Cities and towns in West Bengal

Image of Harrison Street Strand Road and Burra Bazaar in Kolkata (Calcutta) in 1945, shortly before the urban expansion of West Bengal

West Bengal is the state with the second highest population density in India. The state is dotted with several large and medium cities and towns. Historically, the main source of income of the people of West Bengal has been farming, and, as a consequence, the state previously had a large rural population skew. At the turn of the 20th century, however, the role of industry in West Bengal increased substantially, leading to a population move into urban areas.[1]

In 1947, when India gained independence, the erstwhile British Indian province of Bengal was divided into two parts: the eastern region formed East Pakistan, which became Bangladesh in 1971, and the western part joined India as the state of West Bengal. Scores of refugees from the eastern part came to West Bengal, leading to the start of new urban areas, and contributing to the congestion of already established cities like Kolkata.[2]

  1. ^ "India at a glance: Population Density". Census of India, 2001. Retrieved 13 December 2008.
  2. ^ "List of Million Plus Cities of India". Census of India. Retrieved 14 October 2008.