Darjeeling district, in the Shiwalik Hills on the lower range of the Himalaya, at

an average elevation of 6,982 ft (2,128 m). During the British Raj in India,

Darjeeling's temperate climate led to its development as a hill station (hill town)

for British residents to escape the heat of the plains during the summers, becoming

known as the Summer Capital.

Darjeeling is internationally famous for its tea industry and the Darjeeling

Himalayan Railway, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The tea plantations date back to

the mid 19th century as part of a British development of the area. The tea growers

of the area developed distinctive hybrids of black tea and fermenting techniques,

with many blends considered among the world's finest.[1] The Darjeeling Himalayan

Railway connecting the town with the plains was declared a World Heritage Site in

1999 and is one of the few steam engines still in service in India.

Darjeeling has several British-style public schools, which attract students from

many parts of India and neighbouring countries. The town, along with neighbouring

Kalimpong was a major center for the demand of a separate Gorkhaland state in the

1980s, the democratic movement for a separate state has begun again, this time

without any accompanying violence. In recent years the town's fragile ecology is

threatened by a rising demand for environmental resources, stemming from growing

tourist traffic and poorly planned urbanisation.