General Information

West Bengal is located on the eastern region of India . A strategically important place, it states shares international boundaries with Bangladesh , Bhutan and Nepal , as well as other states like Sikkim , Assam , Orissa and Bihar .

Hooghly and its tributaries - Mayurakshi, Damodar, Kangsabati and the Rupnarayan, enrich the soils of Bengal . The northern districts of Bengal like Darjeeling , Jalpaiguri and Cooch Bihar (in the Himalayas ranges) are watered by the rivers Tista, Torsa, Jaldhaka and Ranjit.

West Bengal is one of the first destinations in a tourist's itinerary visiting the eastern part of the country. Calcutta (also Kolkata), the capital of the state, is the proud intellectual capital of the country. The city has made outstanding contribution to the country in the field of arts, sciences, medicine, social reform and literature. The city retains some of the most striking colonial buildings of the country. It used to be the capital of the British East India Company and the evidence of the British colonization persists there in the city. The Victoria Memorial is a grand edifice constructed in the memory of Queen Victoria .

Demographic Informations

Area: 88, 752 sq kms

Capital: Calcutta

Populations: 80,221,171(2001census provisional figures)

Languages: Bengali, English, Hindi

Best touring season

September to January