Delhi is one of the largest metropolitan areas in Asia. This is an ancient and incredibly contrasting city, in which cramped old quarters coexist with new wide boulevards and spacious squares. In this article, we will introduce you to New Delhi - one of its districts and, concurrently, the official capital of India.
Geography of the Indian capital: understanding toponyms
Before we begin our story, it is worth distinguishing between the concepts of "Delhi" and "New Delhi". Delhi (officially the National Capital Territory of Delhi) is the center of the second largest metropolitan area in the country, within which at least 17 million people live. The first settlement on the site of this huge metropolis arose back in the 6th century BC.
What is New Delhi? De jure it is a separate city. Apo in fact - only one of the districts of Delhi, located in its central part. The total area of New Delhi is 42.7 square meters. km. The Government of India and a number of other government agencies are located here.
New Delhi in English means "New Delhi". It is logical to assume that Old Delhi must be somewhere. And he really exists. The old city is located north of New Delhi, closer to the banks of the Jamuna River. This is an incredibly dirty, noisy and, perhaps, the most colorful part of the metropolis.
Broadly speaking, the National Capital Territory of Delhi is divided into nine districts (see map below). With the exception of New Delhi, all other districts are named according to their geographical location on the map of the city: West, North, South, East, Northeast, Northwest, Southwest, and Central Delhi.
Location and geographic coordinates of New Delhi
The city is located in Northern India, between the states of Haryana and Uttar Pradesh. Its territory is completely located within the flat Indo-Gangetic plain. Below you can see where New Delhi is located on the map of India.
On the eastern outskirts of the city flows the Jamuna River, the valley of which is extremely fertile.
| In degrees, minutes and seconds | In decimal degrees | |
| Latitude | 28° 42' 00″ N | 28, 6357600° |
| Longitude | 77° 12' 00″ East | 77, 2244500° |
The average height of the city above sea level is 212 meters. New Delhi time zone: UTC+5:30 (used in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka). The time difference with Moscow is 2.5 hours.
A Brief History of New Delhi
The very name of the city speaks of its insignificant age. The official year of its foundation is 1911.
As you know, the capital of India since the end of the XVI century was Calcutta. And Delhi in the Middle Ages became an important financial center throughout South Asia. In the early twentieth century, the British government decided to move the capital from the seaside Calcutta to Delhi, inland. So, according to the British, it was easier to manage a huge colony.
At the end of 1911, George V solemnly laid the first stone of the future capital. Much of New Delhi was planned by renowned architect Edwin Lutyens (1869-1944), essentially the chief architect of the British Empire in the interwar period. The new city he built in India was even nicknamed "Lachensian Delhi".
The official opening ceremony of the capital took place on February 10, 1931.
New Delhi: climate and ecology
The city is located in the zone of humid subtropical climate. Summers are long and hot, while winters are short and moderately cold. The hottest months of the year are May and June (average air temperatures are 32.6° and 33.3° respectively), the coldest is January (+13.8°).
The period from March to May is the least pleasant in terms of weather and climate. At this time, southwest winds (the so-called "lu") dominate, which bring dryness, incredible heat and a lot of sand to the city. ATin mid-June, the situation is somewhat softened by wet and cool monsoons blowing from the northeast. In November, the climatic winter begins here, which is accompanied by thick fogs. However, air temperatures very rarely drop below +10 degrees.
According to WHO (World He alth Organization), the level of air pollution in New Delhi is 90 times higher than all acceptable standards. The head of the city once even compared the capital to a "gas chamber". What caused such an unfavorable environmental situation? There are several reasons, actually. First, the operation of the coal-fired power plant in Badarpur greatly pollutes the air. Secondly, local residents actively burn garbage and plant remains from their gardens in the city. All this leads to a high smoky atmosphere.
Population and economy
The population of New Delhi is about 300 thousand people, which is approximately one fiftieth of the total population of the metropolis of Delhi. There are only 821 women for every 1,000 men in the city. The inhabitants are mostly Hindu. There are also adherents of Islam (11%), Sikhism (about 4%) and Christianity (no more than 1%) in the capital.
