Delhi and Agra

Facts about Delhi

• New Delhi is the capital of the Republic of India and has been inhabited since the 6th century BC.
• It covers an area of 1484 square kilometres and has a population of over 16 million people.
• New Delhi was founded in 1911 by Britain’s King George V and many of its 20th century buildings were designed by British architects such as Sir Edwin Lutyens.
• Five of the original 14 gates still stand.
• 20% of Delhi is covered in forests and the buses run on natural gas.
• Delhi’s spice market is the largest in Asia.

Facts about Agra

• The original capital of the Mughal Empire but now a city of 1.6 million people in Uttar Pradesh state.
• Home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Taj Mahal, Agra Fort, Fatehpur Sikri).
• Over 1000 elephants helped to build the Taj Mahal, which is one of the Wonders of the World.
• Akbar the Great built the Agra Fort. It too over a million workers more than 8 years to complete.
• Fatehpur Sikri was the first planned Mughal city and was abandoned due to a water shortage.
• The Mausoleum of Akbar the Great is at Sikandra near Agra. It was completed after Akbar’s death by his son Jahangir.
• Factories in Agra produce most of India’s shoes.