east India
West Bengal
West Bengal is an eastern Indian state stretching from the Darjeeling Himalaya to the Bay of Bengal, with Kolkata as capital and a history shaped by riverine trade, colonial Calcutta, the Bengal Renaissance, nationalism, Partition, refugee rehabilitation, tea, jute, ports, and the Sundarbans delta.
Capital
Kolkata
Population
9.13 Cr
Census of India 2011
Area
88,752 sq km
Census of India 2011
Literacy
76.3%
Census of India 2011
Districts
23
State Profile
West Bengal overview
West Bengal is an eastern Indian state stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. Its capital is Kolkata, a former capital of British India and one of South Asia most important colonial-modern cities.
Capital
Kolkata
Region
east
Population
9.13 Cr
Census of India 2011
Area
88,752 sq km
Census of India 2011
Snapshot
Quick facts
Core facts useful for prelims, maps, and state comparison.
- Capital
- Kolkata
- Largest city
- Kolkata
- Region
- east
- Population
- 9.13 CrCensus of India 2011
- Area
- 88,752 sq kmCensus of India 2011
- Languages
- Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, Nepali, Santhali, English
Snapshot
Economy snapshot
A quick view of source-backed output, income, growth, and major sectors.
- Industries
- Services, Kolkata port and commerce, Tea, Jute
UPSC Focus
Why it matters
Important UPSC-relevant themes connected with this state.
- West Bengal has high UPSC relevance for colonial history, the Bengal Renaissance, social reform, nationalism, Swadeshi, revolutionary politics, Partition, refugee rehabilitation, and federal politics.
- Its geography connects the Darjeeling Himalaya, Terai-Dooars, alluvial plains, Rarh lateritic uplands, the Damodar valley, the Ganga-Hooghly system, the Bay of Bengal coast, and the Sundarbans mangrove delta.
- Its economy and society are important for port development, jute, tea, coal-steel belt linkages, Kolkata metropolitan governance, cultural nationalism, migration, border management, and climate vulnerability.
UPSC Focus
Identity markers
Cultural, historical, geographical, or economic identifiers.
- Capital: Kolkata; largest city: Kolkata.
- West Bengal was formed as an Indian state after the Partition of Bengal in 1947.
- Kolkata/Calcutta was the capital of British India until 1911, when the imperial capital was shifted to Delhi.
- Calcutta High Court is the oldest High Court in India; it was formally opened on 1 July 1862 as the High Court of Judicature at Fort William.
- Calcutta High Court has jurisdiction over West Bengal and the Union Territory of Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
- Important centres include Kolkata, Murshidabad, Malda/Gaur-Pandua, Bishnupur, Santiniketan, Darjeeling, Cooch Behar, Chandannagar, Serampore, Kalimpong, Digha, Sundarbans, and Gangasagar.