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Coordinates: 22°34′11″N 88°22′11″E / 22.5697, 88.3697
West Bengal (Bengali: পশà§à¦šà¦¿à¦®à¦¬à¦™à§à¦— IPA: [poËʂɕɪɱ bɔŋÌɢɔ]) is a state in eastern India. With Bangladesh, which lies on its eastern border, the state forms the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. To its northeast lie the states of Assam and Sikkim and the country Bhutan, and to its southwest, the state of Orissa. To the west it borders the state of Jharkhand and Bihar, and to the northwest, Nepal.
Prior to the colonization of undivided Bengal by European rulers (British East India Company), Bengal was part of the Mughal Empire. During the European administration over Bengal, railways and modern universities were introduced, but the state also endured various devastating famines. A hotbed of the Indian independence movement through the early 20th century, Bengal was divided in 1947 into two separate entities, West Bengal - a state of India, and East Pakistan. Following India\'s independence in 1947, West Bengal\'s economic and political systems were dominated for many decades by Marxism, Naxalite movements and trade unionism. The state is currently administered by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), led by chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya.
West Bengal occupies only 2.7% of the India\'s land area, though it supports over 7.8% of Indian population, and is the most densely populated state in India.[Introduction and Human Development Indices for West Bengal (PDF). West Bengal Human Development Report 2004 pp4–6. Development and Planning Department, Government of West Bengal (May 2004). Archived from the original on 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.] While West Bengal has seen a resurgence in its economy after decades of stagnation, the state is still faced with poverty, social tensions and bureaucratic corruption.
History
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Remnants of civilisation in the greater Bengal region date back 4,000 years,[History of Bangladesh. Bangladesh Student Association. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.]["4000-year old settlement unearthed in Bangladesh", Xinhua, 2006-March. ] when the region was settled by Dravidian, Tibeto-Burman and Austro-Asiatic peoples. The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown, though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang that settled in the area around the year 1000 BCE.[ (1989) "Early History, 1000 B.C.-A.D. 1202", in James Heitzman and Robert L. Worden: Bangladesh: A country study. Library of Congress. ] After the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the kingdom of Magadha was formed in 7th century BCE, consisting of the Bihar and Bengal regions. It was one of the four main kingdoms of India at the time of Mahavira and the Buddha, and consisted of several Janapadas.[Sultana, Sabiha. Settlement in Bengal (Early Period). Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2007-03-04.] During the rule of Maurya dynasty, the Magadha Empire extended over nearly all of South Asia, including parts of Persia and Afghanistan under Ashoka the Great in the 3rd century BCE. One of the earliest foreign references to Bengal is the mention of a land named Gangaridai by the Greeks around 100 BCE. The word is speculated to have come from Gangahrd (Land with the Ganges in its heart) in reference to an area in Bengal.[Chowdhury, AM. Gangaridai. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-09-08.]
From the 3rd to the 6th centuries CE, the kingdom of Magadha served as the seat of the Gupta Empire. The first recorded independent king of Bengal was Shashanka, reigning around early 7th century.[Shashanka. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] After a period of anarchy, the Buddhist Pala dynasty ruled the region for four hundred years, followed by a shorter reign of the Hindu Sena dynasty. Islam was introduced to Bengal in the twelfth century by Sufi missionaries. Subsequent Muslim conquests helped spread Islam throughout the region.[Islam (in Bengal). Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] Bakhtiar Khilji, a Turkic general of the Slave dynasty of Delhi Sultanate, defeated Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal. Consequently, the region was ruled by dynasties of sultans and feudal lords under the Delhi Sultanate for the next few hundred years. In the sixteenth century, Mughal general Islam Khan conquered Bengal. However, administration by governors appointed by the court of the Mughal Empire gave way to semi-independence of the area under the Nawabs of Murshidabad, who nominally respected the sovereignty of the Mughals in Delhi.
European traders arrived late in the fifteenth century. Their influence grew until the British East India Company gained taxation rights in Bengal subah, or province, following the Battle of Plassey in 1757, when Siraj ud-Daulah, the last independent Nawab, was defeated by the British.[Sirajuddaula. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] The Bengal Presidency was established by 1765, eventually including all British territories north of the Central Provinces (now Madhya Pradesh), from the mouths of the Ganges and the Brahmaputra to the Himalayas and the Punjab. The Bengal famine of 1770 claimed millions of lives.[Fiske, John. The Famine of 1770 in Bengal. The Unseen World, and other essays. University of Adelaide Library Electronic Texts Collection. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] Calcutta was named the capital of British India in 1772. The Bengal Renaissance and Brahmo Samaj socio-cultural reform movements had great impact on the cultural and economic life of Bengal. The failed Indian rebellion of 1857 started near Calcutta and resulted in transfer of authority to the British Crown, administered by the Viceroy of India.[(Baxter 1997, pp. 30–32)] Between 1905 and 1911, an abortive attempt was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones.[(Baxter 1997, pp. 39–40)] Bengal suffered from the Great Bengal famine in 1943 that claimed 3 million lives.[Sen, Amartya (1973). Poverty and Famines. Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-828463-2. ]
Bengal played a major role in the Indian independence movement, in which revolutionary groups such as Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar were dominant. Armed attempts against the British Raj from Bengal reached a climax when Subhash Chandra Bose led the Indian National Army from Southeast Asia against the British. When India gained independence in 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines. The western part went to India (and was named West Bengal) while the eastern part joined Pakistan as a province called East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan, giving rise to Bangladesh in 1971).[Harun-or-Rashid. Partition of Bengal, 1947. Banglapedia. Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] In 1955, the former French enclave of Chandannagar, which had passed into Indian control after 1950, was integrated into West Bengal; portions of Bihar were subsequently merged with West Bengal.
During the 1960s and 1970s, severe power shortages, strikes and a violent Marxist-Naxalite movement damaged much of the state\'s infrastructure, leading to a period of economic stagnation. The Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 resulted in the influx of millions of refugees to West Bengal, causing significant strains on its infrastructure.[(Bennett & Hindle 1996, pp. 63–70)] West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress. The Left Front, led by CPI(M) has governed for the subsequent three decades.[Biswas, Soutik. "Calcutta\'s colourless campaign", BBC, 2006-04-16. Retrieved on 2006-08-26. ]
The state\'s economic recovery gathered momentum after economic reforms in India were introduced in the mid-1990s by the central government, aided by election of a new reformist Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya in 2000. As of 2007, armed activists have been organising minor terrorist attacks in some parts of the state,[Ghosh Roy, Paramasish (2005-07-22). Maoist on Rise in West Bengal. VOA Bangla. Voice of America. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.][Maoist Communist Centre (MCC). Left-wing Extremist group. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Retrieved on 2006-09-11.] while clashes with the administration are taking place at several sensitive places on the issue of industrial land acquisition.["Several hurt in Singur clash", rediff News, Rediff.com India Limited, January 28, 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-15. ]["Red-hand Buddha: 14 killed in Nandigram re-entry bid", The Telegraph, 15 March 2007. Retrieved on 2007-03-15. ]
Geography and climate
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 Many areas remain flooded during the heavy rains brought by monsoon West Bengal is on the eastern bottleneck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. The state has a total area of 88,752 square kilometres (34,267 sq mi).[Statistical Facts about India. www.indianmirror.com. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] The Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in the northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern Himalaya. This region contains Sandakfu (3,636 metres/11,929 feet)—the highest peak of the state.[National Himalayan Sandakphu-Gurdum Trekking Expedition: 2006. Youth Hostels Association of India: West Bengal State Branch. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] The narrow Terai region separates this region from the plains, which in turn transitions into the Ganges delta towards the south. The Rarh region intervenes between the Ganges delta in the east and the western plateau and high lands. A small coastal region is on the extreme south, while the Sundarbans mangrove forests form a remarkable geographical landmark at the Ganges delta.
The Ganges is the main river, which divides in West Bengal. One branch enters Bangladesh as the Padma or Pôdda, while the other flows through West Bengal as the Bhagirathi River and Hooghly River. The Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka and Mahananda rivers are in the northern hilly region. The western plateau region has rivers such as the Damodar, Ajay and Kangsabati. The Ganges delta and the Sundarbans area have numerous rivers and creeks. Pollution of the Ganges from indiscriminate waste dumped into the river is a major problem.[Alarming rise in bacterial percentage in Ganga waters. The Hindu Business Line (4 August, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-29.] At least nine districts in the state suffer from arsenic contamination of groundwater, and an estimated 8.7 million people drink water containing arsenic above the World Health Organisation recommended limit of 10 µg/L.[Groundwater Arsenic Contamination Status in West Bengal. Groundwater Arsenic Contamination in West Bengal - India (17 Years Study). School of Environmental Studies, Jadavpur University. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.]
