Bengal was an important area during British rule in India, becoming an economic, cultural, an political centre. West Bengal came into being in 1905, when Bengal was partitioned by Lord Curzon, British viceroy of India, into East Bengal (Assam) and West Bengal, Bihar, and Orissa. In 1947, East Bengal was separated from India and became part of Pakistan.
Then, in 1971, East Bengal broke away from Pakistan and became the independent country of Bangladesh. Both events aroused conflict between West Bengal's Hindu and Muslim communities.

Location and description. Most of West Bengal lies on the flat western delta of the distributaries (river channels) of the Ganges. The state shares an international boundary with Bangladesh to the east, Bhutan to the north, and Nepal to the northwest. It is bounded by the states of Sikkim to the north, Assam to the east, the Bay of Bengal to the south, Orissa to the southwest, and Bihar to the west.

Climate. West Bengal has three seasons; hot and dry (March to mid-June), hot and wet (June to September), and cool and dry (October to February). During the hot and dry season the temperature averages from 24 to 29 °C. The northern plains get the highest temperatures, rising to as much as 49 °C. The coastal plains are generally cooler. Thunderstorms are frequent during this time of the year.
During the hot and wet season, monsoons blow from the southwest, bringing heavy rainfall and often flooding. The annual rainfall may exceed 300 centimetres in the north. During the cool and dry season, the January temperature averages from 13 to 18 °C in the north and from 18 to 24 °C in the south. There is frost and snow in the northern plains and in mountainous areas.

Tourist Centres: Following are brief descriptions of some of West Bengal's interesting places to visit:Calcutta is a major cultural, industrial, and political centre. The city has many fine buildings dating from the time of British rule in India, including the Victoria Memorial, an important museum. A large statue of Queen Victoria stands outside the museum.
Darjeeling, in the foothills of the Himalaya near the border with Nepal, is the summer capital of West Bengal. The "toy train," a famous narrow-gauge steam train, winds its way up the mountainside to the city.Shantiniketan is an educational and cultural centre established by the celebrated poet Rabindranath Tagore. It is now a university.
Sundarbans, a tidal forest at the Ganges delta, straddles West Bengal and Bangladesh. Indian tigers and many other wild animals live in the forest. Tiger Hill, near Darjeeling, offers magnificent views of Mount Kanchenjunga and other Himalayan peaks. Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world, can also be seen.

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