West Bengal
Indian state / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
West Bengal (/bɛŋˈɡɔːl/ beng-GAWL; Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ, romanised: Paścimbaṅga, pronounced [ˈpoʃtʃimbɔŋɡo] (listen)) is a state in India. It is in the eastern part of the country. It is along the Bay of Bengal. Its area is 88,752 square kilometres (34,267 square miles). Its population was about 91 million in 2011. It became about 103 million in 2023.[13] West Bengal is the fourth-largest state in India by population. It is the thirteenth-largest state in India by area. It is also the eighth-largest administrative division of the world.
West Bengal
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Along the clock, from top: View of Kolkata from Howrah; Chhau dance, Purulia; Durga Puja; Bengal tiger, Sundarbans; Darjeeling from Happy Valley Tea Estate; Digha; Hazarduari Palace; Dakshineswar Kali Temple | |
Etymology: Western part of Bengal | |
Nickname: "Hub of all cultural traits" | |
Motto(s): | |
Anthem: Banglar Mati Banglar Jol (The Soil of Bengal, The Water of Bengal)[1] | |
Coordinates: 22.57°N 88.37°E / 22.57; 88.37 | |
Country | India |
Region | East India |
Before was | Bengal Province |
Started (by division into parts) | 15 August 1947 |
Capital and largest city | Kolkata |
Largest metro (city and suburbs) | Kolkata Metropolitan Area |
Districts | 23 (5 divisions) |
Government | |
• Body | Government of West Bengal |
• Governor | C. V. Ananda Bose |
• Chief minister | Mamata Banerjee (TMC) |
State Legislature | Unicameral |
• Assembly | West Bengal Legislative Assembly (294 seats) |
National Parliament | Parliament of India |
• Rajya Sabha | 16 seats |
• Lok Sabha | 42 seats |
High Court | Calcutta High Court |
Area | |
• Total | 88,752 km2 (34,267 sq mi) |
• Rank | 13th |
Dimensions | |
• Length | 623 km (387 mi) |
• Width | 320 km (200 mi) |
Elevation | 500 m (1,600 ft) |
Highest elevation | 3,636 m (11,929 ft) |
Lowest elevation (Near Bay of Bengal) | 11 m (36 ft) |
Population (2011)[3] | |
• Total | 91,347,736 |
• Rank | 4th |
• Density | 1,029/km2 (2,670/sq mi) |
• Urban | 31.87% |
• Rural | 68.13% |
Demonym | Bengali |
Language | |
• Official | Bengali[4] • English |
• Additional official | Nepali • Urdu • Hindi • Odia • Santali • Punjabi • Kamtapuri • Rajbanshi • Kudmali/Kurmali • Kurukh • Telugu[4] |
• Official script | Bengali–Assamese script |
GDP | |
• Total (2023) | ₹17.19 lakh crore (US$230 billion) |
• Rank | 6th |
• Per capita | ₹141,373 (US$1,900) (20th) |
Time zone | UTC+05:30 (IST) |
ISO 3166 code | IN-WB |
Vehicle registration | WB |
HDI (2022) | 0.674 Medium[8] (24th) |
Literacy (2017) | 80.5%[9] (19th) |
Sex ratio (2011) | 950♀/1000 ♂[10] (8th) |
Website | wb |
Symbols of West Bengal | |
Song | Banglar Mati Banglar Jol (The Soil of Bengal, The Water of Bengal)[11] |
Mammal | Fishing cat |
Bird | White-throated kingfisher |
Fish | Ilish |
Flower | Night-flowering jasmine |
Fruit | Mango |
Tree | Chhaatim tree |
State highway mark | |
State highway of West Bengal WB SH1 to WB SH15 | |
List of Indian state symbols | |
^The Indian Independence Act 1947 divided the Province of Bengal into two parts: West Bengal and East Bengal. East Bengal became independent to become Bangladesh in 1971.[12] †† Partition of Bengal (1947) |
Both West Bengal and Bangladesh are parts of the region of Bengal. Bangladesh is a country east of West Bengal. Nepal and Bhutan are two countries north of the Indian state. Bihar and Jharkhand are two Indian states west of West Bengal. Odisha is another Indian state southwest of West Bengal. Sikkim is an Indian state north of West Bengal. Assam is an Indian state east of West Bengal. Kolkata is the capital city of West Bengal. Kolkata is the third-largest metropolis and seventh-largest city by population.
West Bengal is divided into some regions, for example the Darjeeling Hills, the Ganges Delta, the Rarh region, the Sundarbans and the Bay of Bengal. West Bengal has a tropical climate, so it is very hot and humid in summer and cool in winter. The people who live here are called Bengalis. Bengalis also live in Bangladesh.