Kolkata: Difference between revisions

{{Short description|Capital city of West Bengal, India}}

{{Redirect|Calcutta|other uses|Calcutta (disambiguation)|and|Kolkata (disambiguation)}}

{{pp-semi|small=yes}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}

{{Use Indian English|date=June 2016}}

| name                    = Kolkata

| native_name              = <!-- Please do not add any Indic script in this infobox, per WP:INDICSCRIPT policy. See "Etymology" section below. -->

| official_name            =  

| other_name              = Calcutta

| settlement_type          = [[City]]<!-- Kolkata is a mother city, ok so it is metropolis. If the page includes surrounding places, then it can be mentioned as metropolitan area]] -->

| border                  = infobox

| total_width              = 300

| image_style              =

| perrow                  = 1/3/2/2

| image1      =Victoria Memorial Kolkata panorama.jpg

| image6 = Kolkata transport.jpg

| image3  = St Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata.jpg

| image4  = Kolkata Gate ( Biswa Bangla Gate).jpg

| image5  = Calcutta skyline.jpg

| image8 = ITC Royal Bengalz.jpg

| image_caption            = Clockwise from top: [[Victoria Memorial (India)|Victoria Memorial]], [[Biswa Bangla Gate]], [[Trams in Kolkata|City Tram Line]], ITC Royal Bengal, [[Vidyasagar Setu]], Central Business District, [[Howrah Bridge]],  and [[St. Paul's Cathedral, Kolkata|St. Paul's Cathedral]]

| imagesize                =  

| image_map                = {{Maplink|frame=yes|plain=y|frame-width=300|frame-height=300|frame-align=center|type=shape|from=India/West Bengal/Kolkata.map}}

| map_caption              = Interactive Map Outlining Kolkata

| nickname                = City of Joy, Cultural Capital<ref name="Kolkata_Culture" />

| pushpin_map              = India Kolkata#India West Bengal#India#Asia#Earth

| pushpin_map_caption      = Location in Kolkata##Location in West Bengal##Location in India##Location in Asia##Location in Earth

| pushpin_mapsize          = 300

| coordinates              = {{coord|22|34|03|N|88|22|12|E|region:IN-WB_type:city(4,500,000)|display=inline,title}}

| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]

| subdivision_name        = {{flag|India}}

| subdivision_type1        = [[States and union territories of India|State]]

| subdivision_type2        = [[Administrative divisions of West Bengal|Division]]

| subdivision_type3        = [[List of districts of West Bengal|District]]

| subdivision_name1       = {{flagicon image|..West Bengal Flag(INDIA).png}} [[West Bengal]]

| subdivision_name2        = [[Presidency division|Presidency]]

| subdivision_name3        = [[Kolkata district|Kolkata]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/ACName?DCID=12 |title=Home &#124; Chief Electoral Officer |website=ceowestbengal.nic.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/ACName?DCID=11 |title=Home &#124; Chief Electoral Officer |website=ceowestbengal.nic.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://ceowestbengal.nic.in/ACName?DCID=10 |title=Home &#124; Chief Electoral Officer |website=ceowestbengal.nic.in}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://s24pgs.gov.in/election/ac_poll.php |title=AC-Wise Polling Stations – South 24 Parganas |website=s24pgs.gov.in |access-date=8 June 2019 |archive-date=20 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190920150410/http://s24pgs.gov.in/election/ac_poll.php |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=web.archieve.org |url=http://www.s24pgs.gov.in/election/doc/electors%20details.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130529011629/http://www.s24pgs.gov.in/election/doc/electors%20details.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-date=29 May 2013}}</ref>{{refn|The Kolkata metropolitan area also includes portions of [[North 24 Parganas district|North 24 Parganas]], [[South 24 Parganas district|South 24 Parganas]], [[Howrah district|Howrah]], [[Nadia district|Nadia]] and [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]] districts. See: [[#Urban structure|Urban structure]].|group=upper-alpha}}

