Khulna
Khulna (, ) is the third largest city in Bangladesh after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is the administrative territory of Khulna District and Khulna Division. The economy of Khulna is the third largest in the People's Republic of Bangladesh, contributing $53 billion in nominal gross state product, and $95 billion in purchasing power parity (PPP) terms as of 2020. In the 2011 census, the city had a population of 663,342. Khulna is located on the bank of the Rupsha and Bhairab Rivers. A centre of Bangladeshi industry, it hosts many national companies. Khulna is served by Port of  Mongla (the second-largest seaport in the country), and is one of two principal naval-command centres hosting the Bangladesh Navy. The navy base BNS Titumir is in the city. A colonial steamboat service, including the "Tern", "Osrich" and "Lepcha", continues to operate on the river route to the city. Khulna is considered the gateway to the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and home of the Royal Bengal tiger. It is north of the Mosque City of Bagerhat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. History. Khulna was part of the ancient kingdoms of Vanga and Samatata. It became a  part of the Sena dynasty during the 12th century reign of Ballala Sena, and formed part of the Bagri division of Bengal. The region was previous known as Jahanabad. During the 14th century, Shamsuddin Firoz Shah was the first Muslim ruler to arrive in the city. Muslim settlements increased during the time of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, and many mosques and shrines were established. A Muslim saint, Khan Jahan Ali, acquired a "jagir" (fiefdom) with a large portion of the Khulna Division from the king of Gauḍa during the 15th century. Ali exercised the full rights of sovereignty until his death  in 1459. After Ali's death, the city again became a part of the Sultanate of Bengal. During the reign of Daud Khan Karrani in the 16th century, Vikramaditya (one of Karrani's chief ministers) obtained a grant in southern Bengal—including Khulna—when Karrani was fighting the Mughals. Vikramaditya established a sovereign kingdom with its capital at Iswaripur (currently in Jessore District). He was succeeded by his son, Pratapaditya, who gained preeminence over the Baro-Bhuyans and controlled southern Bengal. Vikramaditya was defeated by Raja Man Singh I, a Hindu Rajput general of the Mughal emperor Akbar in 1611 . Khulna remained under the rule of autonomous "nawabs" (rulers) of Bengal until 1793, when the British East India Company abolished "nizamat" (local rule) and took control of the city. The city became a part of Jessore District in 1842, and became the headquarters of Khulna District (the Khulna and Bagerhat subdivisions of Jessore district, the Satkhira subdivision of 24 Parganas district, and the Sundarbans) in 1882. Khulna had a "pouroshava" (municipal council) in 1884, which became a municipal corporation in 1984. Before 19 August 1947, Khulna district was a part of undivided Bengal. Khulna first declared as a part of  India in 1947, and the Indian flag was flown on 15 August. Syed Mohammad Abdul Halim an official of then Bengal civil service wrote the memorandum and send it to the boundary commission to include Khulna in Pakistan, the boundary commission declared khulna under the east Bengal province. Sher e Bangla A.K.Fazlul Haq, Hamidul Haq Chowdhur, Muslim League leaders Khan A.Sabue, Abdul Mojid Khan, Advocate Hamidul Haq Chowdhury also involved in this process. The Pakistan government awarded later Syed md Abdul Halim as TQA for this but, he left the title in 1971. He died in his native village Bonomalidia , Modhukhal district, Faridpur in 1 September, 1999, and was buried in Banan Dhaka graveyard. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Pakistan Army created 314th ad hoc brigade to hold on to Khulna. The Mukti Bahini fighters in Khulna were part of sector 8 under the command of Major Abu Osman Chowdhury, and later under Major Mohammad Abdul Monjur. Geography. Khulna is Bangladesh's third-largest city, after Dhaka and Chittagong. It is located in the south-western part of the country, on the Rupsha and Bhairab Rivers. It covers an area of ; the district covers . Khulna is south of Jessore and  Narail, east of Satkhira, west of Bagerhat and north of the Bay of Bengal. It is part of the Ganges Delta, the world's largest river delta. The Sundarban, the world's largest mangrove forest, is in the southern part of the delta. Tidal flat ecosystems also occur adjacent to the city. Khulna is in the northern part of the district, and the Mayur River is the western boundary of the metropolitan area. Climate. Under the Koppen climate classification, Khulna features a tropical wet and dry climate. The city is humid and hot during summer, and pleasant and warm during  winter. Khulna is significantly effected in the monsoon or rainy season. Khulna gets less rainfall compared with other parts of Bangladesh due to the geography and the effects of the largest mangrove forest in the world, The Sunderbans, located south of Khulna. Its annual average rainfall is , and about 87 percent falls between May and October. Furthermore, Khulna receives extreme rainfall from cyclones which are formed in the Bay of Bengal during some years. Khulna has an annual average temperature of , with monthly average temperatures from during January mornings to during April afternoons. Administration. Khulna Municipal Council was founded on  12 December 1884, and became a municipal corporation in 1984 and a city corporation in 1990. Khulna City Corporation is a self-governing corporation run by an elected mