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Rajshahi Division

Coordinates: 25°00′N 89°00′E / 25.000°N 89.000°E / 25.000; 89.000
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Rajshahi Division
রাজশাহী বিভাগ
Varendra
Division of Bangladesh
Clockwise from the top:
Somapura Mahavihara, Choto Sona Mosque, Jamuna Bridge, Puthia Palace, Uttara Ganabhaban and Gokul Medh
Nickname: 
Land of Zamindars
Coordinates: 25°00′N 89°00′E / 25.000°N 89.000°E / 25.000; 89.000
Country Bangladesh
Established1829
Capital
and largest city		Rajshahi
Government
 • Divisional CommissionerDr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir[1]
 • Deputy Inspector General (DIG)Md. Alamgir Rahman
 • Parliamentary constituencyJatiya Sangsad (39 seats)
Area
 • Division of Bangladesh 18,174.4 km2 (7,017.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
 • Division of Bangladesh 20,353,116 (Enumerated)
 • Urban
[2]
4,840,396
 • Rural
[2]
15,511,404
 • Metro
[2]
553,241
 • Adjusted Population[2]
20,794,019
Languages
 • Official languageBengali[3]
 • Indigenous minority languages
List[4]
Time zoneUTC+6 (BST)
ISO 3166 codeBD-E
HDI (2017)0.602[5]
medium
Notable sport teamsRajshahi Kings, Rajshahi Division
Websiterajshahidiv.gov.bd

Rajshahi Division (Bengali: রাজশাহী বিভাগ) is one of the eight first-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of 18,174.4 square kilometres (7,017.2 sq mi)[6] and a population at the 2022 Census of 20,353,119.[7] Rajshahi Division consists of 8 districts, 70 Upazilas (the next lower administrative tier) and 1,092 Unions (the lowest administrative tier).

The region has historically been dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars.[8] Formerly comprising 16 districts, a new division (Rangpur Division) was formed with the 8 northern districts of the old Rajshahi Division from early 2010.[6]

Etymology and names

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The Rajshahi Division is named after Rajshahi District. Dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars of mixed origins throughout history,[8] the name is a compound of the words Raj and Shahi, both of which can be translated into reign or kingdom. Archaic spellings in the English language also included Rajeshae.

History

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Rajshahi Division was created in 1829 by the British Government. It was the largest division in Bengal Province. During partition of Bengal in 1947, the division was partitioned in two halves. The eastern half remained as Rajshahi division, while its western half became Jalpaiguri division of West Bengal, India. In January 2010 the Rangpur Division split out from Rajshahi division.

Demographics

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Religion in Rajshahi division (2022)[2]
Religion Percent
Muslims
 
 93.71%
Hindus
 
 5.70%
Christians
 
 0.41%
Others
 
 0.18%

At the time of the 2022 Bangladeshi census, Rajshahi division had a population of 20,351,864. Muslims are 19,071,092 which is 93.71% of the population, while Hindus are 1,159,152 which is 5.70% of the population. Other religions (almost entirely Christianity and indigenous faiths) are only 0.59% of the population and are mainly found among the ethnic minorities.[2]

Districts

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Education

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The major educational institutes in Rajshahi are:

The University of Rajshahi (established 1953) is the second largest university of Bangladesh with around 50 disciplines and 6 institutes. Rajshahi Collegiate School (established in 1828) is one of the oldest school in the country and Indian sub-continent which became again the best school in Bangladesh in 2018.

Notable residents

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ "List of Divisional Commissioners".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g National Report (PDF). Population and Housing Census 2022. Vol. 1. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023. p. 386. ISBN 978-9844752016.
  3. ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh". Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh". Ethnologue. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  6. ^ a b Sajahan Miah (2012). "Rajshahi Division". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 14 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Population Census 2011: National Volume-1: Analytical Report" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. p. 199. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Encyclopedia of Bangladesh pp 6
  9. ^ "Home". rgcc.ac.bd.
  10. ^ একজন যোদ্ধার গল্প [The story of a warrior]. The Daily Ittefaq (in Bengali). 6 April 2017.
  11. ^ "Oversee mosque construction to check recurrence of N'ganj-like incident: PM". UNB. 6 September 2016.
  12. ^ Akter, Bayazid (2012). "Beg, MA". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Rajshahi Division.
  • E-Rajshahi, An online portal for information and government services managed by Rajshahi City Corporation.
  • UttorbongoProtidin.Com 24/7 Bengali and English Popular Newsportal from Bangladesh.
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