West Bengal\'s climate varies from tropical savannah in the southern portions to humid subtropical in the north. The main seasons are summer, rainy season, a short autumn, and winter. While the summer in the delta region is noted for excessive humidity, the western highlands experience a dry summer like northern India, with the highest day temperature ranging from 38 °C (100 °F) to 45 °C (113 °F).[Climate. West Bengal: Land. Suni System (P) Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.] At nights, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal. In early summer brief squalls and thunderstorms known as Kalbaisakhi, or Nor\'westers, often occur.[kal Baisakhi. Glossary of Meteorology. American Meteorological Society. Retrieved on 2006-09-05.] Monsoons bring rain to the whole state from June to September. West Bengal receives the Bay of Bengal branch of the Indian ocean monsoon that moves in a northwest direction. Winter (December–January) is mild over the plains with average minimum temperatures of 15 °C (59 °F).[ A cold and dry northern wind blows in the winter, substantially lowering the humidity level. However, the Darjeeling Himalayan Hill region experiences a harsh winter, with occasional snowfall at places.
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Flora and fauna
- See also: Protected areas of West Bengal
Owing to the varying altitude from the Himalayas to the coastal plains, the flora and fauna of the state is diverse. Forests make up 14% of the geographical area of West Bengal, which is lower than the national average of 23%.[Flora and Fauna. calcuttayellowpages.com (P) Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.][Environmental Issues (PDF). West Bengal Human Development Report 2004 pp180–182. Development and Planning Department, Government of West Bengal (May 2004). Archived from the original on 2006-11-08. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.] Protected forests cover 4% of the state area.[West Bengal: General Information. India in Business. Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry. Archived from the original on 2006-11-18. Retrieved on 2006-08-25.] Part of the world\'s largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in southern West Bengal.[Islam, Sadiq. "World\'s largest mangrove forest under threat", CNN Student Bureau, Cable News Network, June 29, 2001. Retrieved on 2006-10-31. ]
From a phytogeographic viewpoint, the southern part of West Bengal can be divided into two regions: the Gangetic plain and the littoral mangrove forests of the Sundarbans.[Mukherji, S.J. (2000). College Botany Vol. III: (chapter on Phytogeography). Calcutta: New Central Book Agency, pp345–365. ] The alluvial soil of the Gangetic plain compounded with favorable rainfall make this region especially fertile.[ Much of the vegetation of the western part of the state shares floristic similarities with the plants of the Chota Nagpur plateau in the adjoining state of Jharkhand.][ The predominant commercial tree species is Shorea robusta, commonly known as Sal. The coastal region of Purba Medinipur exhibits coastal vegetation; the predominant tree is the Casuarina. The most valuable tree from the Sundarbans is the ubiquitous sundri (Heritiera fomes) from which the forest gets its name.][Snedaker, Samuel. Notes on the Sundarbans with Emphasis on Geology, Hydrology, and Forestry. A.K. Townsend. Retrieved on 2006-11-01.][dead link] Vegetation in northern West Bengal is dictated by elevation and precipitation. For example, the foothills of the Himalayas, the Dooars, are densely wooded with Sal and other trees of the tropical evergreen type.[Natural vegetation. West Bengal. Suni System (P) Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-10-31.] Above 1000 m, the forest type changes to subtropical. In Darjeeling, which is above 1500 m, common trees typifying the temperate forest are oaks, conifers, and rhododendrons.[
] The Sundarbans are noted for a reserve project conserving Bengal tigers. There are five national parks in the state[West Bengal. Directory of Wildlife Protected Areas in India. Wildlife Institute of India. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] — Sundarbans National Park, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Gorumara National Park, Neora Valley National Park and Singalila National Park. Wildlife includes the Indian rhinoceros, Indian elephants, deer, bison, leopards, gaur, and crocodiles. The state is also rich in bird life. Migratory birds come to the state during the winter.[ The high altitude forests like Singalila National Park shelter barking deer, red panda, chinkara, takin, serow, pangolin, minivet and Kalij pheasants. In addition to the Bengal tiger, the Sundarbans host many other endangered species like the Ganges River Dolphin, river terrapin, estuarine crocodile etc.][ [May 2004] "Problems of Specific Regions", West Bengal Human Development Report 2004 (PDF), Development and Planning Department, Government of West Bengal, pp200–203. ISBN 81-7955-030-3. Retrieved on 2006-08-26. ][dead link] The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting coastal fishes along the Bay of Bengal.[
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Government and politics
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- See also : Chief Minister of West Bengal, Political parties of West Bengal
