West Bengal

West Bengal, state in northeastern India, bordered on the north by Sikkim state and Bhutan, on the east by Assam state and Bangladesh, on the south by the Bay of Bengal, on the southwest by Orissa state, and on the west by Jharkhand state, Bihar state, and Nepal.Its capital, Calcutta, is one of the largest cities in India.

West Bengal is made up of the fertile delta of the Ganges River. In the north are the foothills of the Himalayas. Population is Hindu, and a significant minority is Muslim. There are also Buddhists, Christians, Jains, and Sikhs in West Bengal.

50% are engaged in agriculture as either cultivators or labourers. Rice is the most important crop on the plains, where farmers also raise jute, leguminous plants, oilseeds, corn (maize), wheat, barley, sugarcane, vegetables, and some tropical fruits. West Bengal's tea plantations account for much of India's tea production.

Major industrial towns are Asansol, Bankura, Kolkata (calcutta), Baharampur.

Area 34,267 square miles (88,752 square km). Population: (1991) 68,077,965.