Khulna Division


Khulna Division is the second largest of the eight divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 17,416,645 at the 2022 Bangladesh census. Its headquarters and largest city is Khulna city in Khulna District.

History

During the British Raj era, Khulna Division was part of the Presidential Division. Before 1947, the Presidential division included six major districts: Murshidabad, Calcutta, 24 Parganas, Khulna, undivided Jessore, and undivided Nadia. In 1947, The Partition of India divided this division into two. The district of Khulna and the other half of Jessore District and Nadia District became part of the newly established East Bengal. And rest of the district of the presidential division became part of West Bengal. In 1948, Nadia district of East Bengal formed a new district called Kushtia. And the government of East Bengal added the Jessore, Khulna & Kushtia district into the Rajshahi Division. In 1960, the government of East Pakistan decided that these three districts from the Rajshahi Division and one district from the Dacca Division would create a division called Khulna. In 1993, the Barisal Division was formed from the Khulna division.

Geography

The Khulna division borders the indian state of West Bengal to the west, the Rajshahi Division to the north, the Dhaka division to the northeast and the Barisal division to the southeast. It also has a coastline on the Bay of Bengal to the south. It is part of the Ganges River delta or Greater Bengal Delta. Other rivers include the Madhumati River, the Bhairab River and the Kapotaksha River. The region also includes several islands in the Bay of Bengal.
The Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest, is in the southern part of the division.
Khulna city is in the northern part of the district, and the Mayur River is the western boundary of the metropolitan area.

Administrative districts

The division was formed in 1960.
Khulna Division consists of the following ten districts, subdivided into 59 sub-districts :

Demographics

Muslims are the predominant religion with 88.21%, while Hindus are the main minority with 11.53% population. Christians and others are 0.24% and 0.02% respectively.

Economy

Majority of the largest mangrove forest in the world — the Sundarban — is spread across the three most southerly districts of Satkhira, Khulna and Bagherhat. Khulna's GDP is the third-largest GDP behind Dhaka and Chittagong. It possesses a GDP of $53 billion.

Education

The division contains educational institutions including

Universities

Public Universities
Private Universities
Public
Private
Khulna has six integrated general and vocational schools and one technical school of UCEP, which is a non-profitable organization.
  • UCEP Mohsin Khulna TVET Institute, Baikali, Khulna
  • UCEP Mohsin Khulna Technical School, Baikali,
  • UCEP Sonadanga Technical School, Sonadanga
  • UCEP M.A Majid Technical School, Fulbarigate
  • UCEP Khalishpur Technical School, Khalishpur
  • UCEP Johara Samad Technical School, Tootpara
  • UCEP Wazed Ali Technical School, Banorgati

    Transportation

Khulna Division has a high transportation link with other areas in Bangladesh as well as with India by Road, Rail, Air and Waterways

Road

The national highway cross through Khulna Division which connects Dhaka to the Port of Mongla. The AH1 and AH41 also Cross through Khulna division. It also connects with India by the Landports of Benapole, Darshana, Mujibnogor, and Bhomra through various Road links.

Rail

There are several railway routes in Khulna Division which connects various cities and areas of Bangladesh. It also has 2 international routes to India which connects by train.

Air

There are two airports in Khulna Division. One of them is functional and one is under construction. The Jashore Airport is a functional airport in Khulna Division which connects to Dhaka, Chattogram and Cox's Bazar by air and the Khan Jahan Ali International Airport is still under construction.

Waterways

, Port of Kustia, Port of Noapara are the main three river ports in Khulna division. Every day various ship are leaving from these ports to various parts of Bangladesh.
Port of Mongla is the only sea port in Khulna division.

Newspapers and magazines

Daily and weekly newspapers are published from Khulna Division, including:
  • Anirbhan
  • Janmobhumi
  • Khulna News
  • Lok Samaj
  • Probaho
  • Purbanchal
  • satkhiranews.com
  • The Daily Gramer Kagoj
  • The Daily Spandan
  • Tribune
  • Daily Mathabhanga

    Points of interest

Sixty Dome Mosque — Situated in the suburbs of Bagerhat Sadar Upazila, at the meeting-point of the Ganges and Brahmaputra rivers, this ancient city, formerly known as Khalifatabad, was founded by the Turkish general Ulugh Khan Jahan in the 15th century. The city's infrastructure reveals considerable technical skill and an exceptional number of mosques and early Islamic monuments, many built of brick, can be seen there.
The Sundarbans mangrove forest, one of the largest such forests in the world, lies on the delta of the Ganges, Brahmaputra and Meghna rivers on the Bay of Bengal. It is adjacent to the border of India's Sundarbans World Heritage site inscribed in 1987. The site is intersected by a complex network of tidal waterways, mudflats and small islands of salt-tolerant mangrove forests, and presents an excellent example of ongoing ecological processes. The area is known for its wide range of fauna, including 260 bird species, the Bengal tiger and other threatened species such as the estuarine crocodile and the Indian python.
Mobarakganj Sugar Mills Limited is a prominent sugar manufacturing company located in Mobarakganj, Jhenaidah. Established with the goal of supporting the agricultural sector and contributing to the national economy, the company produces high-quality sugar and related by-products.
Shilaidaha Kuthibadi is a place in Kumarkhali Upazila of Kushtia District in Bangladesh. The place is famous for Kuthi Bari; a country house made by Dwarkanath Tagore. Rabindranath Tagore lived a part of his life here and created some of his memorable poems while living here.
1971: Genocide-Torture Archive & Museum - Rare pictures and paintings depicting the genocide of Bangladeshis by the Pakistan army hang on the wall. There is also a rich collection of books and audio-visual materials on the ruthless massacre against the unarmed people. The aim of the museum is to educate people, especially youths, about the genocide committed by the Pakistan army in association with their local collaborators, said Prof Muntassir Mamoon, chairman of the trustee board that runs the institution.