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{{Infobox settlement
| name = North Bengal
| native_name = উত্তরবঙ্গ
| native_name_lang = bn
| settlement_type = Geographical region
| image_skyline = Darjeeling War Memorial at Batasia.jpg
| image_caption = Darjeeling War Memorial, [[Batasia Loop]], [[Darjeeling]]
| image_map =
| map_caption =
| pushpin_map = India West Bengal
| pushpin_map_caption = Location in [[West Bengal]], [[India]]
| coordinates = {{Coord|26.5|N|88.5|E|region:IN-WB_type:adm2nd|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = [[India]]
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = [[West Bengal]]
| subdivision_type2 = Divisions
| subdivision_name2 = [[Jalpaiguri division|Jalpaiguri]], [[Malda division|Malda]]
| established_title =
| established_date =
| government_type = Regional administration
| governing_body =
| area_total_km2 = 26,282
| area_note = Comprises Darjeeling hills and Dooars plains
| elevation_m =
| population_total = 17211010
| population_as_of = 2011
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_demonym = North Bengali
| demographics_type1 = Religion
| demographics1_title1 = Major religions
| timezone1 = IST
| utc_offset1 = +5:30
| postal_code_type = Postal code
| postal_code = Varies by district
| area_code = Varies by district
| area_code_type = Area code
| website =
| footnotes =
| demographics1_info1 = [[Hinduism]], [[Islam]]
}}
'''North Bengal''' is a geographical region consisting of eight districts in the northern part of [[West Bengal]]. To the north of this region are [[Sikkim]] and [[Bhutan]]; to the east are [[Assam]] and the [[Rangpur Division|Rangpur]] and [[Rajshahi Division|Rajshahi]] divisions of [[Bangladesh]]; to the south is the [[Murshidabad district]] of [[West Bengal]]; and to the west are [[Bihar]] and [[Nepal]]. The [[Ganges|Ganges River]] separates North Bengal from [[South Bengal]].

Geographically, this region is made up of the [[Darjeeling Himalayan hill region|Darjeeling hills]] and the [[Dooars]] plains. Economically, North Bengal is backward compared to South Bengal. However, due to its scenic natural environment, the tourism industry in this region is very well developed. [[Siliguri]] is the main city of North Bengal; it is the third most populous city in West Bengal and also the gateway to the entire northeastern region of India.

== Geography ==
[[File:Overlooking the confluence of Teesta River and Rangeet River from Lover's Point, West Bengal.jpg|thumb|240x240px|The [[Teesta River]] flows southward and the [[Rangeet River|Rangit River]] joins the Teesta from the west]]
Geographically, North Bengal is formed by the Darjeeling hills and the Dooars plains. The Darjeeling hilly region consists of the [[Darjeeling Sadar subdivision|Darjeeling Sadar]], [[Kurseong]], and [[Mirik subdivision|Mirik subdivisions]] of [[Darjeeling district]], and the entire [[Kalimpong district]].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Roy |first1=Nirmal Chandra |title=Human Resource Management in the Indian Tea Industry |last2=Biswas |first2=Debasish |date=2021-01-29 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-003-13333-9 |page= |doi=10.4324/9781003133339}}</ref> [[Sandakphu]] in this region is the highest peak in West Bengal. The Dooars plain region is formed by the plains of [[Alipurduar]], [[Cooch Behar district|Cooch Behar]], [[Jalpaiguri district|Jalpaiguri]], and the plain areas of Darjeeling. The narrow strip of land in North Bengal called the Siliguri Corridor connects [[Northeast India]] with the mainland of [[India]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singh |first=Mayank |date=2021-11-07 |title=Army steps up efforts to safeguard Siliguri Corridor |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/thesundaystandard/2021/nov/07/army-steps-up-efforts-to-safeguard-siliguri-corridor-2380383.html |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=The New Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-18 |title=What if China wrings India's 'Chicken's Neck' – the Siliguri corridor? Here are some countermeasures – USI |url=https://usiofindia.org/publication/news/what-if-china-wrings-indias-chickens-neck-the-siliguri-corridor-here-are-some-countermeasures/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220118182536/https://usiofindia.org/publication/news/what-if-china-wrings-indias-chickens-neck-the-siliguri-corridor-here-are-some-countermeasures/ |archive-date=18 January 2022 }}</ref> Additionally, the [[Tin Bigha Corridor]] leased to [[Bangladesh]] connects [[Dahagram–Angarpota|Dahagram]] with the mainland of Bangladesh. The main rivers of North Bengal are the [[Teesta River|Teesta]], [[Torsa River|Torsha]], [[Jaldhaka River|Jaldhaka]], [[Raidāk River|Raidak]], [[Mahananda River|Mahananda]], etc.

