About
With a rich and prolonged history, Kolkata District occupies a very small area but is the most vital one in the list of the districts of West Bengal, India. In its former name, it was called Calcutta and is now called Kolkata. It is located on the east side of the Hooghly River which is a branch of the Ganges, within the Presidency Division of the state. With a total land area of nearly 206 square kilometres, Kolkata is simultaneously, the home town, headquarters of the Government of Western Bengal administrative cultural and commercial centre of Eastern India. "Kolkata" is actually a short form of the village "Kali Kanta", which was one of the three villages, the other two being "Sutanuni" and "Gobindapuri, " that were amalgamated by the British East India Company during the latter part of the seventeenth century to establish the city, at first as a riverside hamlet, and later after several hundred years the capital of British India up to 1911 and eventually a modern city. A highly urbanised district, almost the whole of its land area is ruled by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC). Commonly referred to as "The City of Joy", this district of Kolkata is a hub of literary, educational, and cultural movements that have been part of this city's identity for years. Kolkata is home to a variety and wealth of tourist attractions including the historic Victoria Memorial, the famous Howrah Bridge, and the historic Maidan area. It is still one of the prime places for commerce, health care, and education. Although the place is witnessing fast developments and changing face of the area with new developments, it hasn't lost its age-old architectural and cultural charm alongside its new age facilities.
History & Culture
Kolkata's history dates back to 1690 when Job Charnock, a representative of the East India Company, established a trading post on the Hooghly River at a location he believed would be reasonable and picturesque. By 1700 the company had become the landlord of the villages Sutanuti, kalikata and Gobindapur and this provided them the land for building a colonial city. Kolkata became self-governing in 1727 and the British Indian headquarters was made in 1772. It would hold this prerogative until the seat moved to Delhi in 1911. The district was also an important part of the Indian movement for independence and was the birthplace of the Bengal Renaissance, a stream of intellectual awakening that produced many important leaders like Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda. It revolutionized Indian thinking in the fields of literature, social reform, science and the arts and the influence of the Bengal Renaissance still remains visible in the many institutions, libraries and academies of the district. The district experienced a large in-migration of refugees after the Partition of Bengal, which changed the settlements and increased the urbanization process and spread of the metropolitan area.
Culturally, Kolkata district is the cultural hub of India. It has pioneered Indian cinema, contributed quite a bit to modern Bengali theatre, etc. It is also home to the adda culture that has evolved in local coffee houses and para clubs of the city. The city is large on festivals, the most prominent of which is Durga Puja, when it becomes an open-air art gallery with intricate and colourful pandals doubling up as a display of local artistic talent every year in autumn. Other prominent festivals include Kali Puja, Poila Boishakh the Bengali New Year, Rath Yatra, Christmas at Park Street and Kolkata Book fair, which is among the largest of its kind in the world. The district also has a long tradition of preparation and consumption of a rich variety of foods, a berth of refined Bengali cuisine again being rooted in Mughlai, Chinese and Anglo-Indian traditions, classical and folk music, Rabindra Sangeet textiles, handlooms, etc.
Economy
Kolkata district is the gateway of eastern India and runs the economy of east India with a three pronged economy. Government Sector : The administrative capital of the West Bengal state government, the district gives the Secretariat (Nabanna), the Kolkata High Court and many state and central government offices. The large number of offices engaged in government administration, revenue collection and management, planning etc. The district is also one of the important centres of central government offices with regional offices of few important ministries and Public Sector Undertakings.
Public Sector: The district comprises a number of key public sector undertakings, like banking headquarters, comprising the Reserve Bank of India's regional office and a large number of nationalized banks and in other areas of the Port, railways and insurance etc. The Kolkata Port Trust (Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port) is one of the oldest ports in operation in India and is a major role player in trade, commerce and logistic activity. The headquarters for the railways also are based in the district- namely Eastern Railway and South Eastern Railway.
