In our previous blog, we studied about some major aspects of Delhi. Click here for Know your state ‘Delhi’ (Part 1)! Now in this blog, we will be digging deeper and going to talk about other vital aspects of Delhi i.e. historical, environmental and economic features.
Which city of India was surrounded by 14 gates in past? Who planned and designed Delhi? What are the environmental aspects of Delhi?
Let’s start and talk about the historical contribution of Delhi to Indian History.
Table of Contents
HISTORY Delhi GK Notes:
The history of Delhi is as old as the epic Mahabharata. The town was known as Indraprastha, where Pandavas used to live. Delhi has a long history and has been an important political centre of India as the capital of several empires.
- Delhi’s history begins with the arrival of the Delhi Sultanate in the 12th century.
- The rule of the Delhi Sultanate was established by Qutub-ud-Din Aibak in 1206. The antiques of the Delhi Sultanate include the Qutub Minar and its surrounding monuments and the Tughlaqabad Fort.
- The Delhi Sultanate came to an end in 1526, when Babur defeated the last sultan of Delhi, Ibrahim Lodi at the first Battle of Panipat, and the Mughal Empire established.
- The first Mughal Emperors Babur and Humayun ruled from Agra.
- The fifth Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan built the walled city named Shahjahanabad within Delhi, the Red Fort and Jama Masjid.
- After the death of Aurangzeb, the Mughal Empire was cursed by a series of revolts. They lost major portions to the Maratha and Sikh empires, and Delhi was sacked and looted by Nader Shah.
- The Marathas seized Delhi in the battle of Delhi in 1757 and continued to rule it until 1803 when they were defeated by the British during the second Anglo-Maratha War.
- Delhi was apprehended by the British East India Company in 1803.
- In 1911, the capital of British India was shifted from Calcutta to New Delhi.
- Delhi is called ‘Lutyens Delhi’ as the last inner city of Delhi designed by Edwin Lutyens.
- Delhi became the capital of the newly formed Republic of India after India’s Independence from the British.
Let’s talk about the environment of Delhi.
ENVIRONMENT Delhi GK Notes:
Delhi is a big and beautiful city situated on the right side of the river Yamuna. It has been further divided into New Delhi and Old Delhi. Delhi is one of the four largest cities of India other than Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai.
- Delhi gets water from Beas, Sutlej, Ganges and Yamuna rivers and the Yamuna canal after exploiting all its groundwater sources.
- Major lakes in Delhi are namely Bhalswa Horseshoe Lake, ITO barrage, Najafgarh Lake, New Okhla Barrage, Okhla barrage, Sanjay Lake, Wazirabad barrage.
- Delhi Dam, also called Hartwick Dam, was an embankment dam on the Maquoketa River that created Lake Delhi. The dam was over-topped and subsequently failed after a period of heavy rain.
- The total forest cover of Delhi is 195.44 sq. km, which is 13.18% of the National Capital Territory’s area.
- There is only one Sanctuary in Delhi namely Asola Bhati (Indira Priyadarshini) Wildlife Sanctuary.
- Delhi stands as the second most bird-rich capital in the world. The Delhi ridge inhabits a large number of bird species.
- The air quality in Delhi according to a WHO survey of 1,650 world cities is the worst of any major city in the world.
- Air quality index of Delhi is generally of Moderate level between January to September, and then it drastically deteriorates to Very Poor or Hazardous levels during October to December.
Now, let’s look at Delhi’s economy.
ECONOMY Delhi GK Notes:
The economy of Delhi is the 13th largest among states and union territories of India. Delhi is the largest commercial centre in northern India. Manufacturing grew considerably as consumer goods companies established manufacturing units and headquarters in Delhi and contributes 4.94% to the total GDP of the country. Delhi has one of India’s largest and fastest growing retail industries. Delhi’s tourism sector makes up 5.6% of its GDP. The service sector is the most important part of Delhi’s economy.
Rank as per GDP: 13th
GDP: 7.80 lakhs crore
Growth: 11.5% annually (2013-18)
Per capita GDP Rank: 1st
Per capita GDP: ₹402,000
GDP by sectors: Agriculture- 2%, Industry- 12%, Services- 86% (2017-18)
Unemployment: 9.7% (2017-18)
Education Delhi GK Notes:
Education of Delhi is based on the three-tier model which includes primary schools, secondary schools and tertiary education at universities or other institutes of same level. Delhi school education model is considered to be the best in the country. As per the 2011 census, Delhi has a literacy rate of 86.3% with 91.0% of males and 80.9% of females.
Sports:
Cricket is very well organised and established within Delhi and most popular spectator sport. Football is a popular sport in Delhi, perhaps second to cricket. The only football stadium in Delhi is the Ambedkar Stadium. Tennis in Delhi has been played since British Rule. Swimming is a popular activity in Delhi due to the hot weather.
Interesting facts about DELHI:
- Delhi was surrounded by 14 gates initially out of which only five still stand namely Kashmere gate, Ajmeri gate, Lahori gate, Delhi gate, Turkman gate.
- The 2010 Commonwealth Games held in Delhi is the most expensive which hasn’t been beaten by any country yet.
- Delhi is home to the tallest minaret in the world named Qutub Minar.
- It is the largest city in India as the capital has a total of 11 political zones which are further divided into 95 police stations.
- Delhi occupies the largest wholesale market of fruits and vegetables in Asia. The Azadpur market, Delhi is approximately around 80 acres.
Therefore, this was all the necessary information about Delhi that will help in your preparation for competitive exams like SSC CGL, CDS, Civil Services and NDA etc.
In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about Ladakh. Click here for Know your State – ‘Ladakh’.
We would recommend that you check out our other interesting blogs about the states of Haryana, Punjab, and the Union Territory of Chandigarh as well.
THANK YOU