== Biodiversity ==
The [[vegetation]] of North Bengal depends on altitude and the amount of rainfall. For example, the Duars region is full of sal and other tropical evergreen plants. On the other hand, at elevations above 1000 meters, most forest plants are subtropical. At 1500 meters altitude, the Darjeeling hills are dominated by various temperate plants like [[oak]], [[conifer]], and [[rhododendron]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=webindia123.com-West Bengal-land of West Bengal-natural vegitation of west bengal-forests in west bengal |url=https://www.webindia123.com/westbengal/land/forest.htm#N |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Webindia123.com |language=en}}</ref>

Among the national parks of North Bengal, the notable ones are [[Gorumara National Park]], [[Jaldapara National Park]], [[Buxa Tiger Reserve|Buxa National Park]], [[Singalila National Park]], and [[Neora Valley National Park]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2012-09-13 |title=The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) {{!}} North Bengal & Sikkim {{!}} Centre s… |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100410/jsp/siliguri/story_12323738.jsp |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=archive.ph |archive-date=2012-09-13 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120913202925/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100410/jsp/siliguri/story_12323738.jsp |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ghosh |first1=Chandra |last2=Ghatak |first2=Sumita |last3=Biswas |first3=Kishor |last4=Das |first4=A. P. |date=2021-03-01 |title=Status of tree diversity of the Jaldapara National Park in West Bengal, India |journal=Trees, Forests and People |volume=3 |article-number=100061 |doi=10.1016/j.tfp.2020.100061 |bibcode=2021TFP.....300061G |issn=2666-7193|doi-access=free }}</ref> Among these, Gorumara and Jaldapara are famous for the one-horned rhinoceros. Neora Valley National Park, located in [[Kalimpong district]], is one of the richest biological zones in Eastern India.<ref>{{Cite web |last=north-bengal.com |title=Neora Valley National Park |url=https://www.north-bengal.com/neora-valley-kalimpong.php |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=north-bengal.com |language=english}}</ref>

== Administration ==
North Bengal consists of the entire [[Jalpaiguri division]] and the [[Malda division]], excluding [[Murshidabad district]]. The districts included in North Bengal are [[Alipurduar]], [[Uttar Dinajpur district|Uttar Dinajpur]], [[Kalimpong district|Kalimpong]], [[Cooch Behar district|Cooch Behar]], [[Jalpaiguri district|Jalpaiguri]], [[Dakshin Dinajpur district|Dakshin Dinajpur]], [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]], and [[Malda district|Malda]].

The North Bengal Development Department of the [[Government of West Bengal]] is responsible for the administration of the districts of North Bengal. Besides, in the hilly areas of Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts, there exists a self-governing body called the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration.

== Demographics ==
[[File:Gorumara National Park Panorama.JPG|thumb|Gorumara National Park]]
[[File:Darjeeling Toy Train at Batasia Loop.jpg|thumb|Darjeeling Toy Train on [[Batasia Loop]]]]
According to the 2011 census, the population of North Bengal is 17,211,010. [[Hinduism]] and [[Islam]] are the major religions in this region.

== Transport ==

=== Rail ===
North Bengal is connected to various cities of India by rail. The New Jalpaiguri Junction railway station in North Bengal is an important station under the Northeast Frontier Railway. Some of the major broad-gauge rail services of North Bengal include the Darjeeling Mail, [[Uttar Banga Express]], Howrah–New Jalpaiguri Shatabdi Express, Howrah–New Jalpaiguri [[Vande Bharat Express]], and the international Mitali Express. Besides these, the narrow-gauge [[Darjeeling Himalayan Railway]] (Toy Train) is one of the major attractions for tourists in North Bengal.

