Darjeeling

Darjeeling or Darjiling (both: därjēl'ing) [key], town (1991 pop. 73,062), West Bengal state, NE India, near the border of Sikkim state. Its most famous product is tea, a major cash crop in the region. The town is the administrative center for the Darjeeling Gurkha Autonomous Hill Council and a moarket for grains, spices, and vegetables. Situated at an altitude of c.7,000 ft (2,130 m), Darjeeling is a Himalayan resort commanding majestic views of Mt. Everest and Kanchenjunga. Many Tibetan refugees who fled from the Chinese army in 1959 live in the vicinity. A Gurkha uprising in the 1980s in the Darjeeling district led (1988) to the establishment of what is now the Darjeeling Gurkha Autonomous Hill Council.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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