Environment

The Taj Mahal has been affected by air pollution and acid deposition. Acid rain can react with calcium-carbonate-rich marble, contributing to surface deterioration and discoloration.

By forest-cover area, Madhya Pradesh has the largest forest cover among Indian states. This differs from forest cover as a percentage of geographical area, where Mizoram has traditionally ranked highest among states.

The toxic gas involved in the Bhopal disaster was methyl isocyanate (MIC). The leak occurred during the night of 2–3 December 1984 from the Union Carbide pesticide plant and caused one of the world's worst industrial disasters.

A Dobson Unit (DU) measures the total amount of ozone in a vertical atmospheric column. One DU corresponds to a 0.01 mm layer of pure ozone at standard temperature and pressure.

A State Money Bill requires the Governor’s recommendation before introduction. It can be introduced only in the Legislative Assembly, not in a Legislative Council.

C. Rajagopalachari was the first Indian Governor-General of independent India, serving from 21 June 1948 until 26 January 1950.

A sudden retreat of sea water from a beach can be a natural tsunami warning sign; people should move immediately to higher ground.

Earthworms consume decomposing organic matter and produce nutrient-rich vermicompost, making the process useful in organic waste management.

The Brundtland Commission popularised the modern definition of sustainable development in its 1987 report Our Common Future.

In a National Park, protection is stricter than in most other protected-area categories, and private collection or use of biomass is generally prohibited except as specifically permitted by law. National Parks are notified under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.

The Montreal Protocol, adopted in 1987, controls and phases out ozone-depleting substances such as CFCs. It is considered one of the major international environmental agreements.

The Indian star tortoise, monitor lizard and pygmy hog occur naturally in India. The spider monkey is native to the Americas, not India.

The World Food Programme (WFP) is headquartered in Rome, Italy. It was established in 1961 and became a permanent UN programme in 1965.

The capital of Ghana is Accra, located on the Gulf of Guinea in West Africa.

The headquarters of NATO is in Brussels, Belgium. NATO was founded in 1949 under the North Atlantic Treaty.

The WWF logo features the giant panda. WWF was founded in 1961 and works globally for wildlife and environmental conservation.

The headquarters of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) is in Kolkata. ZSI functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

The Jnanpith Award was instituted in 1961 by the Times of India group through Bharatiya Jnanpith. The first award was presented in 1965 to G. Sankara Kurup.

Sarhul is an important spring festival associated particularly with tribal communities of Jharkhand, including the Oraon, Munda and Ho.

The Sundarbans contain the world’s largest continuous mangrove forest. It spreads across the delta of the Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna in India and Bangladesh.