=== Bus ===
The North Bengal State Transport Corporation provides bus services in North Bengal. Its headquarters is in Cooch Behar, and the corporation has bus depots in various towns of North Bengal. Apart from North Bengal, this corporation also operates bus services in other parts of West Bengal and even in some neighboring states.

== Tourism ==
There are many tourist spots in North Bengal, among which Darjeeling, Jaldapara, Gorumara, Buxa, Cooch Behar, and Malda are notable.

== Proposal for separate states ==

=== Gorkhaland ===
{{Main article|Gorkhaland movement}}
[[Gorkhaland movement|Gorkhaland]] is a proposed state in India, which has long been demanded on the basis of ethnic-linguistic rights by the Indian [[Gurkha|Gorkha]] community of the Darjeeling Hills and Dooars in West Bengal.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Debnath |first=Sailen |title=The Dooars in historical transition |date=2010 |publisher=N. L. Publ |isbn=978-81-86860-44-1 |edition=1st |location=[[Siliguri]], [[West Bengal]]}}</ref> The Gorkhaland movement gained momentum due to ethnic, linguistic, and cultural sentiments among those who feel comfortable identifying themselves as Indian Gorkhas. Two major movements for Gorkhaland have taken place under the Gorkha National Liberation Front (1986–1988) and the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (2007–present).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Why Gorkhaland {{!}} PDF {{!}} Politics {{!}} Social Science |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/19348501/Why-Gorkhaland |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Scribd |language=en}}</ref>

=== Kamtapur ===
The demand for the creation of a [[Kamtapur]] state in North Bengal has mainly been led by the [[Kamtapur Liberation Organisation|Kamtapur Liberation Organization]] (KLO).<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-03-04 |title=The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) {{!}} North Bengal & Sikkim {{!}} Factions merge for Kamtapur fight |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101014/jsp/siliguri/story_13055491.jsp |access-date=2025-04-13 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304094813/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1101014/jsp/siliguri/story_13055491.jsp |archive-date=4 March 2016 }}</ref> The proposed state includes the plains of Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, and Darjeeling in West Bengal, and the districts of Goalpara, Dhubri, South Salmara, Bongaigaon, and Kamrup in Assam.

=== North Bengal state ===
In 2021, [[Bharatiya Janata Party]] (BJP) legislator [[John Barla]] proposed a separate North Bengal state or union territory, separated from West Bengal. BJP legislators [[Jayanta Kumar Roy]], [[Anandamoy Barman|Anandamay Barman]], and [[Sikha Chatterjee|Shikha Chattopadhyay]] supported the proposal.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=2021-06-16 |title=Two BJP MPs demand North Bengal UT, Mamata Banerjee says won't allow to divide state |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/two-bjp-mps-demand-north-bengal-ut-mamata-banerjee-says-won-t-allow-to-divide-state-1815595-2021-06-16 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-27 |title=After North Bengal UT, BJP MLA Revives Gorkhaland Demand In Darjeeling |url=https://www.outlookindia.com/national/india-news-after-north-bengal-ut-bjp-mla-revives-gorkhaland-demand-in-darjeeling-news-386334 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=Outlook India |language=en}}</ref> At that time, out of 54 MLAs in North Bengal, 30 were from the BJP.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2021-06-28 |title=Why BJP MPs want a separate state in North Bengal |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/why-bjp-mps-want-a-separate-state-in-north-bengal-1820386-2021-06-28 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

However, the West Bengal unit of the BJP distanced itself from this separate state proposal.<ref name=":0" /> West Bengal Pradesh [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] president [[Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury]] claimed that it was a conspiracy to separate the Muslim-majority region of the state and alleged the involvement of the [[Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh]] behind it.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ranjan |first=Abhinav |date=2021-06-23 |title=Demand for dividing Bengal part of larger conspiracy of BJP, says Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/demand-for-dividing-bengal-part-of-larger-conspiracy-of-bjp-says-adhir-ranjan-chowdhury-713907 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.indiatvnews.com |language=en}}</ref> A [[Trinamool Congress]] leader filed a complaint against John Barla for demanding a separate state.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Trinamool Leader Lodges Complaint Against BJP MPs For Demanding Separate Statehood |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/tmc-leader-lodges-complaint-against-bjp-mps-for-demanding-separate-statehood-2469908 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=www.ndtv.com |language=en}}</ref>

