Kolkata is located in the eastern part of India. It has spread linearly along the banks of the Hooghly River. The Kolkata Municipal Corporation has an area of 205 square kilometres. [1] The city is near sea level, with the average elevation being 17 feet. [2] The whole area is in the Ganges Delta which starts within 100 km south of the city. Most of the city was originally marshy wetlands, remnants of which can still be found especially towards the eastern parts of the city.
Indo-Gangetic Plain, the soil and water are predominantly alluvial in origin. Kolkata is located over the "Bengal basin", a pericratonic tertiary basin. [3] Bengal basin comprises three structural units: shelf or platform in the west; central hinge or shelf/slope break; and deep basinal part in the east and southeast. Kolkata is located atop the western part of the hinge zone which is about 25 km (16 mi) wide at a depth of about 45,000 m (148,000 ft) below the surface. [3] The shelf and hinge zones have many faults, among them some are active. The total thickness of sediment below the Kolkata is nearly 7,500 m (24,600 ft) above the crystalline basement; of these the top 350–450 m (1,150–1,480 ft) is quaternary, followed by 4,500–5,500 m (14,760–18,040 ft) of tertiary sediments, 500–700 m (1,640–2,300 ft) trap wash of cretaceous trap and 600–800 m (1,970–2,620 ft) permian-carboniferous Gondwana rocks. [3] The quaternary sediments consist of clay, silt, and several grades of sand and gravel. These sediments are sandwiched between two clay beds: the lower one at a depth of 250–650 m (820–2,130 ft); the upper one 10–40 m (30–130 ft) in thickness. [4] According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, on a scale ranging from I to V in order of increasing susceptibility to earthquakes, the city lies inside seismic zone III. [5]
Spread roughly north–south along the east bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata sits within the lower Ganges Delta of eastern India; the city's elevation is 1.5–9 m (5–30 ft). [6] The city is fringed by extensive mangrove ecosystems and tidal flats. [7]
The Kolkata metropolitan area is spread over 1,886.67 km2 (728.45 sq mi) [8] : 7 and comprises 4 municipal corporations (Kolkata Municipal Corporation, Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, Howrah Municipal Corporation and Chandernagore Municipal Corporation), 37 local municipalities (Bally Municipality is merged with Howrah Municipal Corporation and Rajarhat-Gopalpur Municipality is merged with Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, so total number of municipalities becomes 37 from 39) and 24 panchayat samitis.
The urban agglomeration encompassed 72 cities and 527 towns and villages, as of 2006 [update] . [9] Suburban areas in the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporate parts of the following districts: Kolkata, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia. [10] : 15 Kolkata, which is under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of 205 km2 (79 sq mi). [11] The east–west dimension of the city is comparatively narrow, stretching from the Hooghly River in the west to roughly the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in the east—a span of 9–10 km (5.6–6.2 mi). [12] The north–south distance is greater, and its axis is used to section the city into North, Central and South Kolkata. East Kolkata is also a section.
North Kolkata is the oldest part of the city. Characterised by 19th-century architecture, all include areas such as Barasat , Dumdum,Shyambazar, Hatibagan, Maniktala, Kankurgachi, Rajabazar, Shobhabazar, Shyampukur, Tala, Sonagachi, Kumortuli, Bagbazar, Jorabagan, Burrabazar, Jorasanko, Phoolbagan, Ultadanga, Chitpur, Pathuriaghata, Cossipore, Belgachia and Sinthee. [13] : 65–66
Central Kolkata hosts the central business district. It contains B. B. D. Bagh, formerly known as Dalhousie Square, and the Esplanade on its east; Strand Road is on its west. [14] The West Bengal Secretariat, General Post Office, Reserve Bank of India, High Court, Lalbazar Police Headquarters, and several other government and private offices are located there. Another business hub is the area south of Park Street, which comprises thoroughfares such as Chowringhee, Camac Street, Wood Street, Loudon Street, Shakespeare Sarani and A. J. C. Bose Road. [15] The Maidan is a large open field in the heart of the city that has been called the "lungs of Kolkata" [16] and accommodates sporting events and public meetings. [17] The Victoria Memorial and Kolkata Race Course are located at the southern end of the Maidan. Other important areas of Central Kolkata are Park Circus, Sealdah, Beliaghata, College Street, Burrabazar, Bowbazar, Taltala, Janbazar, Entally, Chandni Chowk, Lalbazar, Chowringhee, Dharmatala, Rabindra Sadan, Tiretti Bazaar, Bow Barracks, Babughat, Princep Ghat and Hastings. Another important park is Millennium Park on Strand Road, beside the Hooghly River. Fort William, on the western part of the city (besides Maidan), houses the headquarters of the Eastern Command of the Indian Army. [18]
South Kolkata developed mainly after India gained independence in the year 1947. It includes upscale neighbourhoods such as Ballygunge, Behala, Thakurpukur, Alipore, New Alipore, Lansdowne, Bhawanipore, Kalighat, Gariahat, Charu Market, Chetla, Jodhpur Park, Lake Gardens, South City, Jadavpur, Dhakuria, Tollygunge, Joka, Pailan and Amtala . [19]
East Kolkata is largely composed of newly developed areas like Topsia, Picnic Garden, Tangra, Gobra, Kustia, Tiljala, Anandapur, East Kolkata Twp, Panchasayar, Madurdaha, Nayabad, Kalikapur, Purbalok, Mukundapur, Ajoy Nagar, Hiland Park, Chak Garia, Patuli, Budherhat, Nayabad and New Garia. Outlying developing areas include Dhapa, Uttar Panchannagram, Chowbaga, Bantala and VIP Nagar. In the pace of rapid urbanization and growing demand for housing and commercial spaces, the New Town, Kolkata was created on the eastern outskirts of Kolkata to serve the dual purpose of establishing a new business centre to reduce the mounting pressure on the existing Central Business Districts (CBD) and increasing housing stock supply by creating new residential units.
