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In 19-'9, famous geographer Mark Jefferson introduced the concept of Pnmacy 111 the study
of Urban Geography. This concept ultimately signifies the notion of 'dominant city' or say
b f ' primate city'. It means the largest city in a country or region which is disproportionately

I~(!_, {t.Ji; lar~er than any other/fin the urban hierarchy. Jefferson defines primate city as being "at least
f twice as large as the next largest city and more than twice as significant". The areas within
the concerned region other than the primate city depend on that primate city for cultural,
economic, political and/ or major transportation necds~On contrary, the primate city depends
on the rest as paying consumers of the cultural, economic, political and/ or other services
produced there. It may indicate an advancing core and a backward perip.hTry. In simple way, ,
the primacy in~ex can be calculated by dividing the population of P 1 ran~ town or city by the /L~
second one. It the value comes 2 or more than 2, it can be said that the town or city is the
primate one in the district or country or the concerned study region. In West Bengal, the
primacy indices in district level have been calculated ~fiij)both 200 I and 20 II census lw-1
H, "fe/:1 ped:
yea~They graphically appears as follows- /'" 1;o

COMPARISON OF PRIMACY INDICES IN TilE DISTRICTS OF WEST

BENGAL (2001 & 2011)
6 .---------------------------------------------

Fig-5: Comparison of Primacy indices in the districts of West Bengal (Computed by authors)

From th~(Fig it~found

5), that, in 2001, there were 9 districts whose/(,
J~ first ran¥ citiJurned out as prima~o. The number of districts having primate city was
same in 20 I I. But there were variation in the level of primacy during this decade (200 1-
20 II). Puruliya town of Puruliya district maintains the highest primTy value both in 200 I
tf~e.J/-Jt4(5. 16)
and 20 II (4.74) /whereas Krishnanagar of Nad~a ~istrict
was o lowest. primacy ( / 1.0~) ~
I (/in 200 I and South oJndum of North 24 Pargana d1stnct was of 11o est pnmacy ( 1.00) m f ~
Iw~ +-~ 20 I I. Out of th~e 9 districts, there ~increase in Primacy Index of the first order towns of
North and South Dinajpur districts. Contrarily, there was decrease in primacy index of the
first order towns of Darjiling, Kochbehar, Maldah, Murshidabad, Bankura, Pumliya and
~-~ Haora. It may be~hat in 200 I and 20 II, 50~ or the districts had Primate cities. One ) P L( ~
l..eiv