Kolkata is the most populous and largest city in India and the main port of India. It is located on the left bank of the huge river in the Ganges Delta, with an urban area of 1.300 square kilometers. Tropical India at low latitude has a hot climate all year round, with annual rainfall of 1 0,000mm. Green trees and flowers bloom all year round.
Calcutta has a history of only 200-300 years from its emergence and prosperity to today. However, due to the ancient Indian civilization, numerous cultural relics, peculiar religious customs and unique folk art, it deeply attracts tourists from all over the world.
There are many places of interest and amusement parks around Maidan District of Kolkata, which is the most attractive area. The famous Fort William is located in the north-central part, and the Garden of Eden in the north has the oldest cricket ground in the world. There is a zoo and the best racetrack in the east at the southwest end; To the east of the racetrack are the Victoria Memorial Hall and St Paul's Cathedral. Victoria Memorial Hall, built at the beginning of this century, is a magnificent building with Renaissance style. The Statue of Victory stands upright on the high dome, on which are many important figures of the British Empire who explored Indian colonies, such as Robert Robert Clive and warren hastings. There are many paintings, queen's decrees, souvenirs and so on. Show important events in the Victorian era.
At the intersection of Qiao Lin Jilu and Sude Street, there is the oldest museum in India-the Indian Museum, which is second to none in the East. The museum is divided into six departments, such as archaeology, art and ethnology, and the exhibits are very rich. For example, sculptures, murals and reliefs in the showrooms of Bahruz, Gandhara and Gupta, famous Persian and Indian paintings, ivory, lacquerware, ceramics and other important cultural relics.
The huge river flowing through Calcutta is a tributary of the Ganges River. Devout Hindus regard the Ganges as a sacred river, and believe that the water of the Ganges can wash away the sins of the soul, so bathing is an important religious ceremony that must be carried out every day. Every morning, crowds of Hindus come to the Hugli River. They first smear mud all over their bodies. They think that the silt of the holy river is also sacred. It is said that river mud can also cure diseases, especially stomach diseases. After praying, wash your whole body with water. After bathing, they think they have washed away their sins and purified their bodies and souls.
In India, cows are regarded as sacred and worshipped by people. In Calcutta, you can often see sacred cows wandering in the streets, shuttling between vehicles and people, not bound by laws and regulations. Whether it is express trains and motorcycles, or buses and trams, you must stay away from these sacred cows. They have long been used to the horns of vehicles, and they often scatter shit all over the floor. Loyal Hindus don't even use cowhide products such as cowhide shoes and cowhide bags.
In Calcutta's streets, parks and temples, you can often see old people from rural areas playing flutes, accompanied by beautiful music, cobras in bamboo baskets, bulging their skins and swaying and dancing. This is an ancient Indian folk art-snake trick. Playing snakes is a profession handed down from generation to generation, which was recorded as early as the 3rd century AD. People who watch snake charmers often surround snake charmers, and the street is extremely crowded.
Kolkata is also the birthplace of Indian poet, famous writer and social activist Tagore. Tagore is a friend of the people of China. He visited China on 1924 and forged a profound friendship with the people of China. When people from China arrive in Kolkata, they will visit his former residence.
Kolkata is one of the economic, transportation and cultural centers of India. There is the largest jute processing industrial zone in the world, and its main industries are cotton and silk textile, steel, military industry, machinery, vehicles and motors. Kolkata is an important international air station in South Asia and the largest port on the east coast of India. Jute, tea, minerals, etc., which are abundant in the Ganges Valley, are mostly exported from here, and the cargo throughput accounts for about 1/3 of the whole country.
Countless temples, palaces, castles and stupas make Kolkata a veritable "historical museum" for exploring ancient and splendid art, religion and philosophy, attracting a large number of foreign tourists to visit and visit every year.
