Geography of West Bengal

Districts of West Bengal

West Bengal is on the eastern neck of India, stretching from the Himalayas in the north to the Bay of Bengal in the south. It lies between 85 degree 50 minutes and 89 degree 50 minutes east longitude, and 21 degrees 25 minutes and 27 degrees 13 minutes north latitude.[1] The state has a total area of 88,752 square kilometres (34,267 sq mi).[2] With Bangladesh on its eastern border, the state forms the ethno-linguistic region of Bengal. To its northeast lie the states of Assam and Sikkim and the country of Bhutan. To its southwest is the state of Odisha. To the west, it borders the states of Jharkhand and Bihar, and to the northwest, Nepal. The capital of the state is Kolkata, the third-largest urban agglomeration and the seventh-largest city in India.

There are 30 districts and 5 divisions in West Bengal. The Burdwan Division consists of Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman, Birbhum, and Hooghly; Medinipur division consists of Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura and Purulia; the Jalpaiguri Division consists of Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, and Kalimpong; the Malda division consists of Uttar Dinajpur, Dakshin Dinajpur, Murshidabad and Malda, and the Presidency Division consists of Kolkata, Nadia, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas and Howrah. The newly added 7 districts are Ranaghat, Jangipur, Berhampur, Bishnupur, Sundarban, Icchemati and Bashirhat.

Each district is governed by a district collector or district magistrate, appointed either by the Indian Administrative Service or the West Bengal Civil Service. Each district is subdivided into Sub-Divisions, governed by a sub-divisional magistrate, and again into Blocks. Blocks consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities.[1] Often, the districts north of the Ganges (i.e., Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur, and Malda) are together called North Bengal.

The capital of the state is Kolkata – the third-largest urban agglomeration[3] and the seventh-largest city[4] in India. Asansol is the second largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal after Kolkata.[3] Siliguri is an economically important city, strategically located in the northeastern Siliguri Corridor (Chicken's Neck) of India. Other major cities and towns in West Bengal are Howrah, Durgapur, Raniganj, Haldia, Jalpaiguri, Kharagpur, Burdwan, Darjeeling, Midnapore, and Malda.[4]

Agriculture is leading occupation in the state. Shown here are freshly sown saplings of paddy; in the background are stacks of jute sticks.

Depending on soil and climate variations, West Bengal can be divided into six broad divisions:[9]

• The hill region in the north
• The Terai and Teesta alluvial region of North Bengal
• The laterectic, red and gravely undulating region in the west
• The coastal alluvial region in the south
• The Gangetic alluvial region in the east
• The Vindhya alluvial region in the centre

Hooghly River viewed over the town of Bally, Howrah

The Ganges enters West Bengal near Rajmahal and then flows in a southeasterly direction. It divides in two near north of Dhulian in Murshidabad district.[10] One branch enters Bangladesh as the Padma (or Pôdda), while the other flows through West Bengal as the Bhagirathi and Hooghly River in a southern direction. The Bhagirathi-Hooghly is the main river in West Bengal, and flows past some of the important cities like Murshidabad, Baharampur, Nabadwip, Chinsurah, Chandannagar, Srirampur, Howrah, Kolkata, Diamond Harbour, and Haldia. It empties into Bay of Bengal near Sagar Island in the South 24 Parganas district.[10]

Numerous rivers flow eastwards through West Bengal and join the Bhagirathi on the right bank.[10] These include:

• The Mayurakshi River—which is fed by the Brahmani, Dwarka, Bakreshwar, and Kopai—joins the Bhagirathi near Kandi, Murshidabad.
• The Ajay River, which rises in the hills of Bihar and is joined by the Kunur, flows down the plateau fringe, marking the boundary between Bardhaman and Birbhum districts and joining the Bhagirathi near Katwa.
• The Damodar River joins the Bhagirathi near Uluberia. The river is also known as "the sorrow of Bengal", and controlled by the Damodar Valley Project.
• The Dwarakeswar and Shilabati rivers join to form the Rupnarayan River. The Kangsabati and Keleghai rivers join to form the Haldi River.[10] The Rupnarayan and Haldi then join the Bhagirathi in the East Midnapur district.
• The Subarnarekha River, after flowing for a short distance in West Bengal, re-enters into Orissa.

Similarly, several rivers flow westwards into West Bengal and join the Bhagirathi on its left bank.[10] These include:

• The Bhairab River and the Jalangi River, which join together (then known as Jalangi) before joining the Bhagirathi.
• The Mathabhanga River, which divides into two branches: the Churni and Ichhamati. The Churni meets the Bhagirathi, while the Ichhamati flows southwards and joins the Kalindi River.[10]

These rivers carry with them plenty of water, keeping the Bhagirathi River submerged with water throughout the year. The rivers also carry silt and sand eroded from the western plateaus and deposit them in the Bhagirathi. This silting causes trouble for the Kolkata Port and often causes flooding during years of heavy rain.[10]

The Sunderbans region is covered by numerous estuaries and streams, mainly distributaries of main rivers. The rivers are interconnected and are fed by tidal waters. The major rivers of the area are the Hooghly, Matla, Gosaba, Saptamukhi, Haribhanga, Piyali, Thakuran (or Jamira), Raimangal, Kalindi, and Ichhamati.[10]

