# Rangpur District

Rangpur District (Bengali: রংপুর জেলা) is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division.

## Geography

Under the Rangpur Division (one of eight divisions) composed of eight districts of northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur is bordered on the north by Nilphamari District, on the south by Gaibandha District, on the east by Kurigram, and on the west by Dinajpur district. Rangpur town is the divisional headquarter. The soil composition is mainly alluvial soil (80%) of the Teesta River basin, and the remaining is barind soil. The temperature ranges from 32–11 °C (90–52 °F), and the annual rainfall averages 2,931 mm (9.616 ft).

## Travel

The main transportation methods here are by air, rail, or road. To travel by air, people have to first travel to Dhaka Domestic Airport and then fly to Saidpur Airport (DAC-SPD route). Seven flights travel this route daily. The US-Bangla Airlines, Novoair, and the Biman offer the flights. The distance by airways from Dhaka to Saidpur is 254.28 km (158 mi). By rail, the district is accessible from Kamalapur Railway Station which runs a daily-except-Sunday train "Rangpur Express" to Rangpur Railway Station. The total journey by rail is of 453 km (281 mi). By road, travelers have to travel 307 km (191 mi) using the Savar-Kaliakair route or 327 km (203 mi) using the Tongi-Mawna route, Shamu.

## History

Rangpur was conquered by the army of Raja Man Singh, a commander of the Mughal emperor, and Akbar, in 1575, but it was only until 1686 that it was fully integrated into the Mughal Empire. Place names such as Mughalbasa ('Mughal locality') and Mughalhat ('Mughal market') bear testimony to the Mughal association and past of Rangpur and its hinterland. Later on, Rangpur passed under the control of "Sarker" of Ghoraghat. During the period of the East India Company, the Fakir-Sannyasi rebellion took place. The Greater Rangpur district was divided in five districts in 1984.
The population of the district is 2.9 million according to the 2011 census. There has been a 1.2% annual population growth between 2001 and 2011. The population density of the area is 1,200/km$^2$ .

## Demographics

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Rangpur District had 834,307 households and a population of 3,169,614, of whom, 32.55% of the inhabitants lived in urban areas. 17.54% of the population was under 10 years of age. The population density was 1,320 people per km$^2$. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 70.73%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and the sex ratio was 98.04 females per 1000 males.
Religions in Rangpur District (2022) :
| Religion | Religion | Percent | Percent |
| Islam | Islam | 90.64% | 90.64% |
| Hinduism | Hinduism | 8.96% | 8.96% |
| Other or not stated | Other or not stated | 0.40% | 0.40% |
Religion in present-day Rangpur District :
| Religion | 1941$^{:92–93}$ | 1941$^{:92–93}$ | 1981 | 1981 | 1991 | 1991 | 2001 | 2001 | 2011 | 2011 | 2022 | 2022 |
| Religion | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % |
| Islam | 481,350 | 74.81% | 1,518,354 | 88.93% | 1,935,622 | 89.60% | 2,296,790 | 90.34% | 2,604,263 | 90.39% | 2,872,953 | 90.64% |
| Hinduism | 148,270 | 23.04% | 172,262 | 10.09% | 207,072 | 9.58% | 229,963 | 9.04% | 258,684 | 8.98% | 283,964 | 8.96% |
| Tribal religion | 13,550 | 2.11% | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Others | 242 | 0.04% | 16,648 | 0.98% | 17,652 | 0.82% | 15,688 | 0.62% | 18,139 | 0.63% | 12,697 | 0.40% |
| Total Population | 643,412 | 100% | 1,707,264 | 100% | 2,160,346 | 100% | 2,542,441 | 100% | 2,881,086 | 100% | 3,169,614 | 100% |
Muslims make up 90.64% of the population, while Hindus are 8.96% of the population. The majority of Hindus are Rajbanshis. Other minorities are mainly Christians who are found among ethnic minorities. The ethnic population was 15,947 (0.50%), of which 8,580 were Oraon and 4,687 Santal.

## Administrative sub-divisions

The district has 1 city corporation and 3 municipalities, namely, Rangpur City Corporation, Badarganj, Haragach and Peerganj, and eight Upazilas, namely:
* Badarganj
* Mithapukur
* Gangachara
* Kaunia
* Rangpur Sadar
* Pirgacha
* Pirganj
* Taraganj
Rangpur town, covering an area of around 43 square kilometers, lies on the bank of the Ghaghat river and was turned into a municipality back in 1869. Rangpur City Corporation, which was founded in 2012, has a population of 294,000. The city has an area of 50.7 km$^2$ (19.6 sq mi).

## Education

* Begum Rokeya University is the only university in the Rangpur district.
* Rangpur Medical College, is one of the major government medical colleges in Bangladesh.
* Carmichael College, established in 1916 by some leading zamindars, is a postgraduate college offering courses in 14 subjects in the faculties of arts, social science, science, and commerce. The most renowned educational institutions in this region are
* Rangpur Cadet College
* Police Lines School and College, Rangpur
* Rangpur Zilla School. Zilla School is established in 1832, this higher secondary school is known for the quality of education it offers.
Other prominent educational institutions include Rangpur Government College, Begum Rokeya College, and Govt. Commercial Institute. Besides there is one polytechnic institute, one vocational institute, around 282 high schools, 722 government primary schools, 38 junior high schools, 193 NGO (Non-Government Organization) operated schools and almost 370 Madrasahs in Rangpur. Rangpur Model College is now an honors college.

