GAZETTEER OF THE HOWRAH DISTRICT CHAPTEE I. PHYSICAL ASPECTS. The district of Howrah is situated in the soutli-east of the Genera t DKSCR TION. Burdwan Division between 22° 13' and 22° 47' north latitude and between 87° 51' and 88° 22' east longitude. With an area of 510 square miles and a population of 850,514 persons, it is the smallest district in Bengal and has a less numerous population than any district in the Province except Angul, Palamau, Singh- bhum and Darjeeling. Its area is less than that of an average Bengal subdivision, but the district is slightly bigger than Bed- fordshire and contains 58,000 more inhabitants than the county of Middlesex. The district is bounded on the north by the Arambagh and Bonnda- Serampore subdivisions of the Hooghly district ; on the east by *'^^' the Barrackpore, Alipore and Diamond Harbour subdivisions of the 24-Parganas ; on the south by the Tamluk subdivision of Midnapore ; and on the west partly by the Tamluk and Gh&tal subdivisions of the latter district and partly by the Arambagh subdivision of the Hooghly district. The boundaries are partly natural and partly artificial. On the west and south-west the river Rupnaraygm, and on the east and southeast the river Hooghly constitute natural boundaries, while on the north the boundary is formed by the Bally (Bali) Elidl and an artificial line marking the southern limit of the Hooghly district. In general shape, the district of Howrah is an irregular Coiifigum- triangle bounded on two sides by great rivers, the apex of *^^'""' which lies at their confluence near Fort Mornington. Its extreme length from east to west is about 28 miles, and its extreme
