What country does the main character grow up in?

The main character in Yann Martel's novel Life of Pi grows up in India. Specifically, he grows up in Pondicherry, India, where his father owned a zoo. Pondicherry is the capital city of Puducherry, an Indian union territory located on the southeastern edge of India. India is divided into twenty-nine states and seven union territories.
In the novel, Piscine Molitor Patel, or Pi, is emigrating to Canada with his family when the cargo ship they are aboard encounters storm surge. Pi is thrown overboard along with several animals. His youth in Pondicherry is, in part, what helps him survive the ordeal. He knows a great deal about animals, which helps him survive with an adult Bengal tiger aboard the lifeboat. Here is what Pi says about his beloved India:

I miss the heat of India, the food, the house lizards on the walls, the musicals on the silver screen, the cows wandering the streets, the crows cawing, even the talk of cricket matches.