West Bengal

Coordinates: 20°N 77°E / 20°N 77°E / 20; 77
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West Bengal

পশ্চিমবঙ্গ
State of India
From top: Kolkata skyline from Howrah, Dakshineswar Kali Temple near Kolkata, Kolkata Gate, also known as the Biswa Bangla Gate at New Town, tea garden in the Dooars region, Hazarduari Palace in Murshidabad, sunrise in Digha beach, Bengal tiger in Sundarbans National Park, view of Darjeeling from Happy Valley Tea Estate
Nickname: 
পশ্চিম বঙ্গ
Location of West Bengal in India
Location of West Bengal in India
Map of West Bengal
Map of West Bengal
Coordinates: 20°N 77°E / 20°N 77°E / 20; 77
CountryIndia
RegionEast India
Established1 November 1956
Government
 • GovernorC.V Ananda Bose
 • Chief MinisterMamata Banerjee
 • LegislatureUnicameral (295* seats)
Area
 • Total88,752 km2 (34,267 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total91,347,736
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Official languagesBengali · Nepali · only for Darjeeling district,English
^* 294 elected, 1 nominated

West Bengal (Bengali: পশ্চিমবঙ্গ) is a state in India. It is in the eastern part of the country. West Bengal is the fourth most populous state in India.[1] It is also the seventh most populous sub-national entity in the world.[1] West Bengal is the sixth largest contributor to India's GDP.[2]

Both West Bengal and Bangladesh are parts of historical and geographic region of Bengal. Kolkata is the capital city of West Bengal. In 2001, 80,221,171 people lived in West Bengal. With an area of 34,267 square miles (88,750 km2), it is bigger than Serbia but smaller than Jordan. In traditional Indian geography it falls under the East Indian zone.

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. Bangladesh is a country to the east of West Bengal

History[change | change source]

All of India was once ruled by the British Empire. The Indians wanted freedom, but the Hindus and the Muslims of India always argued. So it was decided to divide the country into two parts—one part for Muslims and the other part for Hindus. In 1947 Bengal, which was a province of India, was divided into West Bengal and East Bengal,which is now called Bangladesh. West Bengal went to India, and East Bengal went to Pakistan and was called East Pakistan. In 1971, Bangladesh became independent, as a result of the Bangladesh Liberation War.

Famous people from West Bengal include:

Provincial symbols of Bengal (west)[change | change source]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 "India: Administrative Divisions (population and area)". Census of India. Archived from the original on 2012-12-17. Retrieved April 17, 2009.
  2. Gross Domestic Product by prices as of February 28, 2008 Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.

Other websites[change | change source]

Media related to West Bengal at Wikimedia Commons