West Bengal is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy, a feature the state shares with other Indian states. Universal suffrage is granted to residents. There are three branches of government. The legislature, the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, consists of elected members and special office bearers such as the Speaker and Deputy Speaker, that are elected by the members. Assembly meetings are presided over by the Speaker or the Deputy Speaker in the Speaker\'s absence. The judiciary is composed of the Calcutta High Court and a system of lower courts. Executive authority is vested in the Council of Ministers headed by the Chief Minister, although the titular head of government is the Governor. The Governor is the head of state appointed by the President of India. The leader of the party or coalition with a majority in the Legislative Assembly is appointed as the Chief Minister by the Governor, and the Council of Ministers are appointed by the Governor on the advice of the Chief Minister. The Council of Ministers reports to the Legislative Assembly. The Assembly is unicameral with 295 Members of the Legislative Assembly, or MLAs,[West Bengal Legislative Assembly. Legislative Bodies in India. National Informatics Centre. Retrieved on 2006-10-28.][Election Database. Election Commission of India. Archived from the original on 2006-08-18. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.] including one nominated from the Anglo-Indian community. Terms of office run for 5 years, unless the Assembly is dissolved prior to the completion of the term. Auxiliary authorities known as panchayats, for which local body elections are regularly held, govern local affairs. The state contributes 42 seats to Lok Sabha and 16 seats to Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament.[West Bengal. India Together. Civil Society Information Exchange Pvt. Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-08-26.]
The main players in the regional politics are the Left Front alliance (led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI(M)), the All India Trinamool Congress, the Indian National Congress, and other major parties. Following the West Bengal State Assembly Election in 2006, the Left Front coalition under Buddhadeb Bhattacharya of the CPI(M) was elected to power. West Bengal has been ruled by the Left Front for the past 30 years, making it the world\'s longest-running democratically-elected communist government.[
] The government of West Bengal came under fire from international human rights groups for violently suppressing demonstrations by farmers against the state\'s acquisition of agricultural land for industrial development. Numerous farmers were killed by state police in 2007 during protests against the communist government\'s plans to set up numerous special economic zones (SEZs) for industrial development.[[1]]
Subdivisions
 Districts of West Bengal -
There are 19 districts in West Bengal — Bankura, Bardhaman, Birbhum, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, East Midnapore, Hooghly, Howrah, Jalpaiguri, Kolkata, Malda, Murshidabad, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, North Dinajpur, Purulia, South 24 Parganas, Dakshin Dinajpur and West Midnapore. Each district is governed by a district collector or district magistrate, appointed either by the Indian Administrative Service or the West Bengal Civil Service. Each district is subdivided into Sub-Divisions, governed by a sub-divisional magistrate, and again into Blocks. Blocks consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities.
The capital and largest city of the state is Kolkata — the third-largest urban agglomeration[India: metropolitan areas. World Gazetteer. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] and the fourth-largest city[India: largest cities and towns and statistics of their population. World Gazetteer. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.] in India. Siliguri is an economically important town, strategically located in the northeastern Chicken\'s Neck of India. Asansol, Durgapur and Raniganj are cities in the western industrial belt. Other major cities and towns in West Bengal are Howrah, Haldia, Kharagpur, Burdwan, Darjeeling, Midnapore, Tamluk, Malda and Cooch Behar.
Economy
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Agriculture is the leading occupation in West Bengal. Rice is the state\'s principal food crop. Other food crops are maize, pulses, oil seeds, wheat, barley, tobacco, sugarcane and potatoes. Jute is the main cash crop of the region. Tea is also produced commercially; the region is well known for Darjeeling and other high quality teas.[Economy. West Bengal. Suni System (P) Ltd. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.] However, the service sector is the largest contributor to the gross domestic product of the state, contributing 51% of the state domestic product compared to 27% from agriculture and 22% from industry.[The State Economy (PDF). Indian States Economy and Business: West Bengal 9. India Brand Equity Foundation, Confederation of Indian Industry. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.] State industries are localized in the Kolkata region and the mineral-rich western highlands. Durgapur–Asansol colliery belt is home to a number of major steel plants.
