Howrah District is located on the western bank of the
river Hooghly. It borders the districts of
Hooghly in the north,
Kolkata in the east,
South 24 Parganas in the south, and
Midnapore in the west. The area covered is 1,467 sq km and the population is around 3.8 million.
Howrah, the district headquarters, is the second largest city in
West Bengal. The city is connected to
Kolkata over the Hooghly River by the huge
Howrah Bridge and Vidyasagar Setu Bridge.
Howrah District has two distinct regions. One region is fully industry oriented while the other is agriculture based. Rice, potatoes, coconut, and jute are among the major crops. There is a shipbuilding unit on the river port of Howrah. Major industries are cotton mills, iron and steel rolling mills, glass factories, and chemical production units. Howrah is also famous for its traditional jute handicraft.
Howrah is the eastern terminus of major railway lines linking eastern, northern, and central India. Main tourist attractions include the century old Bengal Engineering College, Indian Botanic Garden, the ancient temple of Madangopaljiu Bagnan at
Mellak, and the Fort Mornington Point at Gadiara.
