KOLKATA
Kōlkātā; also known as Calcutta which was the official name until 2001) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River, 80 km (50 mi) west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary financial and commercial center of eastern and northeastern India. Kolkata is the seventh most populous city in India with an estimated city proper population of 4.5 million (0.45 crore). It is the center of the Kolkata Metropolitan Region, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world with a population of over 15 million (1.5 crore) residents. Kolkata is India's de facto cultural capital and historically and culturally significant city in the historic region of Bengal. It is the second-largest Bengali-speaking city in the world. It has the highest number of Nobel laureates among all cities in India. The three villages that predated Calcutta were ruled by the Nawab of Bengal under Mughal suzerainty. Aft...