| According a 1999–2000 estimate, the total number of people living below the poverty line, defined as living on US$11 or less per month, in Delhi was 1,149,000, or 8.23% of the total population, compared to 27.5% of India as a whole. 52% of Delhi residents live in slums without basic services like water, electricity, sanitation, sewage system or proper housing. In 2005, Delhi accounted for the highest percentage (16.2%) of the crimes reported in 35 Indian cities with populations of one million or more. The city has the highest rate of kidnapping and abduction cases with 9.3%; the national rate is 2.2%. Delhi accounts for 15.4% of crime against women in Indian cities. |
| According to the 2011 census of India, the population of Delhi is 16,753,235. The corresponding population density was 11,297 persons per km2, with a sex ratio of 866 women per 1000 men, and a literacy rate of 86.34%. In 2004, the birth rate, death rate and infant mortality rate per 1000 population were 20.03, 5.59 and 13.08, respectively. In 2001, the population of Delhi increased by 285,000 as a result of migration and by 215,000 as a result of natural population growth – this made Delhi one of the fastest growing cities in the world. By 2015, Delhi is expected to be the third-largest conurbation in the world after Tokyo and Mumbai. Dwarka Sub City, Asia’s largest planned residential area, is located within the National Capital Territory of Delhi. |
| After 1720, the Mughal Empire’s influence declined rapidly as the Hindu Maratha Empire rose to prominence. In 1737, Maratha forces sacked Delhi following their victory against the Mughals in the First Battle of Delhi. In 1739, the Mughal Empire lost the Battle of Karnal, following which the victorious forces of Nader Shah, the Turkic ruler of the Afsharid dynasty, invaded and looted Delhi, carrying away many treasures, including the Peacock Throne. A treaty signed in 1752 made Marathas the protectors of the Mughal throne in Delhi. |
| Although technically a federally administered union territory, the political administration of the NCT of Delhi today more closely resembles that of a state of India, with its own legislature, high court and an executive council of ministers headed by a Chief Minister. New Delhi is jointly administered by the federal government of India and the local government of Delhi, and is the capital of the NCT of Delhi. |
| Ambedkar Stadium, a football stadium in Delhi which holds 20,000 people, was the venue for the Indian football team’s World Cup qualifier against UAE on 28 July 2012. Delhi hosted the Nehru Cup in 2007 and 2009, in both of which India defeated Syria 1–0. In the Elite Football League of India, Delhi’s first professional American football franchise, the Delhi Defenders played its first season in Pune. Buddh International Circuit in Greater Noida, a suburb of Delhi, hosts the annual Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix. The Indira Gandhi Arena is also in Delhi. |
| As India’s national capital and centuries old Mughal capital, Delhi influenced the food habits of its residents and is where Mughlai cuisine originated. Along with Indian cuisine, a variety of international cuisines are popular among the residents. The dearth of food habits among the city’s residents created a unique style of cooking which became popular throughout the world, with dishes such as Kebab, biryani, tandoori. The city’s classic dishes include Butter chicken, Aloo Chaat, chaat, dahi vada, kachori, jalebi and lassi.:40–50, 189–196 |
| As of 2007, private vehicles account for 30% of the total demand for transport. Delhi has 1922.32 km of road length per 100 km2, one of the highest road densities in India. It is connected to other parts of India by five National Highways: NH 1, 2, 8, 10 and 24. The city’s road network is maintained by MCD, NDMC, Delhi Cantonment Board, Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Development Authority. The Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway connects Delhi with Gurgaon and the international airport. The DND Flyway and Noida-Greater Noida Expressway connect Delhi with the suburbs of Noida and Greater Noida. Delhi’s rapid rate of economic development and population growth has resulted in an increasing demand for transport, creating excessive pressure on the city’s transport infrastructure. As of 2008, the number of vehicles in the metropolitan region, Delhi NCR, is 11.2 million (11.2 million). In 2008, there were 85 cars in Delhi for every 1,000 of its residents. |
| As of July 2007, the National Capital Territory of Delhi comprises nine districts, 27 tehsils, 59 census towns, 300 villages, and three statutory towns, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) – 1,397.3 km2 or 540 sq mi, the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) – 42.7 km2 or 16 sq mi and the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) – 43 km2 or 17 sq mi). On 16 July 2012, the Delhi Government decided to increase the number of districts from nine to 11. |
| As per the Economic survey of Delhi (2005–2006), the tertiary sector contributes 70.95% of Delhi’s gross SDP followed by secondary and primary sectors, with 25.20% and 3.85% contributions respectively. Delhi’s workforce constitutes 32.82% of the population, and increased by 52.52% between 1991 and 2001. Delhi’s unemployment rate decreased from 12.57% in 1999–2000 to 4.63% in 2003. In December 2004, 636,000 people were registered with various employment exchange programs in Delhi. |
