Delhi City Information

Don't let your first impressions of Delhi stick like a sacred cow in a traffic jam: get behind the madcap façade and discover the inner peace of a city rich with culture, architecture and human diversity, deep with history and totally addictive to epicureans.

Both Old and New Delhi exert a beguiling charm on visitors. Lose yourself unwinding the secrets of the city's Mughal past in the labyrinthine streets of Old Delhi before emerging into the wide open spaces of imperial New Delhi, with its ordered governmental vistas and generous leafy avenues.

Delhi is located at 28°61'N 77°23'E, and lies in northern India. It borders the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh on the south and Haryana on the west. Delhi can be divided into three major geographical regions: the Yamuna flood plain, the Delhi ridge and the Gangetic Plains. The low-lying Yamuna flood plains provide fertile alluvial soil suitable for agriculture. However, these plains are prone to recurrent floods. With an average altitude of 293 m (961 ft),[14] the ridge forms the most dominating feature in this region. It originates from the Aravalli Range in the south and encircles the west, northeast and northwest parts of the city. The Great Gangetic Plains are located in the south of the city and cover most of Delhi. Yamuna, a sacred river in Hinduism, is the only major river flowing through Delhi. Most of the city, including New Delhi, lies west of the river. East of the river is the urban area of Shahdara. Delhi falls under seismic zone-IV, making it vulnerable to major earthquakes.

Most of the Delhi metropolitan area lies within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). The NCT has three local municipal corporations: Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD), New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) and Delhi Cantonment Board. MCD is one of the largest municipal corporations in the world providing civic amenities to an estimated 13.78 million people.[22] The capital of India, New Delhi, falls under the administration of NDMC. The chairperson of the NDMC is appointed by the Government of India in consultation with the Chief Minister of Delhi.

When To Go
Summer in Delhi is no joke - from April the temperature climbs relentlessly to more than 45°C (113°F) in May and June and the heat doesn't really abate until October. Dust storms called loo sweep in from Rajasthan with considerable fury. The arrival of the monsoon, at the end of June, brings intense humidity - the murder rate usually peaks in this month.

From November to March is the best time to visit, with cool but sunny weather. Also, Holi, one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals, takes place around this time, in February or March. October sees the end of the monsoon, but is reasonably pleasant, although the days can still be pretty hot. Nights can be quite chilly in December and January.

Although it is India's national language, Hindi is only spoken as a mother tongue by about 20% of the population, mainly in the area known as the Hindi-belt, the cow-belt or Mimaru, which includes Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. This Indic language is the official language of the Indian government and the states already mentioned, plus Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.