|
 West
Bengal
was
created
as a
constituent
state
of
the
Indian
union
on
15th
August
1947
as
the
result
of
partition
of
the
undivided
British
Indian
province
of
Bengal
into
West
Bengal.
West
Bengal
covers
the
bottleneck
of
India
in
the
east,
stretching
from
Himalayas
in
the
north
to
the
Bay
of
Bengal
in
the
south.
It
is
bounded
on
the
north
by
Sikkim
and
Bhutan,
on
the
east
by
Assam
and
Bangladesh.
On
the
south
by
the
Bay
of
Bengal
and
on
the
west
by
Orissa,
Bihar
and
Nepal.
It
has
therefore,
three
international
frontiers-to
the
north,
east
and
west.
The
state
lies
between
27o13'15"
and
21o25'24"
north
latitudes
and
85o48'20"
and
89o53'04"
east
longitudes. |
|
Flora
and
Fauna:
West
Bengal
is
rich
in
flora
and
fauna
and
has
a
diverse
ecosystem
because
of
its
varying
terrain
from
the
high
altitudes
to
the
sea
level
plains.
Protected
forests
cover
4%
of
the
state
area.
There
are
15
Wildlife
Sanctuaries,
5
National
Parks
and
2
Tiger
Reserves.
The
Sunderban,
in
south
Bengal,
is
home
to
the
famous
Tiger
Project
- a
conservatory
effort
to
save
the
Bengal
tigers
from
extinction.
It
is
an
UNESCO
world
heritage
site.
Another
similar
project
exists
in
Buxa
in
north
Bengal.
Wildlife
includes
the
Indian
one
horned
rhinoceros,
Indian
elephants,
deer,
bison,
leopards,
gaur,
crocodiles
and
others.
The
state
is
also
rich
in
bird
life.
Migratory
birds
come
to
the
state
during
the
winter
months. |
