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Table of Contents
Kolkata is the capital of West Bengal and is dubbed to be the London of India. It is eastern India’s dominant urban center.
See the fact file below for more information on the Kolkata or alternatively, you can download our 23-page Kolkata worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.
Key Facts & Information
HISTORY
- Kolkata is known in English as Calcutta.
- Recorded history of the city only began in 1690 when the British East India Company arrived.
- The area was proven to have a highly civilized society centuries before the Europeans came. Based on this, Job Charnok, who was widely recognized to have founded Kolkata, was dismissed as its founder.
- In 1698, the British East India Company gained the taxation rights to the villages.
- The East India Company developed the place as a colonial city and the British Empire eventually took over the city.
- In the 19th century, the city grew rapidly, and a culture that fuses together Indian tradition and European philosophies emerged alongside the city’s growth.
- In 1857, the first modern Indian university was founded in Kolkata.
- Kolkata was the center of Indian literature and arts, and the nationwide movement for independence started in the city.
- It was the British Indian Empire’s capital until the capital was relocated to Delhi in 1911.
- With the transfer of the capital, the troubles caused by the 1947 partition of India, and the bloody and violent Naxatile movement in the 1970s caused Kolkata great damages and the downfall of the city into urban decay and poverty.
- Kolkata became a city of contradictions and sharp contrasts.
- The city’s name officially became Kolkata in 2001.
GEOGRAPHY
- Kolkata sits approximately 47 mi to the west of Bangladesh, within the Ganges Delta of eastern India, spread linearly laterally the banks of Hooghly river.
- The city is 30 ft above the sea level.
- Its megacity has an area of 79.151 sq miles and the metro is 728.45 sq miles.
- A large part of the city was initially a wetland. Reclamations were done to accommodate the growing population.
- The remaining undeveloped wetlands covering an area of 48.26 sq miles are known as the East Calcutta Wetlands.
- During the August 9, 2002 Ramsar Convention, these wetlands were designated as a “wetland of international importance.”
- The water and soil of the city is predominantly alluvial.
- It is the 7th most populous city in India with a total population of 4,486,679 in 2011.
- According to the Bureau of Indian Standards, the city is inside a zone III seismic zone.
CITYSCAPE
- The metropolitan area is confined to a 3-5 mile strip by the left and right banks of Hooghly River.
- The suburbs consist of Baranagar in the north, South Dum in the northeast, Haora in the west, Behala in the south, and Garden Reach in the southwest.
- An area of 71.43 sq miles is covered by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
- The city proper can be divided along Mother Teresa Sarani, into two sections. The more congested part of the city is in the north while the southern part was slightly planned better than the other.
- The West Bengal Government is located in the old Central Business District (CBD) of Kolkata.
- Many older business groups have their main offices in Kolkata.
- Some of Kolkata’s tallest commercial buildings and a number of high-rise office blocks are found in the new CBD of the city.
- An open field (Maidan), dubbed as Kolkata’s lung, is located between the J.L. Nehru Road and the Ganges River. Some sporting clubs, the Eden Gardens, and the Victoria Memorial are found here.
- Many residential buildings are low-rise and include older colonial buildings and some four-story apartment blocks.
- South Kolkata, however, has large numbers of apartment blocks with 10-12 stories.
- With the recent changes in high-rise construction rules, 20-story buildings became more common.
- Construction of a convention center, condominium complexes, luxury hotels, malls, multiplexes, and specialty hospitals in the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass of the city is changing the landscape and look of the city.
- Many of the residents have some of the worst living conditions. Despite this, even the poorest areas have electricity.
- Efforts to take slum dwellers into more newly developed areas often fail due to resistance of the people.
INDUSTRY
- The large and vibrant city of Kolkata prospers despite many political, social, and economical problems.
- Kolkata is hailed as the city of posters because of the lively trading of polemics on walls. Crowds also gather in art exhibitions, book fairs, and concerts held in the city.
- It is one of the leading economic centers of India due to its financial and trade activities, manufacturing industries, and its role as a major port.
- It is also a key center for publishing, printing, and newspaper circulation.
- Besides Bhubaneswar, it is the only eastern Indian city that has an international airport.
- The main contributor to the city’s economy remains the manufacturing industry, but the service sector is becoming another major contributor.
- Kolkata houses industrial units of large Indian corporations that make products with varied ranges.
- The informal sector of Kolkata employs more than 40% of the labor force.
- In 2001, about 0.81% of the workforce of the city worked in agriculture, forestry, mining, and other primary sector jobs.
- The industrial and manufacturing sector employed 15.49%, while the service industries (tertiary sector) employed a total of 83.69% of the workers.
- The majority of households in the slums, as of 2003, were involved in informal sector occupations, 36.5% of which were servicing the urban middle class as drivers, maids, etc., and 22.2% were casual laborers.
Kolkata Worksheets
This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Kolkata across 23 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Kolkata worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Kolkata which is the capital of West Bengal and is dubbed to be the London of India. It is eastern India’s dominant urban center.
Complete List Of Included Worksheets
- A City’s Past
- A Tale of Name
- Made in Kolkata
- Kolkata’s Ways
- Wanders in Kolkata
- Slum Resistance
- Country Trading
- Tagore of Kolkata
- Convention in Ramsar
- Kolkatan Teachings
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Link will appear as Kolkata Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, April 13, 2020
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