The Teesta River cuts deep gorges from north to south in the mountainous Darjeeling district. It then enters the plains at Sevoke and flows in a mighty stream in a straight line towards the southeast, until it pours into the Brahmaputra River in Bangladesh.[10]

The Torsa, Jaldhaka, Kaljani, Raidak, Sankosh, and Mahananda rivers originate in the northern hilly region which rise in the Himalayas and flow in a southerly direction through the districts of Darjeeling, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and North and South Dinajpur, before entering Bangladesh. As most of the rivers are fed by snow, they are perennial in nature and often flood during the rainy season.[10] The entire region is made up of sand, gravel, and pebbles laid down by these rivers.[10] The Mahananda rises from the Dow Hills forest, near the town of Darjeeling, and runs in a zig-zag course through the district of Malda and joins the Padma in Bangladesh. In the central region, the main river is the Mahananda. The Tangon, Punarbhabha, and Atrai rivers arise in the plains; the former two join and flow into the Mahanadi, while the Atrai flows into the Padma.

Sundari trees in the Sundarbans

The Sundarbans delta is the largest mangrove forest in the world, situated in the South 24 Parganas district. It lies at the mouth of the Ganges and is spread across areas of Bangladesh and West Bengal. The Bangladeshi and Indian portions of the jungle are both UNESCO world heritage sites, separately listed as the Sundarbans and Sundarbans National Park respectively, though they are parts of the same forest. The Sundarbans are intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats, and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and present an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes.

The average elevation of the area is 10 m. This area has been created by the deposition of silt from its numerous rivers—the Hooghly, Matla, Jamira, Gosaba, Saptamukhi, and Haribhanga—and their tributaries. The formation of the delta is an ongoing process, and new bars and islands are being created along the rivers and at the river mouth. A large percentage of the area is underwater during incoming tides.

The area is known for its wide range of fauna. The most famous among these is the royal Bengal tiger, but numerous species of birds, spotted deer, crocodiles, and snakes also inhabit it. It is estimated that there are now 400 Bengal tigers and about 30,000 spotted deer in the area.

Average annual rainfall in West Bengal

Many areas flood during the heavy rains brought by monsoon

West Bengal's climate varies from tropical savannah in the southern portions to humid subtropical in the north. The main seasons are summer, rainy season, a short autumn, and winter. While the summer in the delta region is noted for excessive humidity, the western highlands experience a dry summer like northern India, with daily high temperatures ranging from 38 °C (100 °F) to 45 °C (113 °F).[11] At nights, a cool southerly breeze carries moisture from the Bay of Bengal.

In early summer, brief squalls and thunderstorms known as kal-baisakhi often arrive from the north or northwest.[12] Monsoons bring rain to the whole state from June to September. West Bengal receives the Bay of Bengal branch of the Indian Ocean monsoon that moves in a northwest direction. Winter (December–January) is mild over the plains with average daily low temperatures of 15 °C (59 °F).[11] A cold and dry northern wind blows in the winter, substantially lowering the humidity level. However, the Darjeeling Himalayan Hill region experiences a harsh winter, with occasional snowfall at places.

Map of mineral deposits in West Bengal

West Bengal stands third in India in terms of mineral production by state, contributing about one-fifth of the total mineral production of the country.[10]

Coal constitutes 99% of the minerals extracted in West Bengal. West Bengal is the third largest state for coal production, accounting for about half of India's total.[10] Coal is extracted from about 228 mines in the Raniganj and Asansol region of Bardhaman district.[10] High grade bituminous coal is mined at Raniganj, Dishergarh, Santaldih, Kulti, Barakar, Ghushik, and Kajora. Coalfields stretch over an area of about 1,550 km² (598 sq mi). The coalfields of Raniganj support the Asansol-Durgapur industrial belt by providing fuel to the industries as well as generation of thermal power. Lignite mined in Darjeeling is used to make briquettes. Coal deposits are also found along the Ajoy river in Birbhum district.[10]

Fireclay and china clay are also mined. West Bengal ranks next to Bihar and Madhya Pradesh in production of fireclay.[10] Most of this mineral is extracted in the Raniganj region, along with a small quantity extracted from Birbhum and Purulia. In 1993–94, 124,000 metric tons of fireclay were produced in West Bengal.[10] China clay—used in the pottery, paper, textile, rubber, and paint industries—is unearthed at Mohammad Bazar in Birbhum and Mejia in Bankura. The rest of the production comes from Purulia, Bardhaman, Darjeeling, and Jalpaiguri.

Limestone, copper, iron ore, wolframite, manganese, and dolomite are also mined in small quantities.[10] Limestone—used in the cement industry—is mined in Bankura, Purulia, Darjeeling, and Jalpaiguri.[10] There are copper mines in Jalpaiguri and Darjeeling. Small quantities of low-quality iron ore are mined in Bardhaman, Purulia, Birbhum, and Darjeeling.[10] There is manganese in the Jhargram region of Paschim Medinipur, Purulia, and Bardhaman. Wolframite is mined at Jhilimili in Bankura.[10] The state's production of dolomite comes from the Dooars region of Jalpaiguri. 38.5 thousand tonnes of dolomite were raised in 1993–94.[10]

There are possible deposits of mineral oil and natural gas in the areas near the Bay of Bengal, in Purba Medinipur, Sundarbans, South 24 Parganas, and North Bengal plains.[10] Research is ongoing in various places to locate natural gas.