Know Your State West Bengal – West Bengal GK Notes 2021 (Part 2)

In our previous article, we had looked over some of the aspects of West Bengal. Click here if you haven’t read it already – Know your state ‘West Bengal’ (Part 1). Now we’ll be moving further deep into other important aspects of the state i.e. History, Environment and Economy.

Do you know which city was the former capital of India? Which railway station is India’s busiest Railway station?

So let’s start with the bygone era of West Bengal.

HISTORY West Bengal GK Notes:

West Bengal cradled by the Himalayas, caressed by the sea has played a vital part in shaping the history of India. Interestingly, Stone Age remains have been found in Bengal that date back 20,000 years.

• Bengal is a 4,000 year old civilization that thrived between the banks of Ganges to Brahmaputra and sustained itself with the riches of Gangetic Delta.
• Alexander conquered India by defeating Porus. The power of the Gangaridai warriors made Alexander retreat.
• Bengal was made a commercial hub that connected the sea to the famous Silk Route.
• Chandragupta Maurya(324 BC – 185 BC) unified all Indian provinces, except the North-East, Tamil and Kalinga.
• His empire arched over from Bengal to Baluchistan. During his rule, Bengal flourished with riches and its naval fleet got stronger.
• After the Mauryan Empire, other kingdoms and dynasties such as the Gupta, Kanvas, Shungas, and the Mahameghavahanas ascended to the throne of Bengal.
• Medieval history of Bengal includes Sultanates, invasions, plunder, cultural reform and architectural genius.
• The Battle of Plassey (June 1757) enabled the Britishers to amalgamate their hold in Bengal as rulers.
• The Fort William in Calcutta was the first stronghold of the British in India.
• Bengal played a pivotal role in the Indian freedom movement. Rebellious groups such as Anushilan Samiti and Jugantar gathered the youths of Bengal and taught them to fight against the British rulers.
• Many famous freedom fighters are from Bengal. Such as Chittaranjan Das, Surendranath Banerjea, Prafulla Chaki, Jatindranath Mukherjee, Khudiram Bose, Surya Sen, Binoy Basu, Badal Gupta, Dinesh Gupta, Matangini Hajra, Sarojini Naidu, Aurobindo Ghosh, Rashbehari Bose, Shyamaprasad Mukherjee and many more.
• Bengal faced two back-to-back partitions and migrations in 1947 and 1971 did not attract adequate administrative attention.

Next, let’s talk about the environment of West Bengal.

ENVIRONMENT West Bengal GK Notes:

West Bengal has a rich diversity and is situated in eastern India. The state is jeweled with mesmerizing landscapes such as snow-clad mountains, gushing sea, blossoming tea gardens, enormous deltas, lush green forests, plentiful wildlife, etc.

• The Bhagirathi is the main river in West Bengal. Major Rivers of the state are namely Mahananda, Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka, Kaljani Raidak, Ajay, Mayurakshi, Damodar, Rupnarayan, Haldi and Subernarekha etc.
• There are 28 lakes in West Bengal.
• Mukutmanipur Dam, West Bengal is the second largest earthen dam in India.
• Major dams are Damodar Valley Corporation, Durgapur Barrage, Farakka Barrage, Mukutmanipur, Mukutmanipur Dam, Randiha, Sidrapong Hydroelectric Power Station, Teesta Low Dam -III Hydropower Plant.
• Total number of National Parks in West Bengal is six namely Buxa National Park, Gorumara National Park, Neora Valley National Park, Singalila National Park, Sunderban National Park, Jaldapara National Park.
• There are 15 wildlife sanctuaries in West Bengal such as the West Sunderban Wildlife Sanctuary, Senchal Wildlife Sanctuary, Mahananda Wildlife Sanctuary, Lothian Island Wildlife Sanctuary etc.
• The state has two elephants reserves namely Easters Duars Elephant Reserve, Mayurjharna Elephant Reserve.
• There are 12 Government controlled zoos in West Bengal.
• The recorded forest area of West Bengal is 11,879 sq. km which is 13.38% of its geographical area. Further, the Reserved, Protected and Unclassed Forests are 59.38%, 31.76% and 8.86% respectively, of recorded forest area.

Now let’s study about economic attributes of the state.

ECONOMY West Bengal GK Notes:

The economy of West Bengal is the sixth largest state economy in India. It is one of the wealthy and rich states of India. Agriculture dominates the economy of West Bengal. West Bengal produces a significant percentage of India’s rice harvest. Mangoes, jackfruit, and bananas are widely produced in the southern and central portions of the state. Whereas, the northern areas around Darjiling and Jalpaiguri have been famous for the production of high-quality tea. The service sector contributes a lot to the state’s economy. The state has a large number of small-scale and cottage industries.

GDP: ₹14.45 lakh crore (est. 2020-2021)

Rank as per GDP: 6^th

Per capita GDP: ₹109, 491

GDP per capita Rank: 20^th

Unemployment: 4.6%

EDUCATION West Bengal GK Notes:

West Bengal has a literacy rate of 76.26%, which is above the national average of 74.04%, as per the 2011 Census. Education in West Bengal is provided by both the public sector as well as the private sector. The modern education system in West Bengal was developed by the British missionaries and the Indian social reformists. West Bengal has more than 10 degree-granting universities, as well as engineering and medical colleges and many technical institutes.

SPORTS:

Cricket and football are popular sports in the state. Kolkata is one of the major centres for football in India and houses top national clubs such as East Bengal, Mohun Bagan and Mohammedan Sporting Club.

Here are some more interesting facts about WEST BENGAL:

• During the British Raj, until 1911, Calcutta was the former capital of India. King George V proclaimed the transfer of the capital from Calcutta to Delhi in 1911.
• Among all the railway stations in India, Howrah Railway Station is supposedly the oldest railway station which was opened in 1854 and is the busiest railway station of India.
• Kolkata is the only city in India to have a Tram Network. Since 1902, the Kolkata tram is one of its kind in India and the oldest running electric tram system in Asia.
• Bengali language has been voted as the sweetest language in the world by UNESCO.
• Kolkata, West Bengal is considered to be the Food Capital of India.

Therefore, this was all the chief necessitate information about WEST BENGAL that will help in your preparation for competitive exams like SSC CGL, CDS, Civil Services and NDA etc.

In the next blog, we would be discussing some interesting facts and trivia about the state of Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Click here for Know your State – ‘Andaman and Nicobar Islands’.

Additionally, we would recommend that you check out our other interesting blogs about the states of Assam and Odisha as well.

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