Southeast Bengal

Southeast Bengal consists of the districts of Kolkata, Howrah, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

• — capital of West Bengal
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      • — part of a very large agglomeration with Kolkata
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• — a wildlife sanctuary with Royal Bengal Tigers and deer found in forests and mangrove swamps
  
  • — also known as the Parmadan Forest, a safe haven for a healthy population of nearly 250 deer
    
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                Small places

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Southeast Bengal is the economic and transport hub of West Bengal, and the region is often called the gateway to Eastern India. It has two of the most busiest railway stations in India-Howrah Station and Sealdah Station and two major ports- Port of Haldia and Port of Calcutta.
Geographically situated on the deltaic plains of the river Hoogly, the region is known for its fertile fields, sub-tropical and mangrove forests, East Calcutta wetland and the maze of distributaries in the Sunderban region.
The region's culture and food has elements left over by Portuguese, French and British colonists and merchants who have settled here since 1700.
The Nawab of Bengal Shiraj-ul Daulah, an Afgan prince, was the last ruling monarch of this region, his capital was Murshidabad. After being betrayed by his own general Mir Zafar, the king and his ally-French East India Company lost in the Battle of Plassey to a daring British general Robert Clive in the year 1757, paving way for the British conquest of the subcontinent for years to come.
French merchants developed the city of Chandernagore and the British fortified Calcutta.
Southeast Bengal is a paradise for food lovers as street food is not only cheap but also safe in most of the region.

Bengali is the most widely used language but a sizable part of the population can converse in Hindi and Urdu. Most people understand basic English, even if they cannot speak it.