West Bengal - Geography
West Bengal is situated in eastern India and shares its borders with Jharkhand, Bihar, Odisha, Sikkim and Assam. The state also shares international borders with Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. The Bay of Bengal is in the south of the state.
The State of West Bengal is situated in the eastern part of the country between 21°20' and 27°32' N latitude and 85°50' and 89°52' E longitude. The total area of the state is 88,752 sq km which is 2.7% of the total area in the country. The state has two distinct natural divisions - the Northern Himalayan region and the Southern Alluvial plains. In the north three main rivers, anmely, Teesta, Torsa, and Jaldhak flow which are tributaries of Bramhaputrs. The other two important rivers pasing through the state are Ganga and Hooghly. The Ganga drains into the Bay of Bengal forming the famous delta of Indian sundarbans.
The geographical positioning of West Bengal is distinctive as it is the only state within the Indian region, which extends from the Himalayas in the North to the Bay of Bengal in the south, and has many perennial rivers flowing through the state. Therefore it enjoys an alpine as well as a sub tropical climate, has abundant water and fertile soils that support a wide variety of biodiversity in its forests, crops, livestock, and aquatic life and some of them are unique to the state. About 70% of the population residing in the rural areas draw its livelihood from the state’s natural resource base, by pursuing agriculture, horticulture,, animal husbandry, fisheries, and by harvesting forest products. As the natural systems are all linked to climate, any change in climate is likely to disturb the efficiency of production of these systems, thereby impacting the associated economy.
The mangrove forests of the Sundarbans have been protecting the state from cyclones since time immemorial. The mangrove forests of the region house very sensitive and rich flora and fauna, the most famous being the Sundari mangrove trees and the Royal Bengal Tiger. The brackish waters of Sundarbans are home to rich catch of fish, crustaceans, and mollucs as they are filled with the nutrients generated by the roots of the mangroves and biomass deposition. The Sundarbans region has a low human development index, especially because of the exceptionally high population density, low per capita land holding, low access to potable water, sanitation, education and health.
The state has many shallow marshy depressions which are the relatively unfilled parts of ancient topographic formations. These are subjected to annual inundation during the monsoon months, having in many instances permanent wetlands in their shallowest parts. In addition to all these, there are many types of landforms flanking the northern Himalayan mountain as also the western Deccan plateau within West Bengal which had developed originally by the sediments brought by rivers in the ancient geological periods. Many of these are now suffering from erosion.
On a physiographic basis the state can be divided into four physiographic divisions, namely, the Himalayan Region; Eastern fringe of Chotanagpur Plateau; the Deltaic Zone and the Alluvial Plains Remaining areas of the State. The State has international borders with Bangladesh, Nepal and Bhutan while it shares national States boundaries with Sikkim, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand and Orissa. In its south lies the Bay of Bengal.
The geographical positioning of West Bengal is distinctive as it is the only state within the Indian region, which extends from the Himalayas in the North to the Bay of Bengal in the south, and has many perennial rivers flowing through the state. Therefore it enjoys an alpine as well as a sub tropical climate, has abundant water and fertile soils that support a wide variety of biodiversity in its forests, crops, livestock, and aquatic life and some of them are unique to the state. About 70% of the population residing in the rural areas draw its livelihood from the state’s natural resource base, by pursuing agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, fisheries, and by harvesting forest products. As the natural systems are all linked to climate, any change in climate is likely to disturb the efficiency of production of these systems, thereby impacting the associated economy.
Located in Eastern India, the fourth most populous state in the country is widely considered the Melting pot of Cultures. Bordered by five different states, its capital Kolkata is often termed as the cultural capital of India. West Bengal offers a unique flavour to the richness of India with its synthesis of various languages, religions, customs, traditions, cuisines and lifestyle. Bound by the grandeur of the Himalayan ranges in the north and sweetened by the sea in the south, Bengal has everything a state needs to flourish.
Nestled in a cosy cluster in the North, one of the most magnificent hill stations in the world, Darjeeling is often dubbed as the Queen of the Hills. Renowned for its tea plantations, Darjeeling tea is one of the most sought after in the world. Down south, Bengal boasts an extremely rich flora and fauna. With its broad network of rivers and geographical features, West Bengal is celebrated for having the largest mangrove forest in the world in the Sunderbans. Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Sunderbans is universally acclaimed for housing globally endangered species such as the Royal Bengal Tiger. Apart from possessing some of the finest hill stations, Bengal also offers some of the best beach front locations. Places like Digha and Mandarmani are perfect getaways which offer pristine beaches and accommodation for every traveller.
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