Darjiling

Darjeeling
City
A view of Darjeeling from the Happy Valley Tea Estate.
Nickname(s): The Queen of Hills
Darjeeling Location of Darjeeling in West Bengal
Coordinates: 27°3′N 88°16′E / 27.050°N 88.267°E / 27.050; 88.267Coordinates: 27°3′N 88°16′E / 27.050°N 88.267°E / 27.050; 88.267
Country	India
State	West Bengal
District	Darjeeling
Government
• Body	Darjeeling Municipality
• Chairman	Amar Singh Rai
• Vice-Chairman	Suk Bahadur Biswakarma
Area
• Total	10.57 km2 (4.08 sq mi)
Elevation	2,042.16 m (6,700.00 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	132,016
• Density	12,000/km2 (32,000/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	English and Nepali
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	734101
Telephone code	0354
Vehicle registration	WB-76 WB-77
Lok Sabha constituency	Darjeeling
Vidhan Sabha constituency	Darjeeling
Website	www.darjeelingmunicipality.org

Darjeeling is a town and a municipality in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is located in the Lesser Himalayas at an elevation of 6,700 ft (2,042.2 m). It is noted for its tea industry, its spectacular views of the Kangchenjunga, the world's third-highest mountain, and the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Darjeeling is the headquarters of the Darjeeling District which has a partially autonomous status within the state of West Bengal. It is also a popular tourist destination in India.

The recorded history of the town starts from the early 19th century when the colonial administration under the British Raj set up a sanatorium and a military depot in the region. Subsequently, extensive tea plantations were established in the region and tea growers developed hybrids of black tea and created new fermentation techniques. The resultant distinctive Darjeeling tea is internationally recognised and ranks among the most popular black teas in the world.

The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway connects the town with the plains and has some of the few steam locomotives still in service in India.

Darjeeling has several British-style public schools, which attract pupils from all over India and a few neighbouring countries. The varied culture of the town reflects its diverse demographic milieu comprising Indian Gorkhas, Lepchas, Sherpas, Tibetans, and other mainland Indian ethno-linguistic groups. Darjeeling, alongside its neighbouring town of Kalimpong, was the centre of the Gorkhaland movement in the 1980s. The town's fragile ecology has been threatened by a rising demand for environmental resources, stemming from growing tourist traffic and poorly planned urbanisation.