The metropolitan city of Kolkata is not just well-known for its roshogollas, mishit dohi, trams, Howrah Bridge and Victoria memorial, but also for its inexpensive nature. When compared to the other metro cities, Kolkata is said to be the most economical city. Maybe this is the reason it is called as the city of joy. The city proves to be joyful for the ones who have decided to set up their business here, or have come to work in the city. But other than Kolkata’s economical qualities, scenic beauty, and other attractions, it is necessary for one to know the other basic and important facts about the city.
History behind the name
Kolkata was formerly known as Calcutta, which was named during the British ruling era. However, the name Kolkata has derived from the word ‘Kolikata’, which was one of three villages that predated the arrival of the British, in the area where the city eventually was to be established. The other two villages were known as Sutanuti and Govindapur.
Area covered by Kolkata
The total area of the state of West Bengal is 88,752 square Km, out of which Kolkata, the capital city takes just an area of only 185 square Km. And currently as per the area it covers, Kolkata is said to be the second largest city after New Delhi, beating Mumbai and Bangaluru.
Municipality
Kolkata is currently under the jurisdiction of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation. Since the Kolkata metropolitan area incorporates parts of districts like North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Howrah, Hooghly, and Nadia, there are two more municipal corporations as well other than KMC.
Population of Kolkata
Last year it has been estimated that Kolkata had a population of around 4.6 million, which makes it the 7th most populous city in India.
Literacy rate in Kolkata
Literacy rate in Kolkata is 87.14%, which is far better than national average of 74%. The city offers a range of educational institutions and universities for students at various levels. Overall education system in Kolkata is at par when compared with the other metro cities. 77.68% of the total populations in Kolkata are of Hindus, followed by Muslims (20.27%) and Christians (0.88%).Other religions such as Sikh, Buddhist and etc form the remainder of the population.
Employment
Kolkata is an important centre for banking and finance. At present has the headquarters of three large nationalized banks Allahabad Bank, Uco Bank, and United Bank of India. Several other large financial companies and insurance companies are also headquartered in Kolkata. The city is also a major hub for the information technology industry in India. New Town and extension of Salt Lake’s Sector-V of Kolkata are rapidly turning into a preferred IT destination. And as per the slum dwellers, most of them work in laundering, housecleaning, sweeping, plastic salvaging, plumbing, furniture making, electrical wiring, TV repair, masonry, messaging, hawking, rickshaw pulling, hair design, folk medicine, music and art, tailoring, leather work, shoe making, and food selling. Cultural activities dominate the city, so industries promoting art and culture also prevail here.
Interesting facts about Kolkata
Kolkata is better known as the “city of joy”, but do you know it has other names such as “city of palaces”, and the “cultural capital of India”?
Howrah Station is said to be the busiest station in India for its capacity, and capability of handling plenty numbers of unique trains on a daily basis.
Till the year 2006, Kolkata didn’t have any train station named ‘Kolkata’ from where one could board mails and expresses until the Kolkata station also known as the Chitpur Station was inaugurated.
The Howrah Bridge is not just an identity of the city, but it’s also one of the largest cantilever bridges in the world, and the largest and perhaps the only one in India.
Calcutta Polo Club is the world’s first Polo club in the world.
The Royal Calcutta Golf Club is the first golf club ever outside the United Kingdom.
Eden gardens Kolkata is the third largest stadium as per seating arrangement.
The Salt Lake stadiumin Kolkata is the second largest football stadium in the world, in terms of seating capacity.
The Birla Planetarium in Kolkatais the largest planetarium in Asia, and the second largest in the world.
After the Frankfurt Book Fair and the London Book Fair,Kolkata Book fair is recognized as the world’s largest conglomeration of books and Asia’s largest book fair.
Summary
After reading the astonishing, and the unknown facts about the “city of joy”, most of the people from the other states who were hesitating to settle in Kolkata, will change their mind. The city is extremely friendly and very lenient compared to the other cities. People from other states wouldn’t even find it difficult to communicate because there are many non-Bengali habitats living in many parts of the city. The city doesn’t lack in education, health facilities, housing, transportation, and other important facilities. So, moving to Kolkata and staying there wouldn’t be a bad choice. You may like to read this post to know about some of the best places to live in Kolkata.
