West Bengal Facts and Information
General Information
| Capital | Kolkata |
|---|---|
| Formation Date | 26 January 1950 (formed 1947 at Partition) |
| Foundation Day | 20 June (Paschim Banga Divas) |
| Largest City | Kolkata |
| Official Languages | Bengali, English (Hindi, Urdu in some areas) |
| State Animal | Fishing cat |
| State Bird | White-throated kingfisher |
| State Flower | Shiuli (night-flowering jasmine) |
| State Name | West Bengal |
Government and Administration
| Chief Minister | Suvendu Adhikari |
|---|---|
| Governor | R. N. Ravi |
| High Court | Calcutta High Court (oldest in India, 1862) |
| Legislature | Unicameral (294 Assembly seats) |
| Lok Sabha Seats | 42 |
| Number of Districts | 23 |
| Rajya Sabha Seats | 16 |
Geography and Environment
| Area | 88,752 km² |
|---|---|
| Climate | Tropical to subtropical |
| Coastline | Bay of Bengal access |
| Forest Cover | ~18.96% |
| Major Rivers | Hooghly (Ganga distributary), Teesta, Damodar |
| Sundarbans | Largest mangrove forest in the world (shared with Bangladesh) |
Demographics and Social Structure
| Density | ~1,029/km² (2nd highest) |
|---|---|
| Literacy Rate | 76.26% |
| Population (2011 Census) | 91.3 million (4th most populous) |
| Sex Ratio | 950 |
| Urbanization | 31.9% |
Economy and Industry
| IT Hub | Kolkata-Sector V, Rajarhat |
|---|---|
| Industrial Heritage | Major iron & steel (Durgapur, Asansol) |
| Jute Industry | Largest jute producer in India |
| Tea Industry | Darjeeling tea (GI tag, world-renowned) |
Education and Research
| Famous Universities | University of Calcutta (1857), Jadavpur University, Visva-Bharati |
|---|---|
| IIM | IIM Calcutta (first IIM, established 1961) |
| Premier Institute | IIT Kharagpur (first IIT, established 1951) |
| Research | Indian Statistical Institute, Bose Institute |
Infrastructure and Connectivity
| Major Airport | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International, Kolkata |
|---|---|
| Metro | Kolkata Metro (India's first metro, opened 1984) |
| Port | Kolkata Port (oldest operating port in India) |
| Rail Hub | Howrah Junction (one of India's busiest) |
Culture and Heritage
| Cinema | Bengali cinema (Satyajit Ray legacy) |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Fish & rice, mishti doi, rosogolla, sandesh |
| Literary Tradition | Strong tradition (Tagore, Bankim Chandra, Sarat Chandra) |
| Major Festival | Durga Puja (UNESCO Intangible Heritage), Kali Puja |
| Nobel Laureate | Rabindranath Tagore (1913 Literature) was from here |
Tourism and Places of Interest
| Heritage City | Kolkata (Victoria Memorial, Howrah Bridge) |
|---|---|
| Hill Station | Darjeeling (UNESCO Mountain Railways) |
| Other | Sundarbans, Kalimpong, Murshidabad |
| Pilgrimage | Gangasagar Mela, Dakshineswar Kali Temple |
| UNESCO Site | Sundarbans National Park (Royal Bengal Tigers) |
Fun facts
| Darjeeling Tea | World-famous, has its own GI tag |
|---|---|
| Durga Puja | UNESCO declared it Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity (2021) |
| First Indian Nobel | Rabindranath Tagore (1913 Literature) — first non-European Nobel laureate |