The Kolkata Metropolitan Area (abbreviated KMA; formerly Calcutta Metropolitan Area), also known as Greater Kolkata, is the

urban agglomeration An urban area is a human settlement with a high population density and an infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas originate through urbanization, and researchers categorize them as cities, towns, conurbations or suburbs. In urbani ...

of the city of

Kolkata Kolkata, also known as Calcutta ( its 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, west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary ...

(Calcutta) in the Indian state of

West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a States and union territories of India, state in the East India, eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabi ...

. It is the third most populous

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region consisting of a densely populated urban area, urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories which share Industry (economics), industries, commercial areas, Transport infrastructure, transport network ...

in India after

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, but spread chiefly to the west, or beyond its Bank (geography ...

and

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

. The area is administered by the

Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA) is the statutory planning and development authority for the Kolkata metropolitan area in the Indian state of West Bengal West Bengal (; Bengali language, Bengali: , , abbr. WB) is a S ...

(KMDA).

History

What is now the KMA was first legally defined as the ''Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Area'' in the schedule of the ''Calcutta Metropolitan Planning Area (Use and Development of Land) Control Act, 1965'' (West Bengal Act XIV of 1965). After repeal of that Act, the area was redefined as the ''Calcutta Metropolitan Area'' (CMA) in the first schedule of ''West Bengal Town and Country (Planning and Development) Act, 1979'' (West Bengal Act XIII of 1979).

Jurisdiction

The area covers 4

municipal corporations Municipal corporation is the legal term for a local governing body, including (but not necessarily limited to) cities, counties, towns, townships, charter townships, villages, and boroughs. The term can also be used to describe municipally ow ...

along with 38

Municipalities A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

.''Kolkata''
. Metropolis.org.

Demographics

According to the 2011 census data, the total population of the Kolkata metropolitan area was 14,112,536. KMDA report states the total area is 1,888 km², making the population density 7,480 per km².

References

Geography of Kolkata

{{Kolkata-geo-stub

History

Jurisdiction

Demographics

See also

References