Various communities in North Bengal—such as [[Bengalis]], [[Nepalis]], [[Adivasi|Adivasis]], and [[Rajbanshi people|Rajbanshis]]—opposed the proposal for a separate North Bengal and any division of West Bengal.<ref>{{Cite news |last=PTI |date=2021-06-22 |title=Ethnic groups in north Bengal reject BJP MP's separate UT proposal |url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/ethnic-groups-in-north-bengal-reject-bjp-mps-separate-ut-proposal/article34901876.ece |access-date=2025-04-13 |work=The Hindu |language=en-IN |issn=0971-751X}}</ref>

On 24 July 2023, BJP state president and Member of Parliament [[Sukanta Majumdar]] proposed including the eight districts of North Bengal under the North Eastern Council without dividing West Bengal. However, Kurseong MLA [[Bishnu Prasad Sharma]] opposed it.<ref>{{Cite news |last=সংবাদদাতা |first=আনন্দবাজার অনলাইন |title='উত্তরবঙ্গ' মন্তব্য করে দলে বিতর্কের মুখে মন্ত্রী সুকান্ত, উত্তরের বিধায়কের মুখেই রাজ্য সভাপতির নিন্দা |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/bjp-mla-bishnu-prasad-sharma-opposed-the-proposal-of-sukanta-majumdar-on-north-bengal-dgtl/cid/1533512 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241223091813/https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/bjp-mla-bishnu-prasad-sharma-opposed-the-proposal-of-sukanta-majumdar-on-north-bengal-dgtl/cid/1533512 |archive-date=2024-12-23 |access-date=2025-04-13 |language=bn |url-status=live }}</ref> Trinamool called Sukanta's proposal "separatist." Trinamool spokesperson Riju Dutta labeled the BJP "anti-Bengal" and "anti-Bengali" for the proposal.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-25 |title=Why BJP is fishing in Bengal's north-south cracks |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/bjp-minister-north-bengal-divide-tmc-mamata-banerjee-bifurcation-north-east-doner-sukanta-majumdar-2571694-2024-07-25 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

On 25 July, another Member of Parliament, [[Nishikant Dubey]], demanded the creation of a separate union territory comprising Malda and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal, Araria, Katihar, and Kishanganj districts of Bihar, and the Santhal Pargana region of Jharkhand. According to him, the Hindu and tribal populations in those areas are declining due to an increase in the number of Bangladeshi immigrants.<ref>{{Cite news |last=সংবাদদাতা |first=আনন্দবাজার অনলাইন |title=সুকান্তের তোলা 'উত্তরবঙ্গ' বিতর্কের মধ্যেই বাংলা ভাগ চাইলেন নিশিকান্ত, নজরে মালদহ, মুর্শিদাবাদ |url=https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/bjp-mp-nishikant-dubey-calls-for-new-union-territory-involving-west-bengal-and-bihar-dgtl/cid/1533543 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241224132153/https://www.anandabazar.com/west-bengal/bjp-mp-nishikant-dubey-calls-for-new-union-territory-involving-west-bengal-and-bihar-dgtl/cid/1533543 |archive-date=2024-12-24 |access-date=2025-04-13 |language=bn |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-25 |title=BJP's Nishikant Dubey demands new Union Territory: '...or Hindus will disappear' |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/parliament-session-nishikant-dubey-lok-sabha-jharkhand-bangladesh-infiltration-news-union-territory-2571902-2024-07-25 |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

On 29 July, Chief Minister [[Mamata Banerjee]] opposed the division of West Bengal in the Legislative Assembly.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-29 |title=আসুক বাংলা ভাগ করতে, দেখিয়ে দেব, বিজেপি নেতাদের হুঁশিয়ার করলেন মমতা |url=https://najarbandi.in/mamata-banerjee-comment-on-west-bengal-dividation/ |access-date=2025-04-13 |website=najarbandi.in |language=bn-BD}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Regions of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Geography of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Divisions of West Bengal]]
[[Category:Proposed states and union territories of India]]
[[Category:Gorkhaland]]

North Bengal division - Revision history

Moshiurrahmanatik: put up a page more to come