Carolina Gonçalves 12CHG

 Vasco da Gama was a Portuguese explorer and the first European to reach India by sea, linking Europe and Asia for the first time (1497–1499).  His discovery opened the way for an age of global imperialism and for the Portuguese to establish a long-lasting colonial empire in Asia.  His trip to India is considered a milestone in world history as it marked the beginning of the first wave of global multiculturalism.

 "Raj" is a word of the Indian language which means "rule", so "British Raj" means rule by the British in India. This rule was before 1947 and was over parts of what are now four countries, the Republic of India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Burma.  By the end of the 19th century, India was the world’s biggest purchaser of British exports and a source of highly paid employment to British civil employees.  As Britain ruthlessly exploited India, between 15 and 29 million Indians died tragic deaths from starvation.

 Born October 1869 and died on the 30 th January  He was a leader of nationalism in British-ruled India.  He is also called Bapu which means "father" or “papa" in Indian.  Gandhi was one of the most important people involved in the movement for the independence of India. He was a non- violent activist, who led the independence movement through a non-violent protest.

 The Indian Independence Act in 1947 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that partitioned British India into the two new independent dominions of India and Pakistan.  The legislation was formulated by the Prime Minister and the Governor General of India.

The Partition of India was the partition of the Presidencies and provinces of British India that led to the creation of the sovereign states. "Partition" refers to the division of the Bengal province of British India into East Pakistan and West Bengal (India).

Violence by followers of one religious group against followers and institutions of another religious group is common in India. Religious violence in India, especially in recent times, has generally involved Hindus and Muslims, although Christians and Jews are sometimes involved. Over the 2005 to 2009 period, an average of 130 people died every year from communal violence. Over 2012, a total of 97 people died across India from various riots related to religious violence and the world's average annual death rate from intentional violence, in recent years, has been 7.9 per 100,000 people.