Gazaria Upazila
Gazaria Upazila is one of the six upazilas of Munshiganj District in Dhaka Division, Bangladesh. It is located on the Meghna river delta, from the capital city, Dhaka.
History
Gazaria is mainly composed of alluvial land around the Meghna river. The locality became a part of Tippara Thana under the Assam District during British rule. Gazaria became the part of Munshiganj Thana in 1946 and independent Gazaria Thana was established in 1954.the then government of East Pakistan established Dhaka-Chittagong Highway through the locality. Gazaria Thana was turned into an upazila in 1983 under Hussain Muhammad Ershad's decentralization programme.
War of Independence
In May 1971, the Pakistani army entered Gazaria by river. A raid on the village of Goshairchar on 9 May killed more than four hundred people. The army proceeded to Bhaberchar where they also killed eleven sheltering in a ditch. Other villages in the area were attacked in the same raid.Bangladeshi soldiers from Gazaria fought at Bhabercha, Baluakand and Baushia under the leadership of Rafiqul Islam and interrupted communication along the highway by destroying the bridge at Bhaterchar in August 1971, obstructing the advancement of the Pakistani army.
In 2011, the local government constructed a memorial at Goshairchar, Gazaria.
Geography
Gazaria Upazila is located at, covering a total area of 130.92 km2. It is the Meghna River delta, which separates it from the district headquarters of Munshiganj. Two bridges connect it with the mainland: the Meghna Bridge in the west, and the Meghna-Gomotee Bridge in the east. The Kajali river flows through the district.Demographics
According to the 2022 Bangladeshi census, Gazaria Upazila had 44,537 households and a population of 185,259. 9.00% of the population were under 5 years of age. Gazaria had a literacy rate of 76.75%: 79.15% for males and 74.35% for females, and a sex ratio of 100.65 males for every 100 females. 14,176 lived in urban areas.According to the 2011 Census of Bangladesh, Gazaria Upazila had 34,760 households and a population of 157,988. Out of this population, 34,949 inhabitants were under 10 years of age. Gazaria had a literacy rate of 57.19%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1006 females per 1000 males. 6,559 lived in urban areas.
According to the 1991 Bangladesh census, Gazaria had a population of 128,368.