## Places of interest

Just south of the city of Rangpur lies the Tajhat Zamindar's palace. After the end of the British Raj, the building was abandoned and decayed rapidly, although it was used for a few years as a courthouse during the 1980s. In the year 2004, it was largely restored and turned into a museum with ancient inscriptions, art, and coins from the area on display. RDRS (Rangpur and Dinajpur Rural Service) Bangladesh, an NGO in northwest Bangladesh, has a large office and guesthouse/convention center in the town of Rangpur.
A museum and women's training center was established in Pairabondh, the birthplace of Begum Rokeya. It is half an hour's drive away from Rangpur city.
There is an ancient auditorium named 'Town Hall' at the center of the city, where different cultural programs are held. In the great Rangpur region, no economic development took place until the 90's, mainly because of the yearly flooding the region used to see before the making of "Teesta Barrage."
"Bhinno Jogot" is a theme park and a picnic spot which is situated 15 kilometers from Rangpur Town.
Jadu Nibash in Radhaballav was the house of former senior minister of Bangladesh, Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia (1924–1979).

## Media

Bangladesh Betar Rangpur (BBR) has a broadcasting station in Rangpur. Bangladesh Television (BTV) has a satellite station in Rangpur. The Rangpur Press Club is situated in Rangpur. Rangpur has almost 19 cinema halls. There are several locally published newspapers in the district.

## Development organisations

RDRS Bangladesh – previously Rangpur-Dinajpur Rural Service – has its main operational headquarters in Rangpur town at the RDRS Complex.

## Notable people

* William Beveridge, British economist
* Roquia Sakhawat Hussain, writer and social worker
* Mashiur Rahman Jadu Mia, former Prime Minister of Bangladesh (1979)
* Hussein Muhammad Ershad, former President of Bangladesh
* M. A. Sattar, (1925-2009), Chairman Sattar Jute Mills Ltd, Minister of Jute and Textiles, 1985-1986, Minister of Labor and Manpower, 1986-1987, MP (Narayanganj-4), 1986-1990 and Chief Whip, 1988-1990
* Shawfikul Ghaani Shawpan, former Minister of Housing and Public Works
* Buddhadeb Guha, popular Bengali novels and fictions writer
* Anisul Huq, poet and writer
* Dr. Rashid Askari, Bengali-English writer, fictionist, columnist, translator, media personality and the 12th vice-chancellor of Kushtia Islamic University-Bangladesh
* Rezwana Choudhury Bannya, Bangladeshi Rabindra Sangeet artist
* M. A. Wazed Miah, nuclear scientist
* Abu Sadat Mohammad Sayem, 6th President of Bangladesh, first chief justice of Bangladesh
* Sajeeb Wazed Joy, Bangladeshi houng global leader, ICT consultant and political campaigner
* G M Quader, Bangladeshi politician, the former Minister of Commerce and former Minister of Civil Aviation
* Nasir Hossain, Bangladeshi all-round cricketer
* Ahmed Hossain, Chairman Rangpur District Board and Minister for Agriculture, Forest and Fisheries (Undivided Bengal)
* General Mustafizur Rahman, former Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army
* Mustafa Kamal, former Chief Justice of Bangladesh and chairman of Law Commission of Bangladesh.
* Sharif Imam, husband of Shahid Janani Jahanara Imam
* Jahanara Imam, Bangladeshi writer and political activist
* Abbasuddin Ahmed, prominent Bhawaiya singer
* Rathindranath Roy, founder of Bhawaiya academy and singer
* Ferdausi Rahman, folk singer
* Hassan Mahmood Khandker, Bangladeshi former Inspector General of Bangladesh Police
* Mohammad Nurul Islam, former governor of Bangladesh Bank
* Mishrat Jahan Moushumi, women's footballer, Bangladesh Women's National Team
* Mosammat Sirat Jahan Shopna, women's footballer, Bangladesh women's national team
* Akbar Ali, Bangladeshi U-19 captain
* Shantanu Moitra,Score composer,musician and pianist
* H. N. Ashequr Rahman, Bangladeshi MP, Awami League Five time selected central Treasurer of Awami League.

## Members of tenth Jatiyo Sangsad

The members of the national parliament are:
* Rangpur-1:Mashiur Rahaman Ranga Bangladeshi MP and Jatiya Party leader
* Rangpur-2: Abul Kalam Md. Ahasanul Hoque Chowdhury [from Awami League].
* Rangpur-3: Saad Ershad, [from Jatiya Party].
* Rangpur-4: Tipu Munshi, Current Minister of Commerce of Bangladesh, former president BGMEA, Awami League politician
* Rangpur-5: H. N. Ashequr Rahman, Bangladeshi MP, Awami League ,Five time selected central Treasurer of the Bangladesh Awami League. He is the chairman of Meghna Bank Limited and member of Board of Trustees, East West university.
* Rangpur-6: Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, [from Awami League].