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Two planned townships in the greater Kolkata region are [[Bidhannagar, Kolkata|Bidhannagar]], also known as Salt Lake City and located north-east of the city; and [[Rajarhat]], also called [[New Town, Kolkata|New Town]] and located east of Bidhannagar.<ref name=spatialchange /><ref name="Sectorv">{{cite news |last=Chakraborti |first=Suman |title=Beautification project for Salt Lake, Sec V and New Town |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-02/kolkata/30349773_1_traffic-islands-road-dividers-and-boulevards-bidhannagar-municipality |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120104185006/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-02/kolkata/30349773_1_traffic-islands-road-dividers-and-boulevards-bidhannagar-municipality |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 January 2012 |access-date=6 December 2011 |date=2 November 2011 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |location=New Delhi}}</ref> In the 2000s, Sector&nbsp;V in Bidhannagar developed into a business hub for information technology and telecommunication companies.<ref>{{cite web |title=History of Sector V |url=http://egovernance.ndita.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=58 |publisher=Nabadiganta Industrial Township Authority |access-date=6 December 2011 |archive-date=3 January 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120103145620/https://egovernance.ndita.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=45&Itemid=58 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Kolkata! India's new IT hub |url=http://www.rediff.com/money/2005/jul/13spec2.htm |access-date=6 December 2011 |newspaper=Rediff.com |date=13 July 2005}}</ref> Both Bidhannagar and New Town are situated outside the Kolkata Municipal Corporation limits, in their own municipalities.<ref name="Sectorv" />

===Climate===

{{Main|Climate of Kolkata}}Kolkata is subject to a [[tropical savanna climate|tropical wet-and-dry climate]] that is designated ''Aw'' under the [[Köppen climate classification]]. According to a [[United Nations Development Programme]] report, its wind and cyclone zone is "very high damage risk".<ref name="hazardprofile" />

 

The annual mean temperature is {{cvt|26.8|C|F|1}}; monthly mean temperatures are {{cvt|19|-|30|C|F|0}}. Summers (March–June) are hot and humid, with temperatures in the low 30s Celsius; during dry spells, maximum temperatures sometime exceed 40&nbsp;°C (104&nbsp;°F) in May and June.<ref name="weatherbase">{{cite web |publisher=Canty and Associates LLC |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=090824&refer=&units=metric |title=Weatherbase entry for Kolkata |access-date=26 April 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110907174739/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=090824&refer=&units=metric |archive-date=7 September 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Winter lasts for roughly two-and-a-half months, with seasonal lows dipping to {{cvt|9|–|11|C|F|0}} in December and January. May is the hottest month, with daily temperatures ranging from {{cvt|27|-|37|C|F|0}}; January, the coldest month, has temperatures varying from {{cvt|12|-|23|C|F|0}}. The highest recorded temperature is {{cvt|43.9|C|F|1}}, and the lowest is {{cvt|5|C|F|0}}.<ref name="weatherbase" /> The winter is mild and very comfortable weather pertains over the city throughout this season.

Often, in April–June, the city is struck by heavy rains or dusty squalls that are followed by thunderstorms or hailstorms, bringing cooling relief from the prevailing humidity. These thunderstorms are [[Convection rain|convective]] in nature, and are known locally as ''kal bôishakhi'' ({{lang|bn|কালবৈশাখী}}), or "Nor'westers" in English.<ref name="kalboisakhi">{{cite web |url=http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=kal-baisakhi1 |title=kal Baisakhi |access-date=5 September 2006 |work=Glossary of Meteorology |publisher=American Meteorological Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060830065710/http://amsglossary.allenpress.com/glossary/search?id=kal-baisakhi1 |archive-date=30 August 2006}}</ref>

 

 

