West Bengal State (pop., 2001 prelim.: 80,221,171), northeastern India. It is bordered by Nepal and Bangladesh and the states of Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar, Sikkim, Assam, and Meghalaya and has an area of 34,267 sq mi (88,752 sq km); the capital is Kolkata (Calcutta). It encompasses two broad natural regions, the Gangetic Plain in the south and the Hima¬ layas in the north. From the 3rd century bc it formed part of Ashoka’s empire. In the 4th century ad it was absorbed into the Gupta empire. From the 13th century it was under Muslim rule, until it came under the Brit¬ ish in 1757. At Indian independence in 1947, it was partitioned, with the eastern sector becoming East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) and the west¬ ern sector becoming India’s West Bengal. The state is important for its mineral output, but agriculture is its main economic activity. It is noted for its artistic endeavours, including filmmaking.
West Florida Controversy Dispute over status of American terri¬ tory in a region on the Gulf of Mexico between the Apalachicola and Mississippi rivers. First claimed by Spain in 1492, it was occupied by France as part of Louisiana after 1695, then passed under various treaties to Britain (1763) and Spain (1783). The U.S. claimed it as part of the Louisiana Purchase (1803), and American frontiersmen rebelled against Spanish control in 1810. Under the Transcontinental Treaty of 1819, Spain ceded all claim to West Florida, and it became part of the U.S. in 1821.
West Indies Islands, enclosing the Caribbean Sea. Lying between southeastern North America and northern South America, they may be divided into the following groups: the Greater Antilles, including Cuba,
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2048 I West Midlands ► Western Hemisphere
Jamaica, Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic), and Puerto Rico; the Lesser Antilles, including the Virgin Islands, Windward Islands, Leeward Islands, Barbados, and the islands in the southern Caribbean Sea north of Venezuela (generally considered to include Trinidad and Tobago); and the Bahamas. Although physiographically not a part of the West Indies, Ber¬ muda is often included.
West Midlands Metropolitan county (pop., 2001: 2,555,596), west- central England. Its main centre is Birmingham. From 1974 to 1986 West Midlands was an administrative metropolitan county; in 1986 its admin¬ istrative functions were dispersed, and it is now a geographic and cer¬ emonial county without administrative authority. Early settlement was sparse until Saxon colonists arrived; Coventry was the region’s only sig¬ nificant town by the late 14th century. Small metalworking industries began in Birmingham in the 16th century, and by the 18th century the area’s coalfields were important for ironworking. Many of the West Mid¬ lands’ traditional metallurgical and manufacturing industries persisted into the 21st century, alongside the growth of electrical engineering and the manufacture of motor vehicles, aircraft, and synthetic fibres. The West Midlands name is also applied to the western portions of the Midlands region comprising Staffordshire, Warwickshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire; this combined area constitutes one of England’s so-called standard regions.
West Nile virus Virus, belonging to the family Flaviviridae, that can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain). West Nile is predominantly a fatal infection of birds but can be transmitted to humans by mosquitoes. Most human infections are inapparent or mild, causing a flu-like illness that lasts only a few days. A minority develop encephalitis, characterized by headache, fever, neck stiffness, and muscle weakness, that has proved fatal in some cases. There is no cure. In severe cases, intensive medical care, involving intravenous fluids and respiratory support, is necessary. The virus was originally confined to Africa, the Middle East, and South¬ east Asia but has spread to Europe and North America.
West Point See United States Military Academy West River See Xi River
West Sussex Administrative county (pop., 2001: 753,612), southeast¬ ern England. It borders the English Channel, and its administrative centre is Chichester. There is evidence of settlements dating from prehistoric times in the region. A dynasty of British chieftains was in the area just before the Roman invasion. After the Romans left, Saxon invaders con¬ quered Sussex in the late 5th century. They were overcome by the peoples of neighbouring Wessex and later by the Normans, who built castles and monasteries. Since the beginning of the 14th century, the growth of sea¬ side resorts has been important in the development of the area’s coast; inland, much of it remains rural.
West Virginia State (pop., 2000: 1,808,344), east-central U.S. It cov¬ ers an area of 24,232 sq mi (62,760 sq km); its capital is Charleston. West Virginia is bordered by Pennsylvania to the north, Maryland and Virginia to the east, Kentucky to the southwest, and Ohio to the northwest. The Ohio River forms a large section of the upper western boundary, while the Potomac River forms a section of the northern boundary. The Great Kanawha, Little Kanawha, Monongahela, and Shenandoah rivers cross the state. West Virginia is crossed by the Appalachian Mountains and is generally rugged land. The highest elevation is Spruce Knob (4,861 ft [1,482 m]). Long occupied by Indian hunters, it was home to the Adena, or Mound Builders, who left archaeological traces. They were succeeded by the Iroquois and the Cherokee. The first permanent white settlement was in the 1730s. The English controlled the region during the 1750s and 1760s. Though eastern Virginia was rapidly settled, the western area’s rugged terrain restricted settlement there. After the American Revolution, largely nonslaving settlers moved west; they grew dissatisfied with the Virginia government. With the outbreak of the American Civil War, resi¬ dents from western Virginia voted against the ordinance of secession in 1861. In 1863 West Virginia was admitted to the Union as the 35th state. Its industrial emergence, encouraged by railroad expansion, began in the 1870s when its natural resources, including coal and gas, contributed to the growth of the U.S. In the 20th century, recreation and tourism became an increasingly important part of the state’s economy.
West Yorkshire Metropolitan county (pop., 2001: 2,079,217), north¬ ern England. Its main cities are Wakefield and Leeds. From 1974 to 1986 West Yorkshire was an administrative unit; in 1986 the metropolitan
county lost its administrative powers, and its constituent boroughs became autonomous unitary authorities. Anglo-Saxons and Scandinavians from the east established the first settlements. While baronial power was strong in the medieval period, anarchic conditions often prevailed, and the area was the site of several 15th-century battles. In the same period, the wool textile industry developed. In the 18th and 19th centuries, abundant water¬ power, and later steam power based on locally mined coal, stimulated factory-based industry. Worsted and woolen industries remain important, while an engineering industry has developed. Leeds, the area’s largest city, is a major commercial and cultural centre.