Bengal

Bengal is a region in South Asia lying in the plain of the Lower Ganges and the delta of the Ganges-Brahmaputra with the Himalayas on the north. It includes the state of West Bengal in India and Bangladesh. Bengali is the main language in the region.

It was formerly one of the three Indian presidencies in British India. Bengal, as a presidency, had a larger area than the region with Calcutta as capital at one time, and the next town in size was Patna, now the capital of the state of Bihar.

After independence in 1947, Bengal was divided into East and West Bengal. East Bengal became part of Pakistan and West Bengal became part of India. In 1971, East Bengal, which was also called East Pakistan, became an independent country named Bangladesh.

During the British Raj, Bengal had great forests at the base of the mountains and along the seaboard dense jungles. The climate was hot and humid, drier at Behar, and passing through every gradation up to the snow-line. The people were engaged in agriculture, raising indigo, jute, opium, rice, tea, cotton, sugar, &c. Coal, iron, and copper mines were worked in Burdwân. The manufactures were of cotton and jute. The population was mixed in blood and speech, but Hindus speaking Bengali predominated. Education was further advanced than elsewhere in British India. There were fine colleges affiliated to Calcutta University, and many other scholastic institutions.