Services Sector: this is the most dominant sector of the economy of the district, comprising banking and finance insurance IT, Hospital education retail, hotel management etc. These include Kolkata in West Bengal, which has a booming IT industry and BPO sector, presently centered in a vast extent of Salt Lake's Sector V, whereas the district's many colleges, universities and research institutes strengthen the knowledge economy, trade and commerce which was for sure the traditional economic activity across in and around Burrabazar and Barabazar area, remains prominent with what are now the tourism, media and entertainment industries. Apart from this traditional manufacturing influences is also small-scale manufacturing business, jewellery and leather manufacturing and printing press etc.
Tourism
Kolkata really is a unique and exceptional place that combines colonial buildings, religious temples and, above all else, a great natural setting, attracting travelers from all over India as well as abroad. The Victoria Memorial is a white marble imposing monument built as a memorial of England's Queen Victoria. It is actually the most prominent and popular monument of the district, being beautifully surrounded by gardens and hosting a museum of colonial objects. Just close is the Maidan which comprises wide expanses of green open spaces in the middle of the city often referred to as the "lungs of Kolkata". The Howrah Bridge, a cantilever span over the Hooghly River is one of the most traffic loaded and most iconic bridges in the world and the ultimate face of the city's skyline.
Demographics
Kolkata district was one of the densely populated areas during the 2011 Census for India as it recorded a total population of approximately 1,40,57,991. This was also one of the most popular districts among people in the country, having a population density of more than 21,800 people per square kilometre. The entire district is urban. More to be exact, the bigger Kolkata Metropolitan Area alone accommodates over 14 million people. As of the 2011 Census, the literacy rate of the Kolkata district was about 86, 87%, while some sources cited literacy levels for the effectively literate population aged 7 and above, being as high as 98.67 %. Bengali is not only the predominant language of the district, but it is also the official language, which holds a deep connection to the culture and literary identity of the place. English is an additional official language of the district that finds its use in the domains of administration, commerce, and education. Due to its cosmopolitan nature, apart from Hindi Urdu Odia Gujarati Punjabi and Nepali speakers living in the district who form considerable communities, there also are smaller communities of Chinese, Armenians, and Anglo-Indians that add to make it one of the most linguistically diverse Indian urban districts.
Administration
Kolkata district differs in the way of administration from the other districts of West Bengal, as it is practically an entirely urbanized area, with its governance being under the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), not the typical rural structures. Tehsils/Subdivisions: The Kolkata district is not divided into the regular tehsils, but the local bodies are administrative subdivisions. Till now, four major units within their area were considered as subdivisions (North) South Port, and East (Jadavpur), which were managed by the District Magistrate of Kolkata who worked from Bhowanipore. The KMC city overall is divided into 16 wards, but further, each ward is divided into nine areas, which make a total of 144 different localities. All of these localities and areas of the city elect a councillor who represents them. The district is a component of the Presidency Division of West Bengal and is under the exclusive jurisdiction of Kolkata Police which is different from other districts of West Bengal Police. Villages: Kolkata, for instance, differs from the other regions that have villages, since there are no villages at all in Kolkata. Based on the 2011 Census, everyone in this district is labeled as city people and so there are no gram panchayats here or small villages in the countryside. Before the city was formed these were the three villages, namely Sutanuti, Kalikata and Gobindapur. They were later incorporated as city areas as the city expanded and so they retain only names in the city and in the neighborhoods like Sutanuti near Bagbazar.
| Official Name | Kolkata District |
| Location | West Bengal |
| Area | 185 sq. km |
| Population | 1,40,57,991 |
| Language | Bengali |
FAQs
Q1: How many villages in Kolkata district?
Kolkata district has no villages at all.
Q2: What is the population of Kolkata?
According to the 2011 census the population is 1,40,57,991.
Q3: What is Kolkata district famous for?
Kolkata is known as the Cultural Capital of India, it is home to its great colonial architecture which includes the Victoria Memorial.
Q4: In which district of Kolkata is the Howrah Railway Station situated?
Howrah Railway Station is in the Howrah district which is on the banks of the Hooghly River.
Q5: Which is the oldest metro system in India?
Kolkata Metro is the oldest metro system of India that commenced in 1984.
Q6: Which are the dominant languages spoken in the district of Kolkata?
Bengali is the main language spoken in Kolkata.
