India, officially the Republic of India is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the south, the Arabian Sea on the south-west, and the Bay of Bengal on the south-east, it shares land borders with Pakistan to the west; China, Nepal, and Bhutan to the north-east; and Burma and Bangladesh to the east. In the Indian Ocean, India is in the vicinity of Sri Lanka and the Maldives; in addition, India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands share a maritime border with Thailand and Indonesia.

You're on your way to study overseas, waiting anxiously as your plane is finally about to touch down. When you climb off the plane, you'll be welcomed by friendly natives with a flower garland around your neck, but you're not in Hawaii, or in any Caribbean location-you're studying abroad in the vastly fascinating and educational destination of India. Lucky you!

Mark Twain said that, "India is the cradle of the human race, the birthplace of human speech, the mother of history, the grandmother of legend and the great-grandmother of tradition." He wasn't exaggerating, either, and as you study abroad in India, you'll find that out for yourself.

Hi-Tech Higher Ed

Higher education in India still has many reforms in the works, as it grows along with the booming economy. The country provides support for research, and emphasizes an educated workforce with a commitment to lifelong learning. Students who study abroad in India and focus on technology and the sciences will find the destination a no-brainer, as India has been a leader in the fields of the sciences, mathematics and technology for thousands (yes, literally thousands) of years:

The number system was invented in India, and Aryabhatta came up with the ever-important concept of "zero"

"Ayurveda" was the world's earliest medical system, and Susruta, the "father of surgery," performed complex surgeries 2,600 years ago

Vinod Dahm created the Pentium chip, Viond Khosla is the co-founder of Sun Microsystems and Sabeer Bhatia is the co-founder and creator of Hotmail

If you like technology you'll want to go to Bangalore, the "Silicon Valley" of India, where you can visit the Visveswaraiah Technological and Industrial Museum. You'll be surprised to learn just how much India's excellence in the sciences and technology has impacted the United States. The 3.22 million Indians living in the U.S. have become:

• 38 percent of the doctors in the U.S.
• 36 percent of the NASA employees in the U.S.
• 34 percent of Microsoft employees in the U.S.
• 28 percent of IBM employees in the U.S

In a study abroad program in India, you can choose to concentrate on any of the country's other strong areas, including:

• Medicine
• Nuclear energy
• Astronomy
• Biotechnology
• Oceanography
• Engineering
• Management