◆ Place name
The name of Kolkata may come from the name of a village, Kalika Tower. Before the British arrived, there were three villages in this area: Kalika Tower, Sudono Ti and Gebindapur. Kalika Tower means the land of the goddess Kali, and there is a temple dedicated to the Hindu goddess Kali outside the village. However, some people think that the name of this city comes from kali (Bengali, meaning canal) and kata (Bengali, meaning lime), because its original settlement is located on the side of a canal, and it is famous for burning shells and processing shell lime. In 200 1 year, the official English name of the city was changed from "Kolkata" to "Kolkata" according to the local Bengali pronunciation. But most people and organizations still tend to use the old place name Kolkata; ; In Hindi, it is Kalkatta.
◆ History
An archaeological site found near Calcutta proves that it was inhabited 2000 years ago.
The recorded history of this city began with the arrival of the British East India Company in 1690, which consolidated its trade in Bangladesh. The company's executive, Job Charnock, chose to settle in Nananu after an invasion. Traditionally, he is regarded as the founder of this city (but recently experts no longer agree that Charnock is the official founder of this city). 1699, the British completed the construction of the old Fort William, which was used as a trading post and a regional base. Calcutta was declared as a jurisdictional city and later became the jurisdictional headquarters of Bangladesh. 1756, in the face of frequent conflicts with the French armed forces, the British army began to upgrade its fortifications. Siraj Ude Daoulas, the chief executive of Bangladesh, protested against such militarization, but no one paid attention to it, so he attacked and occupied Fort William, which was the famous black hole incident. An Indian soldier and a British soldier, led by Robert Robert Clive, recaptured the city the following year. 1772, Calcutta was designated as the capital of British India. During this period, the marshes around the city were drained, and the government area was along the banks of the Hugley River. Governor richard wellesley greatly promoted the development of1797–1805. Kolkata is called "Palace City" because of its spectacular public buildings.
/kloc-At the beginning of the 9th century, Kolkata was divided into two distinct regions-an English region and an Indian region, which were called "black towns". Even so, the shanty towns of the "black city" are terrible. Since the 1960s, the city has experienced rapid industrial growth, especially the textile and jute industries. The British government has also invested heavily in infrastructure such as railways and telegrams. The integration of British and Indian cultures has also produced a new Babu class in cities-the earliest middle class in India and Asia. Its members are usually professionals, read newspapers, are pro-British, and belong to upper caste Hindu groups. In the whole19th century, a social and cultural change called the Bangladesh Renaissance brought about comprehensive social progress. 1883,19th century India's first political organization-Indian Nationalities Association was founded in Kolkata. Calcutta has gradually become one of the centers of Indian independence movement. 1905 The split of Bangladesh triggered a large-scale mass riot and boycotted British goods. Because of these activities and the administrative inconvenience caused by Kolkata's location on the eastern edge of India, the British moved their capital to New Delhi in 19 1 1. During World War II, the port of this city was bombed twice by the Japanese. 1943 Millions of people starved to death during the Great Famine in Bangladesh, because the stored food was used to supply the Allies. 1946 called for the establishment of an independent Muslim country, which led to large-scale violence and killed more than 2,000 people. The partition of India has brought serious violence and population migration-a large number of Muslims have left East Pakistan, while hundreds of thousands of Hindus have fled into cities.
In the1960s and1970s, serious energy shortage, strikes and violent Marxism-Mao Zedong Thought movement-Naxalites destroyed a lot of infrastructure in the city, leading to serious economic stagnation. 197 1 year, the war broke out between India and Pakistan, causing thousands of refugees to flood into Kolkata, which made the city's urban facilities excessively tense. In the mid-1980s, Mumbai replaced Kolkata as the most populous city in India. Kolkata is a powerful base of Indian productism. The left-wing front controlled by India's * * * Production Party (Malaysia) has been in power in West Bengal for 30 consecutive years, and it is the longest democratically elected * * * Production Party government in the world. In the mid-11990s, after the central government of India began economic reform, the city began to recover. Since 2000, information technology has revived the stagnant economy of this city. The manufacturing industry in this city has also increased.
◆ Geography
Kolkata is located in the Ganges Delta in eastern India, with an altitude of 1.5-9 meters, 22 degrees 33 minutes north latitude and 88 degrees 20 minutes east longitude. The city extends from north to south along the banks of the Hugley River. Many parts of the city used to be large wetlands, and it took decades to transform them into places suitable for citizens to live in. Sundarbans National Park separates the city from the Bay of Bengal, which is located 154 km south of the city.