Rains brought by the Bay of Bengal branch of the [[Southwest monsoon|south-west summer monsoon]]<ref name="monsoontribune">{{Cite news |last1=Khichar |first1=M. L. |last2=Niwas |first2=R. |date=14 July 2003 |title=Know your monsoon |newspaper=The Tribune |location=Chandigarh, India |url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030714/agro.htm#2 |access-date=9 June 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070618121810/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2003/20030714/agro.htm#2 |archive-date=18 June 2007}}</ref> lash Kolkata between June and September, supplying it with most of its annual rainfall of about {{cvt|1850|mm|in|0}}. The highest monthly rainfall total occurs in July and August. In these months often incessant rain for days brings life to a stall for the city dwellers. The city receives 2,107&nbsp;hours of sunshine per year, with maximum [[Insolation|sunlight exposure]] occurring in April.<ref name="ESS" /> Kolkata has been hit by several cyclones; these include systems occurring in [[1737 Calcutta cyclone|1737]] and [[1864 Calcutta cyclone|1864]] that killed thousands.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Bilham |first=Roger |year=1994 |title=The 1737 Calcutta earthquake and cyclone evaluated |journal=Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America |volume=84 |issue=5 |pages=1650–57 |doi=10.1785/BSSA0840051650 |bibcode=1994BuSSA..84.1650B |s2cid=130396862 |url=http://cires.colorado.edu/~bilham/gif_images/1737Calcutta.pdf |access-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110811224058/http://cires.colorado.edu/~bilham/gif_images/1737Calcutta.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |title=Report on the Calcutta cyclone of the 5th October 1864 |last1=Gastrell |first1=James Eardley |first2=Henry Francis |last2=Blanford |year=1866 |publisher=O.T. Cutter, Military Orphan Press |location=Calcutta |url=https://archive.org/details/reportoncalcutt00blangoog |access-date=20 July 2011}}</ref> More recently, [[Cyclone Aila]] in 2009 and [[Cyclone Amphan]] in 2020 caused widespread damage to Kolkata by bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rainfall.

 

 

Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata. {{As of|2008}}, [[sulphur dioxide]] and [[nitrogen dioxide]] annual concentration were within the national ambient air quality standards of India, but respirable [[Particulates|suspended particulate matter]] levels were high, and on an increasing trend for five consecutive years, causing smog and haze.<ref name="ambientairquality">{{cite web |author=Central Pollution Control Board |publisher=Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India |url=http://cpcb.nic.in/upload/AnnualReports/AnnualReport_37_ANNUAL_REPORT-08-09.pdf |title=Annual report 2008–2009 |page=40 |access-date=2 February 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426072456/http://cpcb.nic.in/upload/AnnualReports/AnnualReport_37_ANNUAL_REPORT-08-09.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081030/jsp/calcutta/story_10035984.jsp |title=Smog city chokes & grounds: foul air, moist and smoky |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=30 October 2008 |access-date=25 April 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604143452/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1081030/jsp/calcutta/story_10035984.jsp |archive-date=4 June 2011}}</ref> Severe air pollution in the city has caused a rise in pollution-related respiratory ailments, such as lung cancer.<ref name="BBC51707">{{Cite news |last=Bhaumik |first=Subir |title=Oxygen supplies for India police |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6665803.stm |publisher=BBC |date=17 May 2007 |access-date=23 June 2007 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070612072737/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6665803.stm |archive-date=12 June 2007}}</ref>

 

