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New Delhi

geography Maturity 11-13

New Delhi is a big city.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
It is in India. It is the place where the leaders live. It is a very important place. Do you want to see it?

35 words

New Delhi is a big city in India.

Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png
It is the capital of the land. This means it is where the leaders work.
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg

Many important buildings are there. The President has a large palace. There is also a house for the law. This city is part of a very large area.

The land is mostly flat. It sits near the Yamuna River.

Skyline at Rajiv Chowk.JPG
Skyline at Rajiv Chowk.JPG
There are some hills called the Delhi Ridge. These hills help the city breathe.

The weather can be very hot. In the summer, big storms come.

Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
In the winter, the air gets very cold and foggy. It can be hard to see.

New Delhi is a busy and special place. It is a very famous city.

132 words

New Delhi is the capital city of India.

Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png
It sits in the middle of northern India. The city is part of a huge area called the National Capital Territory of Delhi.
Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png

This city is where the leaders of India work. It holds many important buildings. The President lives in a large palace called Rashtrapati Bhavan.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
There is also a place for the government to meet. This is called Parliament House.

The land here is mostly flat. It sits on a plain near the Yamuna River. There are some small hills called the Delhi Ridge.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
People call these hills the "Lungs of Delhi."

The weather in New Delhi changes a lot. Summers are very long and hot. During this time, big storms called andhi can happen.

Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Winters are mild but very foggy. This fog can make it hard to see. The air can also get very dirty from pollution.
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
This makes the air quality quite bad at times.

175 words

New Delhi is the capital city of India.

Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png
It is a special part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. While people often use the names Delhi and New Delhi to mean the same thing, they are actually different. New Delhi is a smaller area inside the much larger megacity of Delhi.
Three Municipalities of Delhi as of 2022.png
Three Municipalities of Delhi as of 2022.png
This city is very important because it is the seat of the Indian government. It holds the three main branches of power in the country. You can find the Presidential Palace, known as Rashtrapati Bhavan, here.
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
The city also hosts the Parliament House and the Supreme Court.

Building a new capital was a very big job. Before this, the capital of India was a city called Calcutta. The British government decided to move the capital to Delhi in 1911. They felt Delhi was easier to use because it sits in the center of northern India.

Gare-New-Delhi-intérieur.JPG
Gare-New-Delhi-intérieur.JPG
Two famous architects named Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed the city. They planned many grand buildings and wide paths. The city was officially opened in February 1931. One famous area is the Rajpath, which connects the India Gate to the Presidential Palace. They even built a special railway line just to move materials for construction.

Geography plays a big role in how the city looks. New Delhi sits on the Indo-Gangetic Plain, so the land is mostly flat.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
It is located near the Yamuna River, but the city itself is landlocked. You might see some hills called the Delhi Ridge. People often call these hills the "Lungs of Delhi."
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
The city also sits in a zone where earthquakes can happen. It lies on several fault lines, which means it feels many small shakes. Some of these shakes have been quite noticeable over the years.

The weather in New Delhi changes quite a bit through the year. Summers are very long and can be extremely hot.

Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
During the summer, big thunderstorms called andhi sometimes roll in. From June to September, the monsoon rains bring a lot of water.
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Winters are much milder, but they are often very foggy. This thick fog can make it hard to see clearly. The city also faces a hard job with air pollution. In some years, groups like the World Health Organization have noted that the air quality is very poor.
2015 Air pollution in New Delhi (AQI).svg
2015 Air pollution in New Delhi (AQI).svg

Today, New Delhi is a busy place where many people live and work. It is part of a huge National Capital Region.

Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png
This region includes many other nearby cities like Noida, Gurgaon, and Faridabad. These places all connect to form one massive built-up area. People travel through the city using many ways, like the Delhi Metro.
DelhiMetroBlueLineBombardier.jpg
DelhiMetroBlueLineBombardier.jpg
The city is also known for its many historical sites and museums.
India national museum 01.jpg
India national museum 01.jpg
From the busy shopping at Connaught Place to the quiet diplomatic areas, there is much to see.
Skyline at Rajiv Chowk.JPG
Skyline at Rajiv Chowk.JPG
It is a place where old history and modern life meet.

524 words

New Delhi is the capital city of India.

Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png
It serves as the primary seat for all three branches of the Indian government. This includes the Rashtrapati Bhavan, which is the Presidential Palace. It also hosts the Sansad Bhavan, or Parliament House, and the Supreme Court. New Delhi is a municipality within the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). It is governed by the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). This council manages mostly Lutyens' Delhi and some nearby areas.
Three Municipalities of Delhi as of 2022.png
Three Municipalities of Delhi as of 2022.png

Understanding the administrative layers of the region is important. Many people use the names Delhi and New Delhi interchangeably. However, they are distinct entities. New Delhi is a relatively small part of the massive megacity of Delhi.

Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png
Even larger than the NCT is the National Capital Region. This region includes the NCT and adjoining districts from two neighboring states. This creates a continuously built-up area. It includes cities like Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida, Meerut, YEIDA City, Gurgaon, and Faridabad.

The history of the capital involves a major shift in location. Until December 1911, Calcutta was the capital of India under British rule. However, Calcutta became a center for nationalist movements. This led to political unrest and a boycott of British goods. The colonial government decided to move the capital to Delhi. They believed Delhi was more central to northern India. This would make the empire easier to administer.

Gare-New-Delhi-intérieur.JPG
Gare-New-Delhi-intérieur.JPG
The land for the new city was acquired under the Land Acquisition Act of 1894.

Construction of New Delhi was a massive engineering project. King George V laid the foundation stone in 1911.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
British architects Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker designed the city. Lutyens designed the central administrative area to show imperial power. The original plan for the site was changed due to space constraints. A committee also rejected a northern site because property costs were too high. The builders eventually settled on a southern site atop Raisina Hill.
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
To move materials, they built the Imperial Delhi Railway. This circular line supported workers for twenty years. The city was finally inaugurated in February 1931 by Viceroy Irwin.

New Delhi's layout features several famous landmarks and zones. The central axis includes the Rajpath, also known as King's Way. This path stretches from the India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Secretariat Building flanks the palace and houses important ministries. These include the Ministries of Defence, Finance, Home Affairs, and External Affairs. The Parliament House was also designed by Herbert Baker. In the south, the Lutyens' Bungalow Zone was created. Later, in the 1950s, the Chanakyapuri diplomatic enclave was developed. This area provides space for embassies and high commissions around Shanti Path.

The geography of the area is mostly flat. New Delhi sits on the Indo-Gangetic Plain.

Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
While it is near the Yamuna River, the city is landlocked. The area was once part of the Aravali Range. Today, only the Delhi Ridge remains. People call this ridge the "Lungs of Delhi."
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
However, the city faces seismic risks. It falls under seismic zone-IV, making it vulnerable to earthquakes. It sits on several fault lines. This causes frequent earthquakes, often of mild intensity. For example, a 5.4 magnitude earthquake occurred in 2015.

The climate in New Delhi is quite extreme. It features a humid subtropical climate.

Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
This is closely bordered by a hot semi-arid climate. Summers are very long, lasting from mid-April to late September. During this time, frequent thunderstorms called andhi occur. The summer monsoon arrives in late June and lasts until mid-September.
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Winters are mild but characterized by dense fog. The city also struggles with serious air pollution. In 2014, the World Health Organization ranked it as the world's most polluted city.
2015 Air pollution in New Delhi (AQI).svg
2015 Air pollution in New Delhi (AQI).svg
To help, the government has tried schemes like alternate-day driving for cars.

657 words
🖼️ Images & Media (12)
File:New Delhi government block 03-2016 img6.jpg
New Delhi government block 03-2016 img6.jpg
File:Connaught Place sunset.jpg
Connaught Place sunset.jpg
File:2015 Air pollution in New Delhi (AQI).svg
2015 Air pollution in New Delhi (AQI).svg
File:Three Municipalities of Delhi as of 2022.png
Three Municipalities of Delhi as of 2022.png
File:Dehli districts.png
Dehli districts.png
File:Skyline at Rajiv Chowk.JPG
Skyline at Rajiv Chowk.JPG
File:India national museum 01.jpg
India national museum 01.jpg
File:Gandhi Memorial.jpg
Gandhi Memorial.jpg
File:Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
Rashtrapati Bhavan (Dehli).jpg
File:Gare-New-Delhi-intérieur.JPG
Gare-New-Delhi-intérieur.JPG
File:DelhiMetroBlueLineBombardier.jpg
DelhiMetroBlueLineBombardier.jpg
File:Commonwealth-Games-2010-Opening-Ceremony.jpg
Commonwealth-Games-2010-Opening-Ceremony.jpg
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