Like most parts of the Indus Plain, the main soil type here is impact soil. The foundation of the city consists of four layers of sediments: clay, silt, sand and gravel with different thicknesses. These sediments are sandwiched between two layers of silt, the depth of the lower layer is between 250-650m, and the thickness of the upper layer is between10-40m. According to the Indian Bureau of Standards, the city is classified as a third-grade earthquake zone in four earthquake grades. According to the report of the United Nations Development Programme, the city belongs to the "high damage risk" level in the classification of storms and cyclones.
◆ Climate
Calcutta has a tropical climate. The annual average temperature is 26.8 degrees Celsius, and the monthly average temperature ranges from 19 degrees Celsius to 30 degrees Celsius ... It is hot and humid in summer, and the highest temperature often exceeds 40 degrees Celsius from May to July. Winter only lasts two and a half months. In February and1October, the temperature will drop to 12℃–14℃ ... The highest temperature recorded is 43℃, and the lowest temperature is 5℃. Thunderstorms are often accompanied by strong winds in early summer, which intermittently attack cities, which is very helpful to alleviate damp and heat. This kind of thunderstorm is known locally as Kal baisakhi (Northwest Strong Wind).
From June to September, the southeast monsoon brings more than half of the city's annual rainfall, 1.582 mm. The maximum rainfall occurs in August monsoon season (306 mm). The sunshine time in this city is 2528 hours every year, and the maximum sunshine time appears in March every year. Pollution is a major problem in Calcutta. The level of suspended particulate matter (SPM) is higher than that of other big cities in India, which regularly causes smog.
◆ Urban structure
Kolkata is managed by Kolkata Municipal Authority (KMC) and covers an area of 185 square kilometers. However, the Kolkata metropolitan area continues to expand. By 2006, its area has reached 1750 km2, including 72 cities and 527 towns. The suburb of Kolkata metropolitan area merged the North 24th District, South 24th District, Haola County, Hugli County and a part of nadia County.
The scale of the east-west direction of the urban area is very narrow. Generally, it reaches the Hugley River in the west, and bypasses the metropolis in the east, with a span of only 5-6 kilometers. Cities extending from north to south can be roughly divided into three regions: north, middle and south. The North District is the oldest part of the city, with19th century buildings and narrow streets. The atmosphere in this area is reminiscent of old Calcutta. The southern district was mainly built after independence and is the residence of elites. The salt lake city area in the northeast of Calcutta is part of the city planning. A new town has been planned and developed on the northeast edge of the city.
Central District There is a central business district around B. B. D. Bagh District. The writer's building, Calcutta General Post Office, Calcutta High Court and other government and private offices are located here. Matan Park is a huge open space in the center of the city, where some sports events and public meetings are held. Some companies have set up offices in the area south of Park Street, which has become the second central business district.
◆ Economy
Kolkata is a major commercial and financial center in eastern and northeastern India, with the second largest exchange in India, the Kolkata Stock Exchange. It is also an important commercial port and military port, and the only city in the region with an international airport. Kolkata was once the capital and the number one city of India. After India's independence, due to the unstable political situation (located on the border of hostile countries) and the trade union movement supported by left-wing parties, a large amount of funds fled and began to experience a long-term economic recession. From11960 s to11990 s, many large factories closed or contracted one after another, and enterprises moved elsewhere. The lack of funds and resources, coupled with the lack of international demand for traditional industries (such as jute) in this city, further aggravated the economic depression in this city. During the period of 1990, as the reformer Budadev Bhattacharjee was elected as the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Kolkata's economy began to liberalize, which brought opportunities for the city's development.
For a long time, in Kolkata, more than 40% of the workforce has been employed in the informal sector. There are a lot of unskilled and semi-skilled workers in this city. At the same time, as the capital of West Bengal, employees of state and federal governments also account for a large proportion of the city's labor force. Calcutta's economic revival is largely due to the IT industry, and the annual growth rate of the IT department has reached 70%-2 times of the national average.