Kolkata is the commercial and financial hub of [[East India|East]] and [[North-East India]]<ref name="urbanprice" /> and home to the [[Calcutta Stock Exchange Association Limited|Calcutta Stock Exchange]].<ref name="CSE">{{cite web |publisher=Calcutta Stock Exchange Association |url=http://www.cse-india.com/cse_factbook.htm |title=Genesis and growth of the Calcutta Stock Exchange |access-date=26 April 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060419055547/http://cse-india.com/cse_factbook.htm |archive-date=19 April 2006 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref name="worldbank2016">{{cite web |url=https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/04/19/better-integrated-transport-modes-will-help-reinvent-kolkata |title=Better Integrated Transport Modes will Help Reinvent Kolkata |date=20 April 2016 |publisher=[[World Bank]] |access-date=9 February 2020 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190327204243/http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2016/04/19/better-integrated-transport-modes-will-help-reinvent-kolkata |archive-date=27 March 2019 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> It is a major commercial and military port, and is the only city in eastern India, apart from Bhubaneswar to have an international airport. Once India's leading city, Kolkata experienced a steady economic decline in the decades following India's independence due to steep population increases and a rise in militant [[trade-unionism]], which included frequent strikes that were backed by left-wing parties.<ref name="bbceco">{{cite news |last=Dutta |first=Tanya |author-link=Tanya Datta |title=Rising Kolkata's winners and losers |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4830762.stm |access-date=11 December 2011 |publisher=BBC |date=22 March 2006 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204123645/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/crossing_continents/4830762.stm |archive-date=4 February 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> From the 1960s to the late 1990s, several factories were closed and businesses relocated.<ref name="bbceco" /> The lack of capital and resources added to the depressed state of the city's economy and gave rise to an unwelcome sobriquet: the "dying city".<ref>{{Cite news |first=Sudipta |last=Dutta |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/calcutta-chronicles/417579/ |title=Calcutta chronicles |date=1 February 2009 |newspaper=Financial Express |location=New Delhi |access-date=6 December 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615141012/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/calcutta-chronicles/417579 |archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref> The city's fortunes improved after the [[Economy of India|Indian economy]] was liberalised in the 1990s and changes in economic policy were enacted by the West Bengal state government.<ref name="bbceco" /> Recent estimates of the economy of Kolkata's metropolitan area have ranged from $150&nbsp;to&nbsp;$250&nbsp;billion ([[Purchasing power parity|PPP]] [[Gross domestic product|GDP]]), and have ranked it [[List of cities by GDP|third-most productive metro area]] of India.<ref name="gdp">—{{cite web |title=Global city GDP 2014 |url=https://www.brookings.edu/research/global-metro-monitor/ |publisher=[[Brookings Institution]] |date=22 January 2015 |access-date=4 March 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525113815/https://www.brookings.edu/research/global-metro-monitor/ |archive-date=25 May 2017}}<br />—{{cite web |title=Global city GDP rankings 2008–2025 |url=https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/imagelibrary/downloadMedia.ashx?MediaDetailsID=1562 |publisher=[[Pricewaterhouse Coopers|PwC]] |access-date=16 December 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110504031739/https://www.ukmediacentre.pwc.com/imagelibrary/downloadMedia.ashx?MediaDetailsID=1562 |archive-date=4 May 2011}}<br />—{{cite web |title=India's top 15 cities with the highest GDP Photos Yahoo! India Finance |url=https://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-1348807591-slideshow/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-photo-1348807055.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141009131024/https://in.finance.yahoo.com/photos/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-1348807591-slideshow/the-top-15-indian-cities-by-gdp-photo-1348807049.html |archive-date=9 October 2014 |publisher=[[Yahoo! Finance]] |date=28 September 2012 |access-date=27 March 2017}}</ref>

 

[[File:The 42, Kolkata, (under-construction) across the Maidan by Innocentbunny.jpg|thumb|[[The 42]] at [[Chowringhee]] at 260 m<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.emporis.com/buildings/1202103/the-42-kolkata-india |title=The 42 |website=Emporis}}</ref> is the tallest building in Kolkata]]

Flexible production has been the norm in Kolkata, which has an [[informal sector]] that employs more than 40% of the labour force.<ref name="spatialchange" /> One unorganised group, [[Hawkers in Kolkata|roadside hawkers]], generated business worth {{INR}} 87.72&nbsp;billion ({{USD}} 2&nbsp;billion) in 2005.<ref name="Telegraphhawker">{{cite news |url=http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061130/asp/frontpage/story_7071031.asp |title=Hawkers stay as Rs. 265 crore talks |access-date=16 February 2008 |last=Ganguly |first=Deepankar |newspaper=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |date=30 November 2006 |df=dmy-all |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927200645/http://www.telegraphindia.com/1061130/asp/frontpage/story_7071031.asp |archive-date=27 September 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> {{As of|2001}}, around 0.81% of the city's workforce was employed in the [[Primary sector of the economy|primary sector]] (agriculture, forestry, mining, etc.); 15.49% worked in the [[Secondary sector of the economy|secondary sector]] (industrial and manufacturing); and 83.69% worked in the [[Tertiary sector of the economy|tertiary sector]] (service industries).<ref name="urbanprice" />{{rp|19}} {{As of|2003}}, the majority of households in slums were engaged in occupations belonging to the informal sector; 36.5% were involved in servicing the urban middle class (as maids, drivers, etc.) and 22.2% were [[Wage labour|casual labourers]].<ref name="kundu" />{{rp|11}} About 34% of the available labour force in Kolkata slums were unemployed.<ref name="kundu" />{{rp|11}} According to one estimate, almost a quarter of the population live on less than 27 rupees (equivalent to 45 US cents) per day.<ref name="2014 Indian general election, Calcutta">{{cite news |url=http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4086790.ece |title=End is nigh for Gandhis after India's marathon poll |work=The Times |date=12 January 2014 |access-date=12 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140512160254/http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/world/asia/article4086790.ece |archive-date=12 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref>

