Overview
Kolkata (formerly Calcutta) is the capital city of the Indian state of West Bengal. Located on the eastern bank of the Hooghly river, about 80 kilometres west of the border with Bangladesh, it is the principal commercial, cultural, and educational hub of eastern India. Kolkata served as the capital of British India until 1911 and remains one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country.
Key Facts
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| State | West Bengal |
| Region | Eastern India |
| River | Hooghly (a distributary of the Ganga) |
| Former name | Calcutta (renamed Kolkata in 2001) |
| Languages | Bengali, Hindi, English, Urdu |
| Civic body | Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) |
| Police | Kolkata Police |
| Major airport | Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport |
| Major ports | Kolkata Port (Syama Prasad Mookerjee Port) |
Background
The city's modern history is generally traced to 1690, when Job Charnock, an agent of the English East India Company, established a trading post at the village of Sutanuti. The Company subsequently consolidated control over Sutanuti, Gobindapur, and Kalikata to develop the settlement that became Calcutta. Fort William was constructed by the Company and rebuilt after the events of 1756–57.
Calcutta became the capital of British India in 1772 under Warren Hastings and remained so until the capital was shifted to Delhi in 1911. During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the city was the centre of the Bengal Renaissance, a cultural and intellectual movement associated with figures such as Raja Ram Mohan Roy, Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, Rabindranath Tagore, Swami Vivekananda, and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay.
Geography and Climate
Kolkata lies in the lower Gangetic delta on flat alluvial terrain, generally only a few metres above sea level. The Hooghly river flows along the western edge of the city, separating it from Howrah. The climate is tropical wet-and-dry, with a hot, humid summer, a strong south-west monsoon between June and September, and a mild, dry winter from December to February. The city is periodically affected by cyclones formed in the Bay of Bengal.
Timeline
- 1690: Job Charnock establishes an East India Company factory at Sutanuti.
- 1756: Siraj-ud-Daulah, Nawab of Bengal, captures the city; the incident known as the "Black Hole of Calcutta" is reported.
- 1757: Robert Clive recaptures the city after the Battle of Plassey.
- 1772: Calcutta becomes the capital of British India.
- 1817: Hindu College (later Presidency College) is founded.
- 1857: University of Calcutta is established.
- 1905: First Partition of Bengal sparks the Swadeshi movement.
- 1911: The capital of British India is shifted to Delhi.
- 1943: The Bengal Famine causes severe loss of life across the region.
- 1946: Communal violence in the city ("Direct Action Day") precedes Partition.
- 1947: Partition of Bengal at Independence; large-scale refugee influx from East Bengal.
- 1971: Renewed refugee influx during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
- 1984: Kolkata Metro begins operations, becoming India's first metro rail system.
- 2001: The city's official name is changed from Calcutta to Kolkata.
Economy
Kolkata is the principal commercial centre of eastern and north-eastern India. Major sectors include banking and finance, j