Rajshahi Division
Division of Bangladesh
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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).
Rajshahi Division
রাজশাহী বিভাগ | |
|---|---|
     Clockwise from the top: Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, Choto Sona Mosque, Jamuna Bridge, Somapura Mahavihara & Hardinge Bridge, Uttara Ganabhaban and Gokul Medh | |
| Nickname: Land of Zamindars | |
  | |
 Interactive map of Rajshahi Division | |
| Coordinates: 24.3750°N 88.6042°E | |
| Country |  Bangladesh |
| Established | 1829 |
| Capital and largest city | Rajshahi |
| Government | |
| • Divisional Commissioner | A.N.M. Bazlur Rashid[1] |
| • Deputy Inspector General (DIG) | Mohammad Shahjahan |
| • Parliamentary constituency | Jatiya Sangsad (39 seats) |
| Area | |
| 18,174.4 km2 (7,017.2 sq mi) | |
| Population | |
| 20,353,116 (Enumerated) | |
| • Urban | 4,840,396 |
| • Rural | 15,511,404 |
| • Metro | 553,241 |
| • Adjusted Population[2] | 20,794,019 |
| Languages | |
| • Official language | Bengali[3] |
| • Recognised foreign language | English |
| • Minority languages | |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BST) |
| ISO 3166 code | BD-E |
| HDI (2023) | 0.700[5] high |
| Website | rajshahidiv |
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
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.
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 (almost entirely Christianity and indigenous faiths) are 0.59% of the population and are mainly found among the ethnic minorities.[2]
Districts
Education
Notable schools in Rajshahi invoice:
Universities
- University of Rajshahi
- Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET)
- Rajshahi Medical University
- Varendra University
- Rajshahi Science & Technology University
- North Bengal International University
- Rabindra University, Bangladesh
- Pabna University of Science and Technology
- Naogaon University
- Bangladesh Army University of Engineering & Technology
- Bogura Science and Technology University, Bogura
Medical Colleges
Colleges
Schools
Notable residents
- Montazur Rahman Akbar, film-maker[9]
- Group Captain (Rtd.) Saiful Azam, fighter pilot, Member of Parliament (MP) for Pabna-3[10]
- Manzoor Alam Beg, photographer[11]
- Apu Biswas
- Mohammad Ali Bogra
- General Jayanto Nath Chaudhuri, OBE, former Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army
- Pramatha Chaudhuri, writer
- Samson H. Chowdhury, business mangate
- Zahid Hasan, stage actor
- Amjad Hossain, (Member of National Assembly of Pakistan), organiser of Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971.
- A. B. Mirza Azizul Islam, advisor of military-backed 2007-2008 caretaker government
- Taijul Islam, player for the Bangladesh national cricket team
- Abdul Jalil, politician
- James
- Air Vice Marshal (Rtd.) A. K. Khandker, first Chief of Staff of Bangladesh Air Force (1971–1975), Former Minister, Ministry Planning of Bangladesh
- Mahiya Mahi
- Amiya Bhushan Majumdar, Indian novelist
- Partha Pratim Majumder
- Bande Ali Mia, poet
- Bidya Sinha Saha Mim
- Mohammed Fazle Rabbee, cardiologist, intellectual
- Mushfiqur Rahim
- Arifur Rahman
- Tarique Rahman
- Ziaur Rahman
- Sqn Ldr Sarfaraz Ahmed Rafiqui, Pakistani war hero of Indo-Pak War of 1965
