pop (2001e) 80 221 200; area 87 853 km²/33 911 sq mi. State in NE India, bounded NW by Nepal, E by Bangladesh, and S by the Bay of Bengal; crossed by many rivers; created in 1947, when the former province of Bengal was divided between the new state of West Bengal and the Muslim majority districts of East Bengal (now Bangladesh); capital, Kolkata (Calcutta); governed by a 295-member Legislative Assembly; rice, foodgrains, oilseed, jute; coal, aluminium, steel, fertilizer; extensive rail network.
| West Bengal | |
|
Capital - Coordinates |
Kolkata - 22.82° N 88.2° E |
| Largest city | Kolkata (Calcutta) |
|
Population (2001) - Density |
80,221,171 (4th) - 904/km² |
|
Area - Districts |
88,752 km² (13th) - 19 |
| Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
|
Establishment - Governor - Chief Minister - Legislature (seats) |
1960-05-01 - Gopalkrishna Gandhi - Buddhadev Bhattacharya - Unicameral (295) |
| Official language(s) | Bengali |
| Abbreviation (ISO) | IN-WB |
| Website: www.wbgov.com | |
West Bengal pronunciation (help·info) (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, Poshchimbôŋgo) 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.
The region that is now West Bengal was a part of a number of empires and kingdoms during the past two millenia. The British East India Company cemented their hold on the region following the Battle of Plassey in 1757 CE, and the city of Kolkata, then Calcutta, served for many years as the capital of British India. 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 belonging to the new nation of Pakistan.
Following India's independence in 1947, West Bengal's economic and political theatres were dominated for many decades by intellectual Marxism, Naxalite movements and trade unionism. An agriculture-dependent state, 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. West Bengal has been ruled by the CPI(M)-led Left Front for three decades, making it the world's longest-running democratically-elected communist government. Many notable poets, writers, artists and performers are native to West Bengal.
History
Remnants of civilisation in the greater Bengal region date back 4,000 years, 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. After the arrival of Indo-Aryans, the kingdom of Magadha was formed in 7th century BCE, consisting of the Bihar and Bengal regions. 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. The first recorded independent king of Bengal was Shashanka, reigning around early 7th century. Islam was introduced to Bengal in the twelfth century by Sufi missionaries. Bakhtiar Khilji, a Turkish general, defeated Lakshman Sen of the Sena dynasty and conquered large parts of Bengal. In the sixteenth century, Mughal general Islam Khan conquered Bengal. 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. 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. The Bengal Renaissance and Brahmo Samaj socio-cultural reform movements had great impact on the cultural and economic life of Bengal. life of Bengal. Between 1905 and 1911, an abortive attempt was made to divide the province of Bengal into two zones.
Bengal played a major role in the Indian independence movement, in which revolutionary groups such as Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar played major roles. Armed attempts against the British Raj from Bengal reached a climax when Subhash Chandra Bose led the Indian National Army against the British. In 1947, Bengal was partitioned along religious lines; the western part went to India and the eastern part joined Pakistan as a province called East Bengal (later renamed East Pakistan, giving rise to Bangladesh in 1971). On 2 October 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. West Bengal politics underwent a major change when the Left Front won the 1977 assembly election, defeating the incumbent Indian National Congress.
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 in 2000.
Geography and climate
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 Darjeeling Himalayan hill region in the northern extreme of the state belongs to the eastern Himalaya. This region contains Sandakfu (3,636 m)—the highest peak of the state.
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.
West Bengal's climate varies from tropical savannah in the southern portions to humid subtropical in the north. At nights, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal. West Bengal receives the Bay of Bengal branch of the Indian ocean monsoon that moves in a northwest direction.
Flora and fauna
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%. Protected forests cover 4% of the state area. Part of the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans is located in southern West Bengal.
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. 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. Vegetation in northern West Bengal is dictated by elevation and precipitation.
The Sundarbans are noted for a reserve project conserving Bengal tigers. There are five national parks in the state — Sundarbans National Park, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Gorumara National Park, Neora Valley National Park and Singalila National Park. In addition to the Bengal tiger, the Sundarbans host many other endangered species like the Ganges River Dolphin, river terrapin, estuarine crocodile etc. The mangrove forest also acts as a natural fish nursery, supporting coastal fishes along the Bay of Bengal.
Government and politics
West Bengal is governed through a parliamentary system of representative democracy, a feature the state shares with other Indian states. 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. The Governor is the head of state appointed by the President of India. The state contributes 42 seats to Lok Sabha and 16 seats to Rajya Sabha of the Indian Parliament.
