Loni is such a small town that it does not show up on the larger maps. I am using a map a past intern created roughly marking where Loni is located in the Maharashtra province. Loni is near the western border of India and will be a six hour drive from Mumbai, where we will be flying in.
Facts and Figures
- Population – 1,210,193,422 people
- Total Geographic Area – 3,287,263 sq. km
- People per square kilometer – 368.2/sq. km
- Electricity voltage – 220/240 volts
- Exchange rate – 1 US $ = 51.4 Indian Rupees
- Emergency number – 2611
- Time zone away from home – +12 hours
- Main cultural groups – Caste system: Brahmins, Kshatriya, Vaisyas, Shudras, and Untouchables
- Main religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam
Politics
- Year of Independence – Declared from the UK on August 15, 1947 and became a republic on January 26, 1950
- Type of Government – parliamentary system of Government with a bicameral parliament and three independent branches: the executive, the legislature and the judiciary
- Current Ruling Party – Indian National Congress
- Head of Government – Pratibha Patil, President; Manmohan Singh, Prime Minister
- Domestic Issues – Overpopulation, pollution, poverty, caste/religious violence
- International Issues – Kashmir situation with Pakistan, Unrresolved territorial conflict with China
- Election Date – 2014, but can occur earlier if the Prime Minister choses so
- Major Political Parties – Indian National Congress, Bahujan Samaj Party, Bharatiya Janata Party, Communist Party of India, Communist Party of India (Marxist), National Congress Party
Pop Culture
- Popular Sports – Traditional indigenous sports (kabaddi, kho kho, pehlwani), chess, field hockey (national sport), tennis
- Popular Local Teams – Indian national hockey team, Indian national cricket team, Indian Davis Cup team
- Famous celebrities – Rohan Bopanna, Kunjarani Devi, Nvya Nair, Maju Warrier, Vadivelu