Barisal District

Barisal District, officially spelled Barishal District from April 2018, is a district in south-central Bangladesh, formerly called Bakerganj district, established in 1797. Its headquarters are in the city of Barisal, which is also the headquarters of Barisal Division.
History
Barisal District traces its origins to Bakerganj district which was established in 1797. It was placed in Barisal Division on 1 January 1993.
Education
Notable educational institutions in Barisal include
Sher-e-Bangla Medical College
University of Barisal
Barisal Engineering College
Barisal Cadet College
Govt. B M College
Brajamohan school, Govt. Barisal College
Govt. Hatem Ali College
Govt. Woman's College
Barisal Polytechnic Institute
Govt. Fazlul Huq College
Barisal Technical School and College
A. Karim Ideal College, and Ideal Cadet School & College
Patuakhali Science and Technology University (Barisal campus)
Govt. Shere Bangla College
Govt. Gouronodi University College
Govt. Fazlul Haque College, Chakhar
Amrito Lal day College
Demographics
According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Barisal District had 629,842 households and a population of 2,570,450, 30.2% of whom lived in urban areas. The population density was 923 people per km2. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 79.6%, compared to the national average of 74.7%.
Religion
Islam is the predominant religion in the district with a large Hindu population. Historically, the Barisal region has seen one of the highest concentration of Hindus since the area had been part of the British Raj, through the rule of East Pakistan and subsequently after the independence of Bangladesh. However, since Partition Hindus have been fleeing the district in large numbers. Among the 10 upazilas of the district, the Agailjhara Upazila has the highest percentage share of Hindus at 42 per cent, while the Muladi Upazila has the lowest at just 1.8 per cent, according to the 2011 Bangladesh census.
Overall, minority populations have seen a steep drop in their share of the total population, as well as a fall in their absolute numbers in Barisal district. The trend is similar to other districts in the wider Barisal division.
Subdivisions
Barisal District is divided into the following Upazilas (formerly called Thanas):
Agailjhara Upazila
Babuganj Upazila
Bakerganj Upazila
Banaripara Upazila
Barisal Sadar Upazila
Gournadi Upazila
Hizla Upazila
Mehendiganj Upazila
Muladi Upazila
Wazirpur Upazila
Notable personalities
A. K. Fazlul Huq politician, Chief Minister of undivided Bengal & Governor of erstwhile East Pakistan
Abdul Wahab Khan, 3rd Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan
Abdur Rahman Biswas, politician, President of Bangladesh
Anil Biswas, music director composer of Bollywood.
Aroj Ali Matubbar, philosopher
Mahanambrata Brahmachari, Hindu saint
Kanai Chatterjee, Bengali Maoist leader
Abdul Gaffar Choudhury, journalist, who wrote Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano to mark the Bengali Language Movement
Altaf Mahmud, music director & lyrician, who composed Amar Bhaier Rokte Rangano
Ghatak Pakhi Bhai, Bangladeshi Matchmaker
Jibanananda Das, poet of Ruposi Bangla
Kusumkumari Das, poet and mother of Jibanananda Das
Aswini Kumar Dutta, social worker, Founder of BM College
Brajamohan Dutta, Bengali philanthropist and social worker
Hayat Mahmud, feudal lord, military commander and founder of Miah Bari Mosque
Mohiuddin Jahangir, officer in Sector 7 of the Muktibahini(1971). The highest recognition of bravery in Bangladesh, Bir Sreshtho.
Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy
Shamsuddin Abul Kalam, Bangladeshi novelist
Sufia Kamal, female romantic poet of Bangladesh
Mahapran Jogendra Nath Mandal, Dalit leader and first Minister of Law and Labour in Pakistan
Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah, founder editor of The Daily Ittefaq
Hanif Sanket, television host, writer, producer
Mosharraf Karim, Bangladeshi actor from Gaurnadi Upazila, TV actor
Mohammad Abdul Jalil, sector commander in the war of 1971
Kamrul Islam Rabbi cricketer
Yeasin Khan footballer
Pran Ranjan Sengupta, mathematician and scientist
Notes
References
Districts of Bangladesh
Districts of Bangladesh established before 1971