A parallel government named the Tamralipta Jatiya Sarkar was formed during the Quit India Movement in Tamluk.

[4] In 2007, Purba Medinipur witnessed the Nandigram violence, an incident of police firing that killed 14 farmers.

It is mentioned in the writings of Ptolemy (150 AD), the Greco-Egyptian writer, as well as Faxian and Xuanzang, Chinese monks and travellers.

The vast expanse of land is formed of alluvium and is composed of younger and coastal alluvial.

The district has a long coastline of 65.5  km along its southern and south eastern boundary.

The major rivers are Haldi, Rupnarayan, Rasulpur, Bagui and Keleghai, flowing in north to south or south-east direction.

[6][7][8] Major cities and towns include Panskura, Tamluk, Nandakumar, Contai, Egra, Haldia, Mecheda, Mahishadal, Digha, Mandarmani, Khejuri, Ramnagar, Patashpur, Kolaghat, Nandigram.

According to the 2011 census Purba Medinipur district has a population of 5,095,875,[13] roughly equal to the United Arab Emirates[14] or the US state of Colorado.

[17] In 2006 the Ministry of Panchayati Raj named Purba Medinipur one of the country's 250 most backward districts (out of a total of 640).

In the agriculture sector paddy, wheat, chilli, vegetable are also popular in India.

[22] Given in the table below (data in numbers) is a comprehensive picture of the education scenario in Purba Medinipur district for the year 2013–2014.

[23] The table below (all data in numbers) presents an overview of the medical facilities available and patients treated in the hospitals, health centres and sub-centres in 2014 in Purba Medinipur district.

Geonkhali is a place 8 km from Mahishadal, a perfect picnic spot at the junction (mohona) of three rivers.

Mandarmani is a small virgin beach on the Bay of Bengal under Kalindi Gram Panchayat, only 14 km from Digha-Contai Road from Chaulkhola Bus Stop.

Haldia, a city and a municipality in Purba Medinipur, is a major seaport approximately 100 km (62 mi) southwest of Kolkata near the mouth of the Hooghly River, one of the distributaries of the Ganges.

It is being developed as a major trade port for Kolkata, intended mainly for bulk cargoes.