Purba Medinipur district

East Medinipur
East Medinipur
Clockwise from top-left: Memorial to Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay at Dariapur, College Junction at Kanthi, Mahishadal Rajbari, New Digha Beach at Digha, Bargabhima temple in Tamluk
Location of East Medinipur district in West Bengal
Coordinates: 22°18′N 87°55′E / 22.3°N 87.92°E / 22.3; 87.92
CountryIndia
StateWest Bengal
DivisionEast Medinipur
HeadquartersTamluk
Government
  SubdivisionsTamluk Sadar, Haldia, Egra, Contai
  CD BlocksNandakumar, Moyna, Tamluk, Sahid Matangini, Panskura I, Panskura II, Chandipur, Mahishadal, Nandigram I, Nandigram II, Sutahata, Haldia, Bhagabanpur I, Bhagabanpur II, Egra I, Egra II, Patashpur I, Patashpur II, Contai I, Contai II, Contai III, Khejuri I, Khejuri II, Ramnagar I, Ramnagar II
  Lok Sabha constituenciesKanthi, Tamluk, Ghatal, Medinipur
  Vidhan Sabha constituenciesTamluk, Panskura East, Panskura West, Moyna, Nandakumar, Mahishadal, Haldia, Nandigram, Chandipur, Patashpur, Contai North, Bhagabanpur, Khejuri, Contai South, Egra, Ramnagar
Area
  Total
4,785 km2 (1,847 sq mi)
Population
 (2011)
  Total
5,095,875
  Density1,100/km2 (2,800/sq mi)
Demographics
  Literacy87.66 per cent
  Sex ratio936 /
Languages
  OfficialBengali
  Additional officialEnglish
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
Websitepurbamedinipur.gov.in

East Medinipur (Alternative spelling Midnapore) district is an administrative unit in the Indian state of West Bengal. It is the southernmost district of Medinipur division – one of the five administrative divisions of West Bengal. The headquarters in Tamluk. It was formed on 1 January 2002 after the Partition of Medinipur into East Medinipur and West Medinipur which lies at the northern and western border of it. The state of Odisha is at the southwest border; the Bay of Bengal lies in the south; the Hooghly river and South 24 Parganas district to the east; Howrah district to the north-east; West Medinipur district to the west.

East Medinipur comprises the sub-divisions of Tamluk, Contai and Haldia of erstwhile Medinipur district. Another sub-division, Egra has been created out of the erstwhile Contai sub-division during the partition of Medinipur. In 2011, the state government proposed to rename the district as Tamralipta district after the ancient port city of Tamralipta which used to lie near the modern district headquarters.

East Medinipur saw many political movements during the British Raj. A parallel government named the Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar was formed during the Quit India Movement in Tamluk. In 2007, East Medinipur witnessed the Nandigram violence, an incident of police firing that killed 14 farmers.