In recent years, the city has set off a wave of investment in new residential projects. There are many factories in Calcutta run by big companies, which produce everything from electronic products to jute. Some famous companies have set up their headquarters in Kolkata, such as International Trade Center, Bata Shoes, Bora Company, Indian Coal Company, Concord Bank of India, UCO Bank and Allahabad Bank. After 2000, the Indian government adopted the policy of "looking east", opened the Nathula Pass between Sikkim and China for border trade, and opened Southeast Asian countries to enter the Indian market and invest, which made Kolkata gain a favorable position.
◆ Politics
Kolkata Municipal Administration (KMC) was established in 1876, and is responsible for the municipal administration and infrastructure of Kolkata. The city is divided into 65,438+05 districts and 65,438+0,465,438+0 administrative districts, and each administrative district elects one member to join the municipal authorities. Each district has a committee composed of members elected by their respective districts. Municipal authorities maintain public schools, hospitals and markets through district committees, and participate in urban planning and road maintenance. The municipal authorities are the highest institutions, and the government performs various functions through the mayor's committee. Its members include 65,438+0 mayors, 65,438+0 deputy mayors and 65,438+00 members. The mayor is fully responsible for the functions of the municipal authorities for a term of five years. At present, the left-wing front led by the Indian Production Party (Malaysia) is in power in the municipal authorities.
Kolkata Metropolitan Area Development Bureau (KMDA) is an auxiliary organization, which is responsible for the planning and development of the entire Kolkata Metropolitan Area (KMA).
As the capital of West Bengal, Kolkata has a state parliament, a writer's building (government building) and a Kolkata High Court. The Kolkata Police Station, under the command of a security director, has five police districts and 48 police stations. The city has 3 seats in the Indian House of Commons and 2 1 seat in the state parliament.
◆ Public utilities and media
The Kolkata municipal authority is responsible for supplying the city's drinking water, which comes from the Hugli River and is purified at the pump station in the North 24th district. Almost all 2500 tons of garbage in Kolkata was transported to the garbage dump in Dehapa in the east of the city, which encouraged the recycling of garbage and sewage. Some areas of the city still lack sewage facilities, and wastewater treatment is still mainly carried out in an unsanitary way. The private Kolkata Power Supply Company (CESC) is responsible for supplying electricity in the urban area, while the West Bengal Power Bureau is responsible for supplying electricity in the suburbs. Until the end of1990s, power outages were very common in this city. However, the situation has improved. There are 20 fire brigades in this city, which put out an average of 7500 fires every year.
Public BSNL company and private enterprises such as Hatch Company, airport hotel Company, Swiss Line Telecom Company and Tata Telecom Company are the main fixed-line and mobile phone service providers in this city. Mobile phones are popular in this city, and GSM and CDMA services have been opened. Broadband network business is growing steadily, and BSNL, Tata Telecom, airport hotel Company and Swiss Line are the main service providers.
In Calcutta, some Bengali newspapers and English newspapers, such as The Times of India and The Politician, sell well. As the largest commercial city in eastern India, many financial daily newspapers in Kolkata have their own stable readers. There are also minority newspapers in Hindi, Gujarat, Urdu, Punjabi and Chinese. There are eight local FM stations in Calcutta. State-run Flumen TV provides two free terrestrial TV stations, while four "multi-system operators" (MSOs) provide Bengali, Hindi and English programs through cable TV.
◆ Traffic
Public transportation includes Calcutta suburban railway and Calcutta subway, as well as trams and buses. The suburban railway network extends to the outer suburbs. Kolkata Metro operated by Indian Railways is the oldest subway system in India. Parallel to the huge river, it runs through the city from north to south, with a length of 16.45 km. Bus is the preferred mode of transportation, and both the government and the private sector participate in the operation. Kolkata is the only city in India that keeps trams, which is operated by Kolkata Trams Company. Slow trams are confined to certain areas of the city. Recently, a luxury air-conditioned car was introduced, which runs on the line connecting the city and Chandrabus International Airport every day.