The main players in the regional politics are the political alliance led by the CPI(M)) known as the Left Front, 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.
Subdivisions
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.
The capital and largest city of the state is Kolkata — the third-largest urban agglomeration and the fourth-largest city in India. Other major cities and towns in West Bengal are Howrah, Haldia, Kharagpur, Burdwan, Darjeeling, Midnapore, Tamluk, Malda and Cooch Behar.
Economy
|
Gross State Domestic Product at Current Prices (93–94 Base)
figures in crores of Indian Rupees |
|
| Year | Gross State Domestic Product |
|---|---|
| 1999–2000 | 126,834 |
| 2000–2001 | 139,863 |
| 2001–2002 | 153,865 |
| 2002–2003 | 165,419 |
| 2003–2004 | 186,429 |
| 2004–2005 | 206,881 |
Agriculture is the leading occupation in West Bengal. 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. State industries are localized in the Kolkata region and the mineral-rich western highlands.
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; Years after independence, West Bengal was still dependent on the central government for meeting its demands for food; The state's share of total industrial output in India was 9.8% in 1980–81, declining to 5% by 1997–98.
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. 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. NASSCOM–Gartner ranks West Bengal power infrastructure the best in the country.
See also: List of conglomerates in West BengalTransport
The total length of surface road in West Bengal is over 92,023 km; The Northeast Frontier Railway plies in the northern parts of the state.
The state's only international airport is Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport at Dum Dum, Kolkata. Ferry is a principal mode of transport in the southern part of the state, especially in the Sundarbans area.
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, and the West Bengal Surface Transport Corporation.
Demographics
The vast majority of the 80,221,171 people of West Bengal are Bengalis. A Bihari minority is scattered throughout the state and communites of Sherpas and ethnic Tibetans can be found in regions bordering Sikkim. West Bengal is also home to indigenous tribal Adivasis (including Santals and Kol), who are mostly concentrated in the western districts.
West Bengal has a population density of 904 people/km² making it the most densely populated state in India. The state contributes 7.81% of India's population. The state's 1991–2001 growth rate of 17.84% is slightly lower than the national rate of 21.34%. The life expectancy in the state is 63.4 years, marginally higher than the national value of 61.7 years.
The crime rate in the state in 2004 was 82.6 per 100,000, which was half of the national average. This is the fourth-lowest crime rate among the 32 states and union territories of India. In reported crimes against women, the state showed a crime rate of 7.1 compared to the national rate of 14.1. West Bengal was the first Indian state to constitute a Human Rights Commission of its own. West Bengal has a long tradition in folk literature, evidenced by the Charyapada, Mangalkavya, Shreekrishna Kirtana, Thakurmar Jhuli, and stories related to Gopal Bhar. Folk music in West Bengal is often accompanied by the ektara, a one-stringed instrument. West Bengal also has an heritage in North Indian classical music.
Rice and fish are traditional favorite foods, leading to a saying that in Bengali, machhe bhate bangali, that translates as "fish and rice make a Bengali". Bengal's vast repertoire of fish-based dishes includes hilsa preparations, a favorite among Bengalis. Durga Puja in October is the most popular festival in the West Bengal. West Bengal is the birthplace of several famous religious teachers, including Sri Chaitanya, Sri Ramakrishna, and Swami Vivekananda.
Education
West Bengal schools are run by the state government or by private organisations, including religious institutions. The secondary schools are affiliated with the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), or the West Bengal Board of Secondary Education. Under the 10+2+3 plan, after completing secondary school, students typically enroll for 2 years in a junior college, also known as pre-university, or in schools with a higher secondary facility affiliated with the West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education or any central board.
West Bengal has eighteen universities. The Bengal Engineering & The state has higher education institutes of national importance including the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur, the Indian Institute of Management Calcutta (the first management institute in India of its kind), the Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, the Asiatic Society, the Indian Statistical Institute and the Marine Engineering and Research Institute.
Media
West Bengal had 559 published newspapers in 2005, of which 430 were in Bangla. Private FM stations are available only in cities like Kolkata.
Sports
Football is the most popular sport in the state. Kolkata is one of the major centers for football in India and houses top national clubs such as East Bengal, Mohan Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting Club.
West Bengal has several large stadiums —The Eden Gardens is one of only two 100,000-seat cricket amphitheaters in the world. Notable sports persons from West Bengal include former Indian national cricket captain Sourav Ganguly, Olympic tennis bronze medallist Leander Paes and chess grand master Dibyendu Barua.
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