Facts about Kolkata
The Kolkata Metro, run by the Indian Railways, is the oldest underground system in India.
Kolkata's literacy rate of 80.86 percent exceeds the all-India average of 64.8 percent.
Kolkata police district registered 10,757 Indian Penal Code cases in 2004, which was tenth highest rate in the country.
Kolkatans tend to have a special appreciation for art and literature; its tradition of welcoming new talent has made it a "city of furious creative energy.
Kolkata also has lower courts; the Small Causes Court for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.
Mainstream Hindi films (Bollywood) are popular, as are films from the Bengali cinema industry, dubbed "Tollywood" for Tollygunj, the district in Kolkata where Bengali movie studios are located.
Kolkata is sometimes referred to as the “City of Joy.” Kolkata has long been known for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage.
The Victoria Memorial, one of the major tourist attractions in Kolkata, has a museum documenting the city's history.
Major languages spoken in Kolkata are Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, English, Maithili, and Bhojpuri.
Durga Puja is the most notable of the religious and social festival in Kolkata.
Bengalis comprise the majority of Kolkata's population, with Marwaris and Bihari communities forming a large portion of the minorities.
By the early nineteenth century, Kolkata was split into two distinct areas—one British (known as the White Town), the other Indian (known as Black Town).
Kolkata has been a strong base of Indian communism as West Bengal has been ruled by the CPI(M) dominated Left Front for three decades now, the world's longest-running democratically-elected Communist government.
Once the center of modern education, science, culture and politics in India, Kolkata witnessed economic stagnation in the years following India's independence in 1947.
Key elements of Kolkata's cuisine include rice and macher jhol (fish curry), with rasagolla,sandesh and mishti doi (sweet yoghurt) as dessert.
Some notable companies headquartered in Kolkata include ITC Limited, Bata India, Birla Corporation, Coal India Limited, Damodar Valley Corporation, United Bank of India, UCO Bank and Allahabad Bank Vijaya Bank.
The KMA includes a large suburban hinterland around the urban centers of Kolkata.
The city was a center of the British East India Company's opium trade during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; locally produced opium was sold at auction in Kolkata, to be shipped to China.
South Kolkata grew mostly after independence and consists of elite localities.
Kolkata reported 67.6 percent of total Special and Local Laws (SLL) crimes registered in 35 Indian mega cities.
Kolkata has many buildings adorned with Gothic, Baroque, Roman, Oriental and Indo-Islamic (including Mughal) motifs.
Another ancillary civic body is the Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) responsible for the statutory planning and development of the Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA).
Richard Wellesley, the Governor General between 1797 – 1805, was largely responsible for the growth of the city and its public architecture, which led to the description of Kolkata as "The City of Palaces."
Kolkata has nine universities; numerous colleges are affiliated to these nine or to other universities located outside of Kolkata.
Kolkata has two major long distance railway stations, Howrah Station and Sealdah.
In 1971, war between India and Pakistan led to the mass influx of thousands of refugees into Kolkata, placing a massive strain on its infrastructure.
Some of the cultural festivals are Kolkata Book Fair, Dover Lane music festival, Kolkata Film Festival and National Theatre Festival.
North Kolkata locality is the oldest part of the city, with nineteenth century architecture and narrow alleyways.
Kolkata is noted for its revolutionary history, ranging from the Indian struggle for independence to the leftist and trade union movements.
Gradually Kolkata became a center of the Indian independence movement, and especially of revolutionary organizations.
According to the 2001 census, 77.68 percent of the population in Kolkata is Hindu, 20.27 percent Muslim,0.88 percent Christian and 0.75 percent Jains.
Kolkata is located in eastern India at 22°33?N 88°20?E in the Ganges Delta at an elevation ranging between 1.5 to 9 metres.
Some of Kolkata's notable communities include Chinese, Tamils, Marwaris, Gujaratis, Anglo-Indians, Armenians, Tibetans, Maharashtrians and Parsis.
The city also has an apolitical titular post, that of the Sheriff of Kolkata.
Kolkata's Sonagachi area, with more than 10,000 sex workers, is one of Asia's largest red-light districts.
Kolkata Metro Railway and a number of new roads and flyovers have decongested the traffic to some extent.
Almost all of Kolkata's daily refuse of 2500 tonnes is transported to the dumping grounds in Dhapa to the east of the town.
The suburban areas of Kolkata metropolitan district incorporates parts of the districts North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly and Nadia.
Kolkata Municipal Corporation area has registered a growth rate of 4.1 percent, which is the lowest among the cities in India with a population of more than one million.
The Kolkata Port Trust manages both the Kolkata docks and the Haldia docks.
Kolkata's schools are either run by the state government or by private (many of which are religious) organizations.
Kolkata is the main business, commercial and financial hub of eastern India and the northeastern states.
The Kolkata urban agglomeration, however, has continuously expanded and as of 2006, the urban agglomeration (Kolkata Metropolitan Area) is spread over 1750 kmІ and comprises 157 postal areas.
Until recently, flexible production had always been the norm in Kolkata, and the informal sector has comprised more than 40% of the labor force.
The Kolkata Police, headed by the Police Commissioner, comes under the West Bengal Home Ministry.
Kolkata city, under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), has an area of 185 kmІ.
Kolkata is home to top national clubs such as Mohun Bagan, Mohammedan Sporting Club and East Bengal.
Kolkata was named the capital of British India in 1772, although the capital shifted to the hilly town of Shimla during the summer months every year, starting from the year 1864.
Notable sports stars from Kolkata include former Indian national cricket captain Sourav Ganguly and Olympic tennis bronze medalist Leander Paes.
The north-south expansion is roughly divided into North, Central and South Kolkata.
Kolkata is home to many industrial units operated by large Indian corporations with products ranging from electronics to jute.
Like other large cities, Kolkata continues to struggle with problems of urbanization such as poverty, pollution, and traffic congestion.
A characteristic feature of Kolkata is the strong sense of community of the para (neighborhoods).
Kolkata's economic revival was led largely by IT services, with the IT sector growing at 70 per cent yearly—twice that of the national average.
Public transport is provided by the Kolkata suburban railway and the Kolkata Metro as well as by trams and buses.
The Salt Lake City (Bidhan Nagar) area to the northeast of the city is a planned section of Kolkata.
The "City of Palaces," as Kolkata is often called, is dotted with colonial buildings.
Pollution is a major concern in Kolkata, and the Suspended Particulate Matter (SPM) level is high when compared to other major cities of India, leading to regular smog and haze.
Kolkata's schools are either run by the state government or by private (many of which are religious) organizations.