Begusarai is the industrial and financial capital of Bihar and the administrative headquarters of the Begusarai district, which is one of the thirty-eight districts of the Indian state of Bihar. The district lies on the northern bank of the river Ganges in the Holy Mithila region of India. Geography Topography Begusarai is located at . It has an average elevation of 41 metres (134 feet). Begusarai lies in North Bihar and is surrounded by Khagaria in the north-east, Munger in the south-east, Patna in the west and Samastipur in the north-west. Begusarai lies in the middle of the mid-Ganga plain and generally has low-lying terrain with a south to south-easterly slope. Begusarai is basically divided into three floodplains: Ganga floodplain Burhi Gandak floodplain Kareha-Bagmati floodplain. Flora and fauna In 1989 Begusarai district became home to the Kanwar jheel, or Kanwar Lake Bird Sanctuary, with an area of . Demographics As per the 2011 census, Begusarai Municipal Corporation had a total population of 251,136, of whom 133,931 were male and 117,205 were female with a sex ratio of 875. The population younger than 5 years of age was 37,966. The literacy rate of the 7+ population was 79.35%. Religion Hinduism is the major religion in Begusarai city, with 224,282 followers (89%). Islam is second, with 26,531 Muslims (10.53%). Other religions include 325 Christians (0.13%), 134 Sikhs (0.05%), 31 Jains (0.01%), 29 Buddhists (0.01%), 14 other religions (0.01%) and 662 (0.26%) non-respondents Politics Begusarai has traditionally been a communist stronghold and was once referred to as the "Leningrad of Bihar". It is the karmabhoomi of the independence movement veteran, first chief minister and architect of modern Bihar, Dr. Shri Krishna Sinha. Economy Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy. The main cash crops of the Begusarai district are oilseeds, anis seed/ tisi, tobacco, jute, potato, red Chile, tomato and rape-seed. In fruit farming, Begusarai has recently become a major contributor in producing litchi, mango, guava and banana. Recently basil leaves and pearl farming have attracted local farmers. Even today, only the Barauni refinery contributes around Rs 500 crore () to the state exchequer yearly. Begusarai also has an inactive airport in Begusarai Ulao. Begusarai had the second highest per capita income in financial year 2019–20 in Bihar, after Patna. Culture The culture of Begusarai is the cultural heritage of Mithila. Begusarai is also famous for Simaria, a fair of devotional significance every