About Delhi

Delhi is a city that bridges two different worlds. Old Delhi, once the capital of Islamic India, is a labyrinth of narrow lanes lined with crumbling havelis and formidable mosques. In contrast, the imperial city of New Delhi created by the British Raj is composed of spacious, tree-lined avenues and imposing government buildings. Delhi, locally pronounced as Dilli, is the largest metropolis by area and the second-largest metropolis by population in India. New Delhi, jointly administered by both the federal Government of India and the local Government of Delhi.

Located on the banks of the River Yamuna, Delhi has been known to be continuously inhabited since at least the 6th century BC, though human habitation is believed to have existed since the second millennium BC. Delhi is also widely believed to have been the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas during the times of the Mahabharata. Delhi re-emerged as a major political, cultural and commercial city along the trade routes between northwest India and the Gangetic plain after the rise of the Delhi sultanates. It is the site of many ancient and medieval monuments, archaeological sites and remains. In 1639, Mughal emperor Shahjahan built a new walled city in Delhi which served as the capital of the Mughal Empire from 1649 to 1857. After the British East India Company had gained control of much of India during the 18th and 19th centuries, Calcutta became the capital both under Company rule and under the British Raj, until George V announced in 1911 that it was to move back to Delhi. A new capital city, New Delhi, was built to the south of the old city during the 1920s. When India gained independence from British rule in 1947, New Delhi was declared its capital and seat of government.

Delhi Facts

Area: 1,483 sq km
Latitudinal parallel: 28.3^oN
Longitudinal meridian: 77.13^oE
Altitude: 293 m above sea level

 / 28.61; 77.23 / 28.61; 77.23Population: 16,753,235(Census 2001)

Official languages: English, Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu

Density: ^[11,297 /km² (29,259 /sq mi)
STD Code: 011 ^[

Website: delhigovt.nic.in