Kolkata is the capital of the state of West Bengal. The city is known as the 'cultural capital' of India, thanks to the 'Bengal Renaissance' and also because of its long association with the British Raj. Kolkata is home to a number of historical places like the Academy of Fine Arts, the Indian Museum, the Asiatic Society, Geological Survey of India, National Library of India, Victoria Memorial, St. Paul's Cathedral, Howrah Bridge and many more.
Kolkata, one of India's oldest cosmopolitan cities, has a well-designed transport system. The city is serviced by a suburban rail system as well as an MRTS system. The city also has an extensive system of buses – both government and private. Kolkata also has India's only tram network. State Highway 1 connects Koltaka with Bongaon, Chakdaha, Kalyani, Barrackpore, Jaynagar and Kulpi. National Highway 19 connects Kolkata with Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Delhi. National Highway 16 connects Kolkata with Odisha, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu.
In recent times, there has been a revival of commercial activities in Kolkata. Many organizations, such as Allahabad Bank, Baidyanath group, Bandhan bank, Coal India, Emami, Greenply, Spencer's Retail, Rupa and Co, Peerless Group have their head offices in Kolkata. This new found affluence also means there has been an increase in the number of cars and other vehicles on the city's roads.