The rented motor vehicle is a yellow taxi, and the automatic rickshaw walks according to the prescribed route. Almost all taxis in Calcutta are ambassadors, while Tata and Fiat are common in other big cities. In some areas of the city, rickshaws are also used for short-distance transportation. Compared with other big cities, there are fewer private cars in this city. However, the number of registered vehicles in the city has increased steadily; According to the data of 2002, it increased by 44% in seven years. Kolkata is extremely densely populated, and the road space accounts for only 6% of the city, which is lower than that of Delhi (23%) and Mumbai (17%), thus causing serious traffic problems.
The Kolkata subway and many new roads and overpasses have alleviated the traffic problems to some extent.
There are two main long-distance railway stations in Kolkata: Houla Station and Sirda Station. The third station, Kolkata, was put into use in early 2006. This city is the headquarters of two Indian railway companies-Orient Railway Company and Southeast Railway Company.
Chandra Bao Si International Airport, the only airport in the city, is located in Damdam in the north of the city, which is used by domestic and international flights. Kolkata is also a major river port in eastern India. The Port Authority of Calcutta manages the docks in Calcutta and Haldia. Indian shipping companies are engaged in passenger transportation in port blair and andaman and nicobar islands, and freight transportation between ports at home and abroad in India. There is also a ferry service between Kolkata and its twin cities Haula.
◆ Demography
In 200 1 year, the population of Kolkata was 4,580,544, while the population of the metropolitan area reached 65,438+03,265,438+06,546. The ratio of male to female is 1000:828, which is higher than the national average. This is because many men leave their families to work in Calcutta from the countryside. The literacy rate in Kolkata is 80.86%, which is higher than the national average (64.8%). The registered population growth rate in Kolkata Autonomous Region is 4. 1%, which is the lowest among all cities with a population of over one million in India.
Bangladeshis account for the majority of Kolkata's population, and the important ethnic minorities are China, Tamil, Malval, Anglo-Indian, Bihari, Armenian, Tibetan, Maharashtra and Parsi. The main languages of Calcutta are Bengali, Hindi, Urdu, English, Maitili and Bihar. According to the statistics of 200 1 population, 77.68% of Kolkata's population believes in Hinduism, 20.27% is Muslim and 0.88% is Christian. Other ethnic minorities in this city believe in Sikhism, Buddhism, Judaism and Zoroastrianism. About one third of the city's150,000 population lives in 20 1 1 registered and 3,500 unregistered (illegally occupied) slums.
In 2004, there were 10757 criminal cases in Kolkata police district, ranking 10 in the whole country. In 2004, the crime rate in this city was 8. 14, which was lower than the national average (16.88). Sonagazzi in Kolkata has more than 10000 sex workers, which is one of the largest red light districts in India.
◆ Culture
Calcutta has always been famous for its literary, artistic and revolutionary heritage. Kolkata, as the former capital of India, is the birthplace of modern Indian literature and artistic thought. Calcutta often has a special taste in literature and art; It has a tradition of welcoming new talents, which makes it a "city full of wild creativity".
The traditional forms of drama in Kolkata are jatra (a folk drama), drama and group drama. The city is also famous for its Bangladeshi film industry (known as "Tollwood") and art films. It has a long tradition of film production and many famous directors. The city is also famous for enjoying Indian classical music. Rabindranath Tagore and many other writers left a rich and colorful literary tradition for this city.
Calcutta is characterized by a strong sense of community. Each community has its own community club, meeting room and playground. People are used to indulging in Yu Congrong's casual chats, and these chats are often manifested as free-style conversations that show their intelligence. The city has a tradition of political graffiti, depicting everything from shameless slander to humorous jokes and limericks, from satirical cartoons to political propaganda.