 Freshly sown saplings of paddy; in the background are stacks of jute sticks A significant part of the state is economically backward, namely, large parts of six northern districts of Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Malda, North Dinajpur and South Dinajpur; three western districts of Purulia, Bankura, Birbhum; and the Sundarbans area.[ Years after independence, West Bengal was still dependent on the central government for meeting its demands for food; food production remained stagnant and the Indian green revolution bypassed the state. However, there has been a significant spurt in food production since the 1980s, and the state now has a surplus of grains.][ The state\'s share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–81, declining to 5% by 1997–98. However, the service sector has grown at a rate higher than the national rate.][
] West Bengal has the third largest economy (2003–2004) in India, with a net state domestic product of US$ 21.5 billion.[ During 2001–2002, the state\'s average SDP was more than 7.8% — outperforming the National GDP Growth.][Basic Information. About West Bengal. West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 2006-11-28. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.] The state has promoted foreign direct investment, which has mostly come in the software and electronics fields;[Dasgupta, 2002. Retrieved on 2006-04-11.][dead link] Kolkata is becoming a major hub for the Information technology (IT) industry. Owing to the boom in Kolkata\'s and the overall state\'s economy, West Bengal is now the third fastest growing economy in the country.[Consul General Henry V. Jardine to The Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, October 19, 2005. Retrieved on 2006-04-11.] However, the rapid industrialisation process has given rise to debate over land acquisition for industry in this agrarian state.[Ray Choudhury, R (27th October, 2006). A new dawn beckons West Bengal. The Hindu Business Line. Retrieved on 2006-10-29.] NASSCOM–Gartner ranks West Bengal power infrastructure the best in the country.[West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation Ltd. (PDF). India @ Hannover Messe 2006 303. Engineering Export Promotion Council (EEPC), India. Retrieved on 2006-09-07.]
West Bengals state domestic product (SDP) grew in 2004 with 12.7 % and in 2005 with 11.0 %
.[>STATEMENT : GROSS STATE DOMESTIC PRODUCT AT CURRENT PRICES. Directorate of Economics & Statistics of respective State Governments, and for All-India. Retrieved on 2007-09-02.]
Transport
 Cycle rickshaws and vans are ubiquitous in rural and semi-urban localities [West Bengal: Infrastructure. Public Private Partnerships in India. Dept of Economic Affairs, Ministry of Finance, Government of India. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.] national highways comprise 2,377 km (1,477 mi)[List of State-wise National Hoghways in the Country. National Highways. Department of Road Transport and Highways; Ministry of Shipping, Road Transport and Highways; Government of India. Archived from the original on []. Retrieved on 2006-10-27.] and state highways 2,393 km (1,487 mi). Average speed on state highways varies between 40–50 km/h (25–31 mi/h); in villages and towns, speeds are as low as 20–25 km/h (12–16 mi/h) due to the proliferation of speed bumps. Total railway length is 3,825 km (2,377 mi).[West Bengal. Indian States-A Profile. Indian Investment Centre, Government of India. Retrieved on 2006-09-01.] Kolkata is the headquarters of two divisions of the Indian Railways — Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.[Geography : Railway Zones. IRFCA.org. Indian Railways Fan Club. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.] The Northeast Frontier Railway plies in the northern parts of the state. The Kolkata metro is the country\'s first underground railway,[About Kolkata Metro. Kolkata Metro. Retrieved on 2007-09-01.] and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (NFR) is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[Mountain Railways of India. UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Retrieved on 2006-04-30.]
The state\'s only international airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum, Kolkata. Bagdogra airport near Siliguri is another significant airport in the state. Kolkata is a major river-port in eastern India. The Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata docks and the Haldia docks.[Salient Physical Features. Kolkata Port Trust. Kolkata Port Trust, India. Retrieved on 2007-06-09.] There is passenger service to Port Blair on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and cargo ship service to ports in India and abroad, operated by the Shipping Corporation of India. Ferry is a principal mode of transport in the southern part of the state, especially in the Sundarbans area. Kolkata is the only city in India to have trams as a mode of transport and these are operated by the Calcutta Tramways Company.[Intra-city train travel. reaching India. Times Internet Limited. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.]
Several government-owned organisations operate bus services in the state, including the Calcutta State Transport Corporation, the North Bengal State Transport Corporation, the South Bengal State Transport Corporation, West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation, and the | | | | |
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