Geography of Bankura district

Geography of Bankura district (Bengali: বাঁকুড়া জেলার ভূগোল) refers to the geography of the present Bankura district in the Indian state of West Bengal.

Bankura is one of the districts of Burdwan division. It is situated between 22° 38’ and 23° 38’ north latitude and between 86° 36’ and 87° 46’ east longitude. It has an area of 6,788 square kilometres (2,621 sq mi) On the north and north-east the district is bounded by Bardhaman district, from which it is separated by the Damodar River. On the south-east it is bounded by Hooghly district, on the south by Paschim Medinipur district and on the west by Purulia district.

Bankura district has been described as the “connecting link between the plains of Bengal on the east and Chota Nagpur plateau on the west.” The areas to the east and north-east are low lying alluvial plains, similar to predominating rice lands of Bengal. To the west the surface gradually rises, giving way to undulating country, interspersed with rocky hillocks. Much of the country is covered with jungles.

The area consists of two different tracts. The western portion marks the gradual descent from the table land of Chota Nagpur to the delta of lower Bengal, consisting largely of spurs projecting from the western tableland and of low swelling ridges. However, there is no marked ridge of hills. In the central portion of the district there are rolling downs eventually merging with the alluvial plains.

The western part of the district has poor, ferruginous soil and hard beds of laterite with scrub jungles and sal (Shorea robusta) woods. Long broken ridges with irregular patches of more recent alluvium have marks of seasonal cultivation. During the long dry season large extents of red soil with hardly any trees lend the country a scorched and dreary appearance. In the eastern part the eye constantly rests on wide expanses of rice fields, green in the rains but parched and dry in summer.

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