 

{{wide image|Downtown Salt Lake, Kolkata.jpg|500px|Panoramic view of the Downtown Sector V one of the major IT hubs of Kolkata as seen from the lakes surrounding Bidhannagar. Major Buildings such as Technopolis, [[Godrej Properties Limited#Timeline of Godrej Properties Limited|Godrej Waterside]], [[Tata Consultancy Services|TCS]] Lords, Eden and Wanderers Park, Gobsyn Crystal, South City Pinnacle, RDB Boulevard, [[West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation]] (WEBEL) Bhawan can be seen.}} Major manufacturing companies in the city are [[Alstom]], [[Larsen & Toubro]],<ref>{{cite web |last=Singh |first=Ruchira |date=2014-06-24 |title=L&T relocates mining division to Kolkata; sees revenue rising |url=https://www.livemint.com/Companies/JTAOkLSjKzxeLGzfOb1DfM/LT-relocates-mining-division-to-Kolkata-sees-revenue-risin.html |access-date=2021-09-20 |website=mint |language=en}}</ref> [[Fosroc]],<ref>{{cite web |title=New Fosroc Facility in India {{!}} Fosroc |url=https://fosroc.com/news/new-fosroc-facility-in-india |access-date=2021-09-20|website=fosroc.com}}</ref> [[Videocon Telecom|Videocon]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Videocon Starts Manufacturing Mobiles at Kolkata Unit |url=https://gadgets.ndtv.com/mobiles/news/videocon-starts-manufacturing-mobiles-at-kolkata-unit-733828 |access-date=2021-09-20 |website=NDTV Gadgets 360 |language=en}}</ref> As in many other Indian cities, information technology became a high-growth sector in Kolkata starting in the late 1990s; the city's IT sector grew at 70% per annum—a rate that was twice the national average.<ref name="bbceco" /> The 2000s saw a surge of investments in the real estate, infrastructure, retail, and hospitality sectors; [[List of shopping malls in Kolkata|several large shopping malls]] and hotels were launched.<ref>{{cite news |first=Sonalee |last=M. |title=Kolkata's retail story |url=http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=177844 |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=The Daily Star |location=Dhaka, Bangladesh |date=16 March 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120111093014/http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=177844 |archive-date=11 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=George |first=Tunia Cherian |title=Hospitality sector gets a boost from buoyant economy |url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/01/01/stories/2006010102500200.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111024010101/http://www.thehindubusinessline.in/2006/01/01/stories/2006010102500200.htm |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=The Hindu Business Line |location=Chennai |date=1 January 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 October 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |first1=Rohit |last1=Khanna |last2=Roy |first2=Monalisa |url=http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Kolkata-real-estate-players-project-40-growth-by-April/409526/ |title=Kolkata real estate players project 40% growth by April |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=Financial Express |location=New Delhi |date=12 January 2009 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130615173428/http://www.financialexpress.com/news/Kolkata-real-estate-players-project-40-growth-by-April/409526 |archive-date=15 June 2013}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Roy Chowdhury |first=Joy |title=Looking East |url=http://www.expresshospitality.com/20111031/management01.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426010101/http://www.expresshospitality.com/20111031/management01.shtml |work=The Express Hospitality |location=New Delhi |access-date=11 December 2011 |date=October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-date=26 April 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=West Bengal industrial growth rate higher than national average |url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-12-01/news/28383530_1_food-processing-industrial-growth-rate-sectors |access-date=11 December 2011 |newspaper=Economic Times |date=1 December 2008 |location=New Delhi |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120114105933/http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2008-12-01/news/28383530_1_food-processing-industrial-growth-rate-sectors |archive-date=14 January 2012 |url-status=live}}</ref> Companies such as [[ITC Limited]], [[CESC Limited]], [[Exide Industries]], [[Emami]], [[Eveready Industries India]], [[Lux Industries]], [[Rupa Company]], [[Berger Paints]], [[Birla Corporation]], [[Britannia Industries]] and [[Purushottam Publishers]]<ref>{{Cite news |last=Roy Chowdhury |first=Joy |title=Looking East |url=https://www.himalayanwritingretreat.com/traditional-publishers-in-india/ |location=Kolkata |access-date=4 January 2022 |date=September 2009}}</ref> are headquartered in the city. [[Philips]] India, [[PricewaterhouseCoopers]] India, [[Tata Global Beverages]], and [[Tata Steel]] have their registered office and zonal headquarters in Kolkata. Kolkata hosts the headquarters of three major public-sector banks: [[Allahabad Bank]], [[UCO Bank]], and the [[United Bank of India]]; and a private bank [[Bandhan Bank]]. [[Reserve Bank of India]] has its eastern zonal office in Kolkata, and [[India Government Mint, Kolkata]] is one of the four mints in India. Some of the oldest public sector companies are headquartered in the city such as the [[Coal India Limited]], [[National Insurance Company]], [[Garden Reach Shipbuilders & Engineers]], [[Tea Board of India]], [[Geological Survey of India]], [[Zoological Survey of India]], [[Botanical Survey of India]], [[Jute Corporation of India]], National Test House, [[Hindustan Copper]] and the [[Ordnance Factories Board]] of the [[Ministry of Defence (India)|Indian Ministry of Defence]].