| As the capital of India, Delhi is the focus of political reportage, including regular television broadcasts of Parliament sessions. Many national media agencies, including the state-owned Press Trust of India, Media Trust of India and Doordarshan, are based in the city. Television programming includes two free terrestrial television channels offered by Doordarshan, and several Hindi, English and regional-language cable channels offered by multi system operators. Satellite television has yet to gain a large quantity of subscribers in the city. |
| At 72.5 m (238 ft), A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Qutub Minar is the world’s tallest free-standing brick minaret. |
| Chandni Chowk, a 17th century market, is one of the most popular shopping areas in Delhi for jewellery and Zari saris. Delhi’s arts and crafts include, Zardozi – an embroidery done with gold thread – and Meenakari – the art of enamelling. |
| Cricket and football are the most popular sports in Delhi. There are several cricket grounds, or maidans, located across the city. The Feroz Shah Kotla Ground (known commonly as the Kotla) is one of the oldest cricket grounds in India and is a venue for international cricket matches. It is the home ground of the Delhi cricket team, which represents the city in the Ranji Trophy, the premier Indian domestic first-class cricket championship. The Delhi cricket team has produced several world-class international cricketers such as Virender Sehwag, Gautam Gambhir, Virat Kohli, Madan Lal, Chetan Chauhan and Bishan Singh Bedi to name a few. The Railways and Services cricket teams in the Ranji Trophy also play their home matches in Delhi, in the Karnail Singh Stadium and the Harbax Singh Stadium respectively. The city is also home to the Indian Premier League team Delhi Daredevils, who play their home matches at the Kotla, and was the home to the Delhi Giants team (previously Delhi Jets) of the now defunct Indian Cricket League. |
| Delhi , is a metropolitan region in India that includes the national capital city, New Delhi. It is India’s second-most-populous city after Mumbai, and the largest city in terms of area. With a population of 22 million in 2011, the city is the fourth-largest city in the world. The NCT and its urban region have been given the special status of National Capital Region (NCR) under the Constitution of India’s 69th amendment act of 1991. The NCR includes the neighbouring cities of Baghpat, Gurgaon, Sonepat, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Noida, Greater Noida and other nearby towns, and has nearly 22.2 million residents. |
| Delhi features an atypical version of the humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). Summers are long and the weather is extremely hot from early April to mid-October, with the monsoon season in between. In early March, the wind direction changes from north-westerly to south-westerly. From March to May the weather is hot. The monsoon arrives at the end of June, along with an increase in humidity. The brief, mild winter starts in late November, peaks in January and heavy fog often occurs. |
| Delhi has been continuously inhabited since the 6th century BC. Through most of its history, Delhi has served as a capital of various kingdoms and empires. It has been captured, sacked and rebuilt several times, particularly during the medieval period, and the modern Delhi is a cluster of a number of cities spread across the metropolitan region. Delhi is believed to have been the site of Indraprastha, the legendary capital of the Pandavas during the Mahabharata. Delhi re-emerged as a major political, cultural and commercial city along the trade routes between northwest India and the Gangetic plain during the Delhi sultanates. |
| Delhi has hosted many major international sporting events, including the first and the ninth Asian Games, the 2010 Hockey World Cup, the 2010 Commonwealth Games and the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Delhi lost bidding for the 2014 Asian Games, and considered making a bid for the 2020 Summer Olympics. However, sports minister Manohar Singh Gill later stated that funding infrastructure would come before a 2020 bid. |
| Delhi houses the Supreme Court of India, and the regional Delhi High Court, along with the Small Causes Court for civil cases; the Magistrate Court and the Sessions Court for criminal cases, has jurisdiction over Delhi. The city is administratively divided into nine police-zones, which are subdivided into 95 local police stations. |
| Delhi is a major junction in the Indian railway network and is the headquarters of the Northern Railway. The five main railway stations are New Delhi railway station, Old Delhi, Nizamuddin Railway Station, Anand Vihar Railway Terminal and Sarai Rohilla. The Delhi Metro, a mass rapid transit system built and operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), serves many parts of Delhi and the neighbouring cities Gurgaon, Noida and Ghaziabad. As of August 2011, the metro consists of six operational lines with a total length of 189 km (117 mi) and 146 stations, and several other lines are under construction. The Phase-I was built at a cost of US$2.3 billion and the Phase-II was expected to cost an additional 216 billion (US$4.0 billion). Phase-II has a total length of 128 km and was completed by 2010. Delhi Metro completed 10 years of operation on 25 December 2012. It carries millions of passengers every day. In addition to the Delhi Metro, a suburban railway, the Delhi Suburban Railway exists. |
| Delhi is included in India’s seismic zone-IV, making it vulnerable to major earthquakes, but earthquakes have not been common in recent history. |
