Editing West Bengal (section)

== Districts and cities ==
=== Districts ===
{{Main|List of districts of West Bengal}}
[[File:WestBengalDistricts numbered.svg|right|thumb|Districts of West Bengal]]
[[File:Wbvillagehut1.JPG|thumb|A hut in a village in the [[Hooghly district]]]]
{{as of|2023|11|1|post=,}} West Bengal is divided into [[List of districts of West Bengal|23 districts]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://wb.gov.in/government-district-and-localgovt.aspx |title=District Profiles |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20170422161508/https://wb.gov.in/portal/web/guest/district |archive-date = 22 April 2017}}</ref>
<br />
{| class="sortable wikitable"
|- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;"
! District !! Population !! Growth rate !! Sex ratio !! Literacy !! Density per square Kilometer
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[North 24 Parganas district|North 24 Parganas]] || 10,009,781 || 12.04 || 955 || 84.06 || 2445
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[South 24 Parganas district|South 24 Parganas]] || 8,161,961 || 18.17 || 956 || 77.51 || 819
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Purba Bardhaman district|Purba Bardhaman]] || 4,835,432 ||{{endash}} || 945 || 74.73 || 890
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Paschim Bardhaman district|Paschim Bardhaman]] || 2,882,031 ||{{endash}}|| 922 || 78.75  || 1800
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Murshidabad district|Murshidabad]] || 7,103,807 || 21.09 || 958 || 66.59 || 1334
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Paschim Medinipur district|West Midnapore]] || 5,913,457 || 13.86 || 966 || 78.00 || 631
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Hooghly district|Hooghly]] || 5,519,145 || 9.46 || 961 || 81.80 || 1753
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Nadia district|Nadia]] || 5,167,600 || 12.22 || 947 || 74.97  || 1316
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Purba Medinipur district|East Midnapore]] || 5,095,875 || 15.36 || 938 || 87.02 || 1081
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Howrah district|Howrah]] || 4,850,029 || 13.50 || 939 || 83.31 || 3306
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Kolkata district|Kolkata]] || 4,496,694 || −1.67 || 908 || 86.31 || 24306
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Maldah district|Maldah]] || 3,988,845 || 21.22 || 944 || 61.73 || 1069
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;”
| [[Jalpaiguri district|Jalpaiguri]] || 3,872,846 || 13.87 || 953 || 73.25 || 622
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Alipurduar district|Alipurduar]]{{efn|name=b|Was created after the 2011 Census}}|| 1,700,000|| {{Endash}}|| {{Endash}}|| {{Endash}}||400
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Bankura district|Bankura]] || 3,596,292 || 12.64 || 954 || 70.95 || 523
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Birbhum district|Birbhum]] || 3,502,404||16.15||956||70.68 || 771
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Uttar Dinajpur district|North Dinajpur]] || 3,007,134||23.15 ||939 ||59.07 || 958
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Purulia district|Purulia]] ||2,930,115||15.52 || 957||64.48 || 468
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Cooch Behar district|Cooch Behar]] || 2,819,086|| 13.71 || 942|| 74.78 || 832
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Darjeeling district|Darjeeling]] || 1,846,823|| 14.77  || 970 || 79.56 || 586
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Dakshin Dinajpur district|Dakshin Dinajpur]] || 1,676,276||11.52 || 956 ||72.82 || 755
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Kalimpong district|Kalimpong]]{{efn|name=b}} || 202,239 ||{{Endash}}|| {{Endash}} || {{Endash}} ||270
|- style="vertical-align: middle; text-align: center;"
| [[Jhargram district|Jhargram]]{{efn|name=b}} || 1,136,548 || {{Endash}} || {{Endash}} || {{Endash}} || 374
|}
{{notelist}}
Each district is governed by a [[district collector]] or district magistrate, appointed by either the [[Indian Administrative Service]] or the [[West Bengal Civil Service]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.wbja.nic.in/wbja_adm/files/The%2520West%2520Bengal%2520Panchayat%2520Act,%25201973.pdf |title=Section 2 of West Bengal Panchayat Act, 1973 – West Bengal Judicial Academy |publisher=West Bengal Judicial Academy |access-date  = 26 January 2018|url-status     = live |archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20161222081452/http://wbja.nic.in/wbja_adm/files/The%20West%20Bengal%20Panchayat%20Act,%201973.pdf |archive-date = 22 December 2016}}</ref> Each district is subdivided into sub-divisions, governed by a [[Sub-Divisional Magistrate]], and again into blocks. Blocks consists of panchayats (village councils) and town municipalities.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.webel-india.com/blocks%20n%20grampanchayats.doc |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20131207132226/http://www.webel-india.com/blocks%20n%20grampanchayats.doc |url-status = dead |archive-date = 7 December 2013 |title=Directory of district, sub division, panchayat samiti/ block and gram panchayats in West Bengal, March 2008 |date=March 2008 |publisher=West Bengal Electronics Industry Development Corporation Limited, Government of West Bengal |page=1 |format=DOC |access-date = 15 February 2012}}</ref>

===Cities===
The capital and largest city of the state is [[Kolkata]]—the [[List of most populous metropolitan areas in India|third-largest]] [[urban agglomeration]]<ref name=uapop2011>{{cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf |title=Urban agglomerations/cities having population 1 million and above |year=2011 |work=Provisional population totals, census of India 2011 |publisher=[[Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India|The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India]] |access-date = 26 January 2012 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20111215163132/http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/india2/Million_Plus_UAs_Cities_2011.pdf |archive-date = 15 December 2011}}</ref> and the [[List of most populous cities in India|seventh-largest city]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf |title=Cities having population 1 lakh and above, census 2011 |work=Provisional population totals, census of India 2011 |publisher=The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India |access-date = 18 October 2011 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120507135928/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf |archive-date = 7 May 2012}}</ref> in India. [[Asansol]] is the second-largest city and urban agglomeration in West Bengal.<ref name=uapop2011 />

Major [[Planned Community|planned]] cities of West Bengal include [[Bidhannagar]], [[New Town, Kolkata|New Town]], [[Kalyani, West Bengal|Kalyani]], [[Haldia]], [[Durgapur]] and [[Kharagpur]]. Kolkata has some planned neighbourhoods like [[New Garia]], [[Tollygunge]], and [[Lake Town, Kolkata|Lake Town]]. [[Siliguri]] is an economically important city, strategically located in the northeastern Siliguri Corridor (Chicken's Neck) of India.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://thediploma0t.com/2013/11/geographys-curse-indias-vulnerable-chickens-neck/ |title=Geography's Curse: India's Vulnerable 'Chicken's Neck' |author=Ankit Panda |work=[[The Diplomat (magazine)|The Diplomat]] |access-date = 10 December 2017 |language=en-US |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171021172825/https://thediplomat.com/2013/11/geographys-curse-indias-vulnerable-chickens-neck/ |archive-date = 21 October 2017}}</ref> Other larger [[cities and towns in West Bengal]] are [[Howrah]], [[Chandannagar]], Bardhaman, [[Baharampur]], [[Jalpaiguri]], and [[Purulia]] etc.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf |title=2011 Census of India |website=censusindia.gov.in|archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20130723151530/http://www.censusindia.gov.in/2011-prov-results/paper2/data_files/India2/Table_2_PR_Cities_1Lakh_and_Above.pdf|archive-date =23 July 2013|url-status =live}}</ref> <!--DO NOT ADD ANY ADDITIONAL CITIES – THERE ARE ONLY 10 OVER 250,000 IN THE 2011 CENSUS.-->