Bhopal
Bhopal (/boʊˈpɑːl/; Hindi: [bʱoːpaːl] ⓘ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of both Bhopal district and Bhopal division. It is known as the City of Lakes, due to presence of various natural and artificial lakes near the city boundary. It is also one of the greenest cities in India. It is the 16th largest city in India and 131st in the world. After the formation of Madhya Pradesh, Bhopal was part of the Sehore district. It was bifurcated in 1972 and a new district, Bhopal, was formed. Flourishing around 1707, the city was the capital of the former Bhopal State, a princely state of the British ruled by the Nawabs of Bhopal until India's independence in 1947.
Bhopal | |
|---|---|
Metropolis | |
(from top to bottom) Bhojtaal, Sanchi Stupa, Taj-ul-Masajid, Tribal Museum Bhopal, Van Vihar National Park, Museum of Man | |
| Nickname: The City of Lakes | |
Bhopal Bhopal | |
| Coordinates: 23°15′35.6″N 77°24′45.4″E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Madhya Pradesh |
| District | Bhopal |
| Region | Bhopal Division |
| Ward | 85 wards |
| Named for | Raja Bhoja |
| Government | |
| • Type | Mayor–Council |
| • Body | Bhopal Municipal Corporation |
| • Mayor | Malti Rai (BJP) |
| • Member of Parliament | Pragya Singh Thakur (2019 – present) |
| Area | |
| • Metropolis | 463 km2 (179 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 648.24 km2 (250.29 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 518.73 m (1,701.87 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Metropolis | 1,798,218 |
| • Rank | 20th |
| • Density | 3,900/km2 (10,000/sq mi) |
| • Metro (Bhopal + Arera Colony + Berasia urban areas) | 1,917,051 |
| • Metro density | 3,000/km2 (7,700/sq mi) |
| • Metro rank | 18th |
| Demonym | Bhopali |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| Pincode | 462001 to 462050 |
| Telephone | 0755 |
| Vehicle registration | MP-04 |
| Per capita GDP | $2,087 or ₹1.47 lakh |
| GDP Nominal (Bhopal District) | ₹44,175 crore (US$5.5 billion) (2020-21) |
| Official language | Hindi |
| Literacy Rate (2011) | 80.37% |
| Precipitation | 1,123.1 millimetres (44.22 in) |
| Avg. high temperature | 31.7 °C (89.1 °F) |
| Avg. low temperature | 18.6 °C (65.5 °F) |
| HDI (2016) | 0.77 (High) |
| Website | bhopal |
Bhopal has a strong economic base with numerous large and medium industries operating in and around the city. Bhopal is considered as one of the important financial and economic destinations in Madhya Pradesh's two strong wealth pillars, the other being Indore. Bhopal's GDP(nominal) was estimated at INR 44,175 crores (2020–21) by the Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Madhya Pradesh. A Y-class city, Bhopal houses various educational and research institutions and installations of national importance, including ISRO's Master Control Facility, BHEL and AMPRI. Bhopal is home to a large number of institutes of National Importance in India, namely, IISER, MANIT, SPA, AIIMS, NLIU, IIFM, NIFT, NIDMP and IIIT (currently functioning from a temporary campus inside MANIT).
Bhopal city also has Regional Science Centre, Bhopal, one of the constituent units of the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM).
The city attracted international attention in December 1984 after the Bhopal disaster, when a Union Carbide pesticide manufacturing plant (now owned by Dow Chemical Company) leaked a mixture of deadly gases composed mainly of methyl isocyanate, leading to the worst industrial disaster in history. The Bhopal disaster continues to be a part of the socio-political debate and a logistical challenge for the people of Bhopal.
Bhopal was selected as one of the first twenty Indian cities (the first phase) to be developed as a smart city the Smart Cities Mission. Bhopal was also rated as the cleanest state capital city in India for three consecutive years, 2017, 2018 and 2019.