Barasat is a city in the outskirts of Kolkata, West Bengal, India and is the district head quarter of the district North 24 Parganas. It is a part of the area covered by Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority. The town is an important railway and roadway junction. Barasat is also the name of a sub-division centering the city.

As an urban setup in the vicinity of the Kolkata, the town is within the area of Greater Calcutta. Several significant roads like National Highway 34 (Krishnanagar Road leading towards North Bengal), Jessore road ( road leading to Jessore in Bangladesh via Bongaon) ; Road leading to Basirhat etc. cross through the town.

In the early nineteenth century, there was a college in Barasat for the cadets who arrived from Europe for the first time to India. From 1834 to 1861, Barasat was the seat of a joint-magistrate, known as "Barasat District". In 1861, the joint magistracy was abolished, and the Barasat District became a sub-division of the Twenty-four Parganas district.

Barasat is located in the Ganges Brahmaputra delta region in the district of North 24 parganas, West Bengal state in the eastern India. The Bangladesh border - at Petra pole is situated about 70/ 80 km from the city. Barasat is 22 km from Sealdah Station on the Sealdah–Bangaon branch line. It is at one end of the Barasat-Basirhat-Hasnabad branch line of Eastern Railway.