 

The [[demonym]] for residents of Kolkata are ''Calcuttan'' and ''Kolkatan''.<ref>{{cite dictionary |title=Calcuttan |url=http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/calcuttan |dictionary=dictionary.com |access-date=10 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120303171515/http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/calcuttan |archive-date=3 March 2012}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |author=Prithvijit |title=Kolkatans relish a journey down familiar terrain |url=http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-14/kolkata/30396787_1_first-film-strong-film-culture-satyajit-ray |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120709202313/http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-11-14/kolkata/30396787_1_first-film-strong-film-culture-satyajit-ray |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 July 2012 |access-date=2 February 2012 |date=14 November 2011 |newspaper=[[The Times of India]] |location=New Delhi}}</ref> According to provisional results of the 2011 national census, Kolkata district, which occupies an area of {{cvt|185|sqkm|sqmi}}, had a population of

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kolkata's schools are run by the state government or private organisations, many of which are religious. [[Bengali language|Bengali]] and English are the primary languages of instruction; [[Urdu]] and [[Hindi]] are also used, particularly in central Kolkata.<ref name="educationsystem">{{cite web |title=Annual Report 2007––2008 |url=http://www.wbsed.gov.in/wbsed/readwrite/AnnualReportSchoolEducation_07-08.pdf |publisher=Department of School Education, Government of West Bengal |access-date=10 December 2011 |page=69 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426042043/http://www.wbsed.gov.in/wbsed/readwrite/AnnualReportSchoolEducation_07-08.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=List of schools in Kolkata |url=http://wbbse.org/skolkata.htm |publisher=West Bengal Board of Secondary Education |access-date=10 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111125210807/http://wbbse.org/skolkata.htm |archive-date=25 November 2011 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> Schools in Kolkata follow the [[Education in India|"10+2+3" plan]]. After completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in schools that have a higher secondary facility and are affiliated with the [[West Bengal Council of Higher Secondary Education]], the [[Indian Certificate of Secondary Education|ICSE]], or the [[Central Board of Secondary Education|CBSE]].<ref name="educationsystem" /> They usually choose a focus on liberal arts, business, or science. Vocational programs are also available.<ref name="educationsystem" /> Some Kolkata schools, for example [[South Point School]], [[La Martiniere Calcutta]], [[Calcutta Boys' School]], [[St. James' School (Kolkata)]], [[St. Xavier's Collegiate School]] and [[Loreto House]], have been ranked amongst the best schools in the country.<ref>{{cite web |title=India's Best Schools, 2014 |url=http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/career-indias-best-schools-of-2014/20140922.htm |website=Rediff.com |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722053415/http://www.rediff.com/getahead/report/career-indias-best-schools-of-2014/20140922.htm |archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref>

