What it's known for
Kolkata is the main business and trade centre of eastern India, and many people call it the cultural capital of India. Its port is the oldest operating port in the country, and the city is also known by the nickname City of Joy.
Kolkata
City in IndiaOn the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, Kolkata lies in the lower Ganges Delta in eastern India, close to the border with Bangladesh. It is the capital of the state of West Bengal.
Fun facts
- The name comes from Kolikata, the Bengali name of one of three old villages here, which is thought to come from words meaning 'field of the goddess Kali'.
- Howrah Bridge, a huge steel bridge over the Hooghly that opened in 1943, has no nuts and bolts: the whole structure is held together with rivets.
- The Kolkata Metro, which opened in 1984, was the first metro system in South Asia.
Finding it on the globe
Go to the very top of the Bay of Bengal and stay on the Indian side, just west of Bangladesh: Kolkata is there on the Hooghly River, a little inland from the coast.
Easy to mix up
Under the name Calcutta, the city was the capital of British India until 1911, when the capital moved to New Delhi. Its official name changed from Calcutta to Kolkata in 2001.
Sources: Wikipedia: Kolkata, Wikipedia: Howrah Bridge, Wikipedia: Kolkata Metro