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Jalpaiguri district (Bengali: জলপাইগুড়ি
জেলা) is the largest district of North Bengal, covering an area 6,245 km2. It is situated between
26° 16' and 27° 0' North latitudes and 88° 4' and 89° 53' East longitudes. The district was established in 1869.
The headquarters of the district are at Jalpaiguri town, which is also the divisional headquarter of north Bengal
and has its special importance in respect of tourism, forest, hills, tea gardens, scenic beauty and a wide variety
of tribes like the Totos, etc.
The name Jalpaiguri came from the Bengali word jalpai meaning "olive" because of the olives which grew in the town and
were seen even in 1900. The suffix guri means a place. The name can also be associated with Jalpesh, the presiding deity
(Shiva) of the entire region.
Presently Jalpaiguri is the part of West Bengal which is situated in North Bengal. The district situated in the northern part
of West Bengal has international borders with Bhutan and Bangladesh in the north and south respectively and district borders
with Assam and the Darjeeling hills in the east, west and northwest.
Climate
ClimateThe average annual rainfall is 3160 mm and the average temperature ranges
from 30.9 to 10.8 degrees throughout the year. The average relative humidity is
about 82%.
Tropography
TopographyThe entire topography is crisscrossed with rivulets, rivers and hills. Jalpaiguri - this narrow stretch of land lying
between the Sikkim - Darjeeling Himalayas and Gangetic West Bengal has more than often evoked a sense of both eerie and
romanticism in many a heart since the early British Rule. Veined by mighty rivers like the Teesta, Torsa, Jaldhaka,
Raidak, Dyna, Neora, Sankosh etc. this piece of land has been aptly named as the land of 'Tea, Timber and Tourism'.
A major stretch of area is bordered in the north by Bhutan and hence the name - Dooars/Duars which mean - Door of Bhutan.
Divisions
Administrative subdivisions
The district comprises three subdivisions: Jalpaiguri Sadar, Malbazar and Alipurduar. Jalpaiguri Sadar consists of
Jalpaiguri and Rajganj municipalities and Jalpaiguri Sadar, Dhupguri, Maynaguri and Rajganj community development blocks.
Malbazar subdivision, also known as Mal subdivision, consists of Malbazar municipality and three community development blocks:
Mal, Matiali and Nagrakata.
Jalpaiguri Sadar subdivision
- Jalpaiguri: Municipality
- Jalpaiguri (Community development block) consists of rural areas only with 14 gram
panchayats.
- Maynaguri (Community development block) consists of rural areas with 16 Gram Panchayats
and one census town: Mainaguri.
- Dhupguri (Community development block) consists of rural areas with 16 Gram Panchayats
and two census towns: Banarhat Tea Garden and Gairkata.
- Rajganj (Community development block) consists of rural areas only with 12 gram
panchayats.
Malbazar subdivision
- Mal: Municipality
- Mal (Community development block) consists of rural areas only with 12 Gram Panchayats.
- Matiali (Community development block) consists of rural areas only with 5 Gram Panchayats.
- Nagrakata (Community development block) consists of rural areas only with 5 gram
panchayats.
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