Geographical Facts about West Bengal

Geography is the study of the environment and its relationship with the people of that particular area. West Bengal lies in the northern region of the Bay of Bengal. The Terrain region comprises the foothills of the Himalayas, which is famous for tea plantations. Some of the finest tea exports occur from this region. The Himalayan Mountain ranges (North Duars) rise along the northern boundary line of West Bengal. The metropolitan capital city of the state is Kolkata (earlier was Calcutta). Some of the most developed cities of West Bengal include Durgapur, Siliguri, Asansol, and Kolkata. In this article, we have divided the geography into four significant groups, described below.

REGIONAL GEOGRAPHY OF WEST BENGAL

1. West Bengal is the fourth most populous state and is situated in the eastern part of India. It has an area of about 88,750 km2.

2. Three countries surround the state – Bangladesh, Nepal, and Bhutan.

3. The capital city of West Bengal is Kolkata, one of the country’s most populated and most significant cities.

4. 5 Indian states are touching the boundaries – Assam, Sikkim, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Orissa.

5. The state is also recognized by its local name – Paschim Bongo.

6. The region is partitioned into five divisions – Jalpaiguri division, Burdwan division, Presidency division, Malda division, and Medinipur division.

7. West Bengal has 23 districts, in which North 24 Parganas is the largest (concerning population density), and South 24 Parganas is the largest district concerning the area.

8. The recently formed districts are the Jhargam, Kalimpong, and Alipurduar districts.

9. The state spread over from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. The latitude lies between 85 degrees 50 minutes and 80 degrees 50 minutes east, whereas the latitude lies between 21 degrees 25 minutes and 13 minutes north.

10. A District Magistrate or District collector is allotted to each district, appointed by an Indian Administrative Service.

11. The second-largest city in West Bengal is Asansol, after Kolkata being the first, whereas Siliguri is an economically important one.

12. Other major cities are Burdwan, Darjeeling, Midnapore, Malda, Durgapur, Howrah, etc.

ENVIRONMENTAL GEOGRAPHY OF WEST BENGAL

1. The western mountains are a relatively higher portion of the Darjeeling Himalayan range, with an approx. Height of 220 m.

2. Here, two ranges can be seen in this location – the Singalila range and the Darjeeling range.

3. The eastern mountains reach an average altitude of 1900 m. The major mountain ranges of this portion are – the Chola range and the Durpin range.

4. The Terai region is the moist or marshy region of West Bengal comprising forests, grasslands, and savannas.

5. The average height of the land is 80 – 100 meters.

6. Each sector constitutes the majority area of the Medinipur and Paschim Medinipur region, and its soil is made from the soil of the Deccan Plateau.

7. The coastal region is located in the south of the state. The plain is made from the mud and sand accumulated by wind and rivers.

8. The largest mangrove forest globally (140,000 hectares), called the Sunderban Delta or the Sundarbans, is located in the South 24 Parganas district.

9. It was marked as a World Heritage site in 1987 and eventually became a major tourist attraction.

10. The site comprises a tangled network of mudflats, tidal waterways, and small islands of salt-tolerant (highly saline) mangrove forests.

11. This particular region is super rich in various flora and fauna comprising 260 species of birds, the famous Bengal tiger, and the most threatened species of Indian python and estuaries crocodile.

12. Sundarbans is the universal global hub of crucial endangered species, including the Ganges and Irrawaddy dolphins, Royal Bengal Tiger, Batagur Baska – endemic river terrapin, etc. It is the single habitat left for the species of Panthera Tigris.

13. Darjeeling is the queen of hills and is a significant tourist attraction. Darjeeling tea got the geographical indication for its unique taste, musky-spicy flavor, and intense aroma. It is made from Camellia sinensis, manufactured in the Kalimpong districts of West Bengal.

14. The exotic view of the Mt. Kanchendzonga and Singhala range and the Bhutan Himalayas are exceptional.

15. The Himalayan Railway of Darjeeling is also known as the Toy Train, which is around 2 feet (610 mm) narrow and 53 miles (86 km) long.

16.  The magnificent tiger hill is located at an altitude of 2590 meters, from where one can experience the sunrise over Kanchenjunga and Himalayan peaks.

17. The Kalimpong city of West Bengal is famous for its indigenous Tibetan, Bhutanese jewelry, and handicraft (wood carvings, paintings, Feng-Shui bells, tapestry bells, etc.)

18. Earlier, it was a linking gateway in trade between Tibet and India.

CLIMATIC GEOGRAPHY OF WEST BENGAL

1. West Bengal has typical tropical wet-dry climatic conditions as it is situated in the southern part of the country.

2. The state has an annual precipitation of (1,625 mm) or 64 inches.

3. All the cities and districts have three distinct seasons – Summer season (March – Early June), the Rainy/Humid season (Mid-June – September), and Winter season (October – February).

4. It has an average temperature of 31 degrees Celsius, and most rainy days are from May to September.

5. Kolkata, the capital city, has an average temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius and average precipitation of 35 mm.

6. Heavy cyclones, rainfall, and monsoons are very frequent in this sector.

7. As the towns such as Darjeeling and Jalpaiguri are at relatively high altitudes (mountains), they encounter excellent climatic conditions. The temperature at the latest reaches 15 degrees Celsius in summer and 2 degrees Celsius in winter.

POPULATION GEOGRAPHY OF WEST BENGAL

1. According to the current census, the population of West Bengal is estimated to be around 101.4 million or 10.14 crores which ultimately gives it the fourth rank in terms of the people across the country.

2. The fertility rate has reached a figure of 1.6, which has ultimately declined due to awareness among people of the conscious use of protection and emergency contraceptives.

3. The major ethnic group residing in the state is Bengalis, in which Bengali Hindus take up the majority arena.

Conclusion

The above article gives a clear picture of the various geographical features of West Bengal, covering all the significant aspects of the developed cities, including the capital city. There are four major features – Regional Geography, Environmental Geography, Climate geography, and population geography.