Technically Howrah and the urban part of Hooghly all have individual identities alongside they are the part of Kolkata Metropolis. Likewise Howrah city is a twin city of Kolkata city. Nabanna, Santragachi, Belur, Bally, Uttarpara, Konnogar, Rishra, Serampore, Bhadeswar, Chinsurah, Hooghly, Chandannagor and Bandel all cities under Kolkata Metropolitan Area, having their fragrance of history, culture. This area is called "Little Europe Of India". All areas are well connected with the city centre.
Kolkata has a Tropical wet-and-dry climate, with summer monsoons. The annual mean temperature is 29.2 °C (84 °F); monthly mean temperatures range from 19 °C to 30 °C (67 °F to 86 °F) and maximum temperatures can often exceed 45 °C (113 °F) during May–June. Winter tends to last from December to early-February, with the lowest temperatures hovering in the 12 °C — 14 °C range during December and January. The highest recorded temperature is 43 °C (111 °F) and the lowest is 5 °C (41 °F). [20]
Monsoon is the most notable phenomenon in the climate of the city. Maximum rainfall occurs during the monsoon in August (306 mm) and the average annual total is 1,582 mm. Early morning mists and evening smog occur often due to temperature inversions. Summer is dominated by strong southwesterly monsoon winds. The city's total duration of sunshine is 2,528 hours per annum, with the maximum insolation occurring in March. [21] Often during early summer, spells of thunderstorms and heavy rains lash the city, bringing some relief from the heat and intolerable humidity. These thunderstorms are locally known as Kalbaishakhi (Nor-wester). According to a United Nations Development Programme report, its wind and cyclone zone is a "very high damage risk". [5]
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(help)With the Camac Street-Park Street-Shakespeare Sarani commercial hub located smack in the middle of the affected zone ...
To Kolkata, it is the 'lungs of the city,' a recharge zone for the soul.
Kolkata is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary financial and commercial center of eastern and northeastern India. Kolkata is the seventh most populous city of India with an estimated city proper population of 4.5 million (0.45 crore). It is the centre of the Kolkata Metropolitan Region, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world with a population of over 15 million residents. Kolkata is the de facto cultural capital of India and historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal. It is the second largest Bengali-speaking city in the world. It has the highest number of Nobel laureates among all cities in India.
Howrah is a city in the Indian state of West Bengal. Howrah is located on the western bank of the Hooghly River opposite its twin city of Kolkata. Administratively it lies within Howrah district, and is the headquarters of the Howrah Sadar subdivision. It is the Second most populated city in West Bengal after Kolkata, and it is part of Kolkata metropolitan area. Howrah is an important transportation hub and gateway to Kolkata and West Bengal via Howrah Railway station and Howrah Bridge.
The Hooghly River or popularly called Ganga or Kati-Ganga in the Puranas, is a river that rises close to Giria, which lies north of Baharampur and Palashi in Murshidabad. It is the western distributary of the Ganges. The main course of the Ganges then flows into Bangladesh as the Padma. A man-made canal, built in the 1960s and early-1970s at Farakka, connects the Ganges, flowing through Malda, to the Hooghly to bring the abundant waters of the Himalayan river to the comparatively narrow river that rises in eastern West Bengal.
Howrah district is a district of the West Bengal state in eastern India. Howrah district is one of the highly urbanized area of West Bengal. It has thousands of years of rich heritage in the form of the great Bengali kingdom of Bhurshut. The district is named after its headquarters, the city of Howrah.
Maidan is a large urban area containing vast urban green space, parks, playgrounds and several public venues in the center of Kolkata, India. The area is spread over a total area of 1283 Acres. The urban green space of Maidan, which compromises an area of around 400 acres, is the largest urban park and urban green space in Kolkata city and second largest in the Kolkata metropolitan area as well as in India. Prior to 2013, before the creation of Eco Park it was the largest urban park in India. Its vast stretch of field that includes numerous sporting grounds, including the famous cricketing venue Eden Gardens, several football stadiums and the Kolkata Race Course.
