Rajshahi Division


Rajshahi Division is one of the eight first-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population at the 2022 Census of 20,353,119. Rajshahi Division consists of 8 districts, 70 upazilas and 1,092 unions.
The region has historically been dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars. Formerly comprising 16 districts, a new division was formed with the 8 northern districts of the old Rajshahi Division from early 2010.

Etymology and names

The Rajshahi Division is named after Rajshahi District. Dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and zamindars of mixed origins throughout history, 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

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

Demographics

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 are 0.59% of the population and are mainly found among the ethnic minorities.

Districts

Education

Notable schools in Rajshahi invoice:

Universities

Medical Colleges

Colleges

Schools

Notable residents