There are many Gothic, Baroque, Romanesque, Oriental and Indo-Islamic buildings in Kolkata (including Mughal buildings). Calcutta is often called "the city of palaces" because there are many colonial buildings here. Some main buildings in this period were well preserved, some were declared as "heritage buildings", while others were decayed to varying degrees. Founded in 18 14, the Indian Museum is the oldest museum in Asia, with a large collection of nature and Indian art. The Victoria Memorial Hall is one of the main tourist attractions in Kolkata, and a museum shows the history of the city. The National Library of India is the best public library in India. Kolkata Academy of Fine Arts and other art galleries hold art exhibitions regularly.
Mother's Day is the most famous religious and social festival in Kolkata, which is celebrated for five days in June of 5438+ 10 every year. Other famous festivals include Diwali, Iranian New Year (Baha 'i), Holi, Christmas, Bangladeshi New Year, Debate Day and Harvest Festival. As for cultural festivals, there are Kolkata Book Fair, Dover Lane Music Festival, Kolkata Film Festival and National Drama Festival.
The focus of Calcutta cooking is rice and curry fish (macher jhol), and sweet yogurt (mishti doi) is the dessert. The reserved program of Bangladeshi cooking is a dish of fish, and Bangladeshis especially like to cook Indian herring in various ways. Street snacks include beguni (fried eggplant slices), kati roll (rolled bread with vegetables or chicken) and phuchka (fried pancakes seasoned with tamarind and lentils), and Chinese food in Chinatown in the east of the city is also very popular. Men usually choose western-style clothes, while women prefer to wear traditional saris.
◆ Education
Schools in Calcutta are both public and private (many are run by religious groups). The school mainly uses English or Bengali as the teaching medium, in addition to Hindi and Urdu. These schools are affiliated to the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) Committee, the Central Bureau of Secondary Education (CBSE) or the West Bengal Bureau of Secondary Education. Under the 10+2+3 program, students usually enter a two-year preparatory college or a high school affiliated to the West Bengal High School Board of Education after completing secondary education. Students usually choose liberal arts, business or science, and they can also choose vocational subjects. After completing the necessary studies, students can enter general or vocational colleges.
There are 9 universities in Calcutta; Many colleges are related to these nine universities or other universities in other places. University of Calcutta was founded in 1857, with more than 200 affiliated colleges. Both Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology and Jadapa University have famous engineering schools. Other important institutions are the Jurisdiction College and St Samuel's College in Calcutta. Some important national institutions include the Asian Language Society, Bose Institute, Indian Institute of Statistics, Indian Institute of Management, Indian Agricultural Institute, Saha Institute of Nuclear Physics, National Law University of West Bengal, Ocean Engineering Institute and Indian Association for Science Education (IISER).
◆ Sports
Football is the most popular sport in this city and one of the main centers of Indian football. Kolkata has top national clubs, such as East Bengal Club and Muhammad Sports Club. Like other places in India, cricket is very popular in this city. People play cricket in the streets and open spaces. Outdoor competitions such as cricket, football and badminton, as well as indoor competitions such as table tennis (carrom), are regularly held between cities and clubs. There are several smaller football and cricket clubs and training institutions in Matan Park. Sports stars from Kolkata include Sorav Gangoli, former captain of the Indian national cricket team, and Linde Pace, an Olympic tennis bronze medalist.
Calcutta is famous for its large stadiums. Eden Stadium is one of only two cricket courts with 65,438+000,000 seats in the world. Salt Lake City Stadium is a multi-functional stadium and the second largest football stadium in the world. Netaj Indoor Stadium is an air-conditioned indoor stadium, while Calcutta Cricket and Football Club is the second oldest cricket club in the world. Kolkata has three 18-hole golf courses: Royal Kolkata Golf Club (founded in 1829, which is the first golf club in the world outside Britain), Candle Oil Club and Fort William Club. The Royal Calcutta Horse Racing Club (RCTC) regularly holds horse racing and polo competitions. Calcutta Southern District Club is the venue for some national and international tennis competitions. Kolkata Rowing Club holds regular rowing competitions and also has relevant training.
◆ Celebrity
Kolkata has produced three Nobel Prize winners in history:
△ Tagore: 19 13, Nobel Prize in Literature.
△ Raman: 1930, Nobel Prize in Physics.
△ Mother Teresa: 1979, Nobel Peace Prize.