The main language spoken and written in the city is Hindi. Urdu and Punjabi are also used, as well as the languages of other linguistic groups of India (Telugu, Marathi, Maithili and others). English is also quite common in New Delhi.
The modern capital of India is also one of the main financial, cultural and scientific centers of the country. The tertiary sector (service sector) occupies a leading position in the structure of the urban economy. It accounts for at least 78% of New Delhi's GDP. The main employer in the Indian capital is the government sector. The city has a very developed banking, information technology, hotel and tourism business.
Urban transport
The transport of the capital is represented by the subway, commuter rail, taxis, buses and autorickshaws. The fastest and most convenient way to get around the city is the metro. It is cool here and there are no traffic jams that so often affect the streets of the capital. Four (out of six) metro lines pass directly through New Delhi.
Buses are cheaper than metros. Therefore, it is the most popular in the city, providing up to 60% of passenger traffic. It is important to know that there are two types of buses in Delhi - public (red or green) and private. On hot days, it is better to use the latter, as their salons are air-conditioned.
One taxi ride to New Delhi costs about 250-300 Russian rubles. Auto rickshaws are also popular in the city. They move slower than taxis, but with a breeze.
Planning features and urban architecture
New Delhi embodies the imperial tradition of interwar Britain. The heart of the city is the Presidential Palace, located on a hilltop. In close proximity to it is the Parliament and the Anglican Cathedral. The Rajpath Marj park street connects the President's Palace with the Public Garden and the Gateway of India. It is these two buildings that dominate the planning structure of New Delhi.
The city was designed by Edwin Lutyens. He also designed the key buildings of the ensemble - the Capitol, the Presidential Palace, the Cannot Place shopping center, as well as residences for numerous English nobility. The main goal that the architect faced was to create in India a kind of "British Rome" - majestic and monumental. And the architect coped with this task.
During the construction of the city, for the first time in India, a radial-ring layout of streets and squares was used. An important feature of the Indian capital is the presence of huge spaces of parks and gardens. In total, they occupy about 40% of the entire area of New Delhi. In the development of the capital, an ensemble of government buildings - the Capitol - stands out effectively. In its pomposity, it very much resembles similar architectural ensembles in Canberra or Washington.
Reviews of tourists and travelers about the city
"New Delhi looks the least like India…"
Delhi is estimated by almost all tourists as a noisy, bustling and oversaturated metropolis of all kinds of transport. From early morning until late at night, its cramped streets are filled with barking dogs, people screaming, car horns, cycle rickshaws and motorcycles. But New Delhi is the exact opposite of all this.
The capital is known for its wide avenues, monumentalbuildings, fountains and manicured lawns. But in general, according to blogger Ilya Varlamov, the area is "terribly boring and uninteresting." And many travelers agree with him.
Another well-known blogger and traveler Levik describes the capital of India similarly:
“This is the cleanest part of the city. First of all, due to the fact that there are no people here. Absolutely not! But there are huge boulevards that stretch for kilometers from one intersection to another. There is a lot of greenery along the boulevards … But in general, there is absolutely nothing to do in pure New Delhi. You will most likely see it from the windows of a taxi or tuk-tuk, heading to more interesting areas of the city.”
Main attractions of the city
New Delhi is, first of all, a unique museum of colonial architecture. The main and most visited sights of the city include the following objects:
- Presidential Palace.
- India Gateway.
- Red Fort.
- National Museum.
- National Zoo.
- Parliament of India.
- The Raj Ghat Memorial - the cremation site of Mahatma Gandhi.
- Qutub Minar (the tallest brick minaret in the world - 72.5 meters).
Perhaps the most iconic architectural monument of the city is the India Gate. This is a triumphal arch erected in 1931 in honor of the 90,000 Indian soldiers who died in the First World War. The names of 13 thousand fallen soldiers are carved on the slabs of the memorial monument. The height of the arch itself is 42 meters.
In the citymany interesting museums. For example, in the National Museum you can get acquainted with the history of the Indian state, its natural and cultural riches. Its expositions are striking in their size, so it is better to set aside a separate day for visiting this object. No less interesting is the National Gallery of Modern Art. But it is quite unexpected to meet a private Puppet Museum in the capital of India. It presents a huge collection of toys from around the world, collected by journalist Shankar Pillai.