Bidhannagar, also known as Salt Lake City, is a planned satellite city of Kolkata in the Indian state of West Bengal. The population within city limits was 2,18,323 at the 2011 census, it has increased since 2001 census. After a successful extension of the city limits in June 2015, Bidhannagar's population increased to 6.7 lakhs residents. It is now the fourth-most populous city in West Bengal, after Kolkata, Howrah and Asansol.
The Geography of West Bengal, a state in eastern India, is primarily defined by plains and plateaus, with the high peaks of the Himalayas in the north and the Bay of Bengal to the south.
Bansberia is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is about 45 km (28 mi) away from Kolkata, at the western end of the Iswar Gupta Setu (Kalyani-Bansberia) Bridge. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). Bans Beria railway station is 4 km from Bandel Junction on the Bandel-Katwa Line.The area covered by two police stations - Chinsurah (W.no.1-4) and Mogra (W.no.5-22). The part of both Police Stations governed by Chandannagar Police Commissionerate. Very good and innocent people live here so, The criminal reports are very few in this city. It is the "Peaceful City" of Hooghly District. Kartik Puja is the famous festival of Bansberia.
Bhadreswar is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA).
Uluberia is a city and a municipal area of Howrah district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the headquarter of the Uluberia subdivision. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). This city is famous for its industrial belts.
Dankuni is a city and a municipality of Hooghly district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is now part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA). It is considered posh area in Hooghly. Positioned strategically near Kolkata, it has emerged as an important industrial and commercial center in the region. The city's landscape is characterized by a mix of residential areas and industrial zones, reflecting its dual identity as a place of habitation and economic activity.
Belgharia is a locality in Kamarhati Municipality of North 24 Parganas district in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) and a vital locality in Kolkata metropolitan area. Belgharia is also known for wholesale market for all types of Bags/Luggages/Purse etc. One must visit and check the Bag Market beside Belgharia Railway Station. Dakshineswar Kali Temple of Kolkata is in approximately three kilometers distance from Belgharia Railway Station. The Vivekananda Setu on the river of Hooghly which is one of the oldest bridge in Calcutta established for the connection between the city of Howrah and Kolkata is also at the adjacent area of Belgharia.
Kolkata Metro Line 2, also known as the East-West Metro and Green Line, is a rapid transit line of the Kolkata Metro in the Indian state of West Bengal. It currently consists of an operational section between Salt Lake and Sealdah, and will eventually connect Howrah by going underneath the Hooghly River, with an eastern extension also planned for Teghoria. It would consist of 17 stations from Teghoria (Haldiram) in the east to Howrah Maidan in the west, of which 11 would be elevated and 6 would be underground, with a total distance of 22 km (14 mi). It is expected to derive a very high ridership since it will connect India's two largest commuter railway and long-distance railway terminals along with two of its largest business districts. It will also connect the industrial hub of Kolkata i.e. Howrah and the IT hub of Kolkata i.e. Sector 5. Line 2 has India's biggest underwater metro tunnel along with the deepest metro shaft. In the deepest metro shaft, Howrah metro station will be the deepest metro station in India, at a depth of 33 meters. The first phase between Salt Lake Sector V and Salt Lake Stadium was inaugurated by Union Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on 13 February 2020 and commercial services started from 14 February 2020.
Tiljala is a neighbourhood of South Kolkata, in West Bengal, India.
Rajabagan is a neighbourhood of Kolkata city in West Bengal, India. It is situated in the south-western part of Kolkata on the eastern bank of Hooghly river and is situated between Metiabruz (east) and Badartala (west).
Ward No. 45, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is an administrative division of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in Borough No. 5, covering parts of Esplanade West, Eden Gardens, Babughat, Millennium Park, B.B.D. Bagh, Lalbazar and Burrabazar neighbourhoods in central Kolkata, in the Indian state of West Bengal.
Ward No. 109, Kolkata Municipal Corporation is an administrative division of Kolkata Municipal Corporation in Borough No. 12, covering parts of Haltu (Kalikapur), Santoshpur, Ajoy Nagar, Hiland Park, Chak Garia, New Garia, Srinagar, Hatibari, Nayabad, Bikash Guha Colony/ Daspara, Panchasayar, Budher Hat and Mukundapur neighbourhoods in South Kolkata the Indian state of West Bengal.
Baruipara is a census town in Singur CD Block in Chandannagore subdivision of Hooghly district in the state of West Bengal, India.
East West Metro Tunnel is a constructed underwater river tunnel of Kolkata Metro in Kolkata, West Bengal. The river tunnel is constructed underneath Hooghly River. It is the biggest underwater river tunnel of India, which is made for metro rail service. The East West Metro Tunnel length is 10.8 km (6.7 mi) and width is 5.5 metres. A 520 m stretch of the tracks will go through a tunnel under the Hooghly River. The roof of the tunnel would be about 30 metres from the ground level. The tunnel was completed in 2021. The tunnel is used by East West Metro Line for metro rail service and constructed by Kolkata Metro Rail Corporation.