Court of Justice (UN).
• Babur: First Emperor of the Mughal Dynasty.
• S. H. F. J. Manekshaw: First Field Marshal of India.
• Gen. K. M. Cariappa: First Indian Commander-in-Chief of India.

First Chief of the Army Staff (India): Gen. Maharaja Rajendra Singh

First Chief of the Naval Staff (Indian): Vice-Admiral R. D. Katari

First Indian High Court Judge: Justice Syed Mehmood

First Indian to make a solo air flight: J. R. D. Tata

First Indian leader to visit England: Raja Rammohun Roy

First Indian member of House of Lords (Britain): Lord S. P. Sinha

First Bar-at-Law: J. M. Tagore

First Chairman of Rajya Sabha: Dr. S. Radhakrishnan

First Indian Test Cricketer: K. S. Ranjit Singh

First Indian to reach the South Pole: Col. J. K. Bajaj

First Indian recipient of Victoria Cross (highest award before Independence): Khudada Khan

First judge to face impeachment in the Lok Sabha: Justice V. Ramaswami

Table 6.7: Important Islands

Largest Islands

Australia is more than three times the size of Greenland, the largest island. Australia is sometimes called ‘The Island Continent’ or ‘Earth’s largest island but smallest continent.’

Countries and their claimed territories:

1. Western Sahara (claimed by Morocco)
2. Somaliland (claimed by Somalia)
3. South Ossetia (claimed by Georgia)
4. Taiwan (claimed by China)
5. Transnistria (claimed by Moldova)

Changes in the number of sovereign countries:

• In 1989, there were 170 sovereign countries.
• In 1990, Namibia became the 171st sovereign country when it gained independence.
• In 1990, the unification of North and South Yemen and East and West Germany reduced the number of sovereign countries to 169.
• In 1991, the disintegration of the Soviet Union increased the number of sovereign countries to 183.

Table of countries, their capitals, and currencies:

Embassies in Tel Aviv: Some countries have their embassies in Tel Aviv instead of Jerusalem.

Government moved from Almaty to Astana: The capital of Kazakhstan was moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998.

Macedonia is the former Republic of Yugoslav: Macedonia is the official name of the country formerly known as the Republic of Yugoslavia.

Putrajaya is the administrative capital: Putrajaya is the administrative capital of Malaysia, while Kuala Lumpur is the official capital. The regime** refers to** the capital as Yangon:** The government of Myanmar refers to the capital city as Yangon, while the international community recognizes it as Rangoon.

Cape Town-legislative seat, Bloemfontein-judicial seat: Cape Town is the legislative capital of South Africa, while Bloemfontein is the judicial capital.

Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka, while Colombo is the commercial capital.

Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital: Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital of Eswatini, while Mbabane is the administrative capital.

Legislative offices transferred to Dodoma: The legislative offices of Tanzania were transferred to Dodoma, which is planned to become the new national capital.

Administration offices are located in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale: The administration offices of Tuvalu are located in Vaiaku Village on the island of Fongafale.

Important Lines and Boundaries:

• Durand Line: The Durand Line is the boundary between India and Afghanistan. It was drawn in 1893 and is recognized by India but not by Afghanistan.

• Hindenburg Line: The Hindenburg Line is the boundary between Germany and Poland. It was created during World War I when the Germans advanced to this line in 1917.

• Maginot Line: The Maginot Line is a 320-kilometer line of fortifications built by France along its border with Germany. It was constructed in the 1930s but was ineffective in preventing the German invasion of France in World War II.

Mannerheim Line:

• A line of fortifications was built along the border between Russia and Finland to protect against attacks from Germany before World War II.

McMahon Line:

• A line drawn by Sir Henry McMahon that marks the border between India and China. China did not recognize this line and crossed it in 1962.

Oder-Neisse Line:

• The border between Poland and Germany follows the Oder and Neisse rivers. It was agreed upon at the Poland Conference in August 1945 after World War II.

Radcliffe Line:

• A line drawn by Sir Cyril Radcliffe that separates India and Pakistan.

Other Nicknames

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• Queen of the Arabian Sea: Kochi, India
• Queen of the Adriatic: Venice, Italy
• Rich Coast: Costa Rica
• Rich Port: Puerto Rico
• Roof of the World: Pamir Mountains, Tibet
• The Sea of Mountains: British Columbia, Canada
• Sorrow of China: Hwang Ho River, China
• The Saw Mill of Europe: Sweden
• Sick Man of Europe: Turkey
• Sugar Bowl of the World: Cuba
• The Storehouse of the World: Mexico
• The Down Under: Australia
• Venice of the North: Stockholm, Sweden
• Venice of the East: Bangkok, Thailand and Allepey, India
• Yellow River: Hwang Ho River, China
• White City: Belgrade, Serbia
• Windy City: Chicago, USA
• White Man’s Grave: Guinea Coast, West Africa
• Workshop of Europe: Belgium
• World’s Loneliest Island: Tristan Da Cunha
• World’s Bread Basket: Prairies of North America
• The Spice Island of the West: Grenada
• The Mother Colony of the West Indies: St. Kitts
• City of Arabian Nights: Baghdad, Iraq
• Twin City: Budapest, Hungary
• The Imperial City: Rome, Italy
• Golden City: No specific location is mentioned
• Johannesburg: Also known as “The Modern Babylon.”
• London: A city in England.
• Valley of Kings: Also known as “Thebes.”