[[File:Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, Kolkata Campus.jpg|thumb|[[Indian Institute of Foreign Trade]]]]

{{As of|2010}}, the Kolkata urban agglomeration is home to 14&nbsp;universities run by the state government.<ref name=higheredu124127>{{cite web |title=Annual report of the Department of Higher Education 2009–2010 |url=http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |publisher=Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal |year=2010 |pages=124–27 |access-date=10 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113055617/http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> The colleges are each affiliated with a university or institution based either in Kolkata or elsewhere in India. [[Aliah University]] which was founded in 1780 as ''Mohammedan College of Calcutta'' is the oldest post-secondary educational institution of the city.<ref name=Home_page>{{cite web |url=http://www.aliah.ac.in/aboutuniv.php |title=ALIAH UNIVERSITY |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110414224651/http://www.aliah.ac.in/aboutuniv.php |archive-date=14 April 2011 |access-date=13 September 2014}}</ref> The [[University of Calcutta]], founded in 1857, is the first modern university in [[South Asia]].<ref name=higheredu129>{{cite web |title=Annual report of the Department of Higher Education 2009–2010 |url=http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |publisher=Department of Higher Education, Government of West Bengal |year=2010 |page=129 |access-date=26 January 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113055617/http://higherednwb.net/documents/annual%20report/annual%20report%202010.pdf |archive-date=13 January 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> [[Presidency College, Kolkata]] (formerly Hindu College between 1817 and 1855), founded in 1855, was one of the oldest colleges in India. It was affiliated with the [[University of Calcutta]] until 2010 when it was converted to [[Presidency University, Kolkata]] in 2010. [[Bengal Engineering and Science University, Shibpur|Bengal Engineering and Science University]] (BESU) is the second oldest engineering institution of the country located in [[Howrah]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Singh |first=Shiv Sahay |title=BESU's bid for upgrade gets catalyst in Didi |url=http://www.indianexpress.com/news/besu-s-bid-for-upgrade-gets-catalyst-in-didi/656792/ |access-date=18 August 2013 |newspaper=Indian Express |date=6 August 2010 |location=New Delhi}}</ref> An [[Institute of National Importance]], BESU was converted to India's first [[Indian Institutes of Engineering Science and Technology|IIEST]]. [[Jadavpur University]] is known for its arts, science, and engineering faculties.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ugc.ac.in/financialsupport/guideline_29.html |title=Universities with potential for excellence |publisher=University Grants Commission, Government of India |access-date=12 October 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403225601/http://www.ugc.ac.in/financialsupport/guideline_29.html |archive-date=3 April 2010}}</ref> The [[Indian Institute of Management Calcutta]], which was the first of the [[Indian Institutes of Management]], was established in 1961 at [[Joka, Kolkata|Joka]], a locality in the south-western suburbs. Kolkata also houses the [[Indian Institute of Foreign Trade]], which was started here in the year 2006.<ref>{{cite news |title=Q&A: Shekhar Chaudhury, director, IIM Calcutta |last=Garg |first=Swati |url=http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/qa-shekhar-chaudhury-director-iim-calcutta/435269/ |newspaper=Business Standard |location=Kolkata |date=12 May 2011 |access-date=15 January 2011 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121012154515/http://www.business-standard.com/india/news/qa-shekhar-chaudhury-director-iim-calcutta/435269/ |archive-date=12 October 2012 |df=dmy-all}}</ref>

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

==References==

{{Reflist}}

 

{{Refend}}

*{{curlie|Regional/Asia/India/West_Bengal/Localities/Kolkata/}}

 

|West=[[Bihar]]<br />[[Jharkhand]]

 

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[[Category:Former capital cities in India]]<!-- former national capital -->

[[Category:Subdivisions in Kolkata district]]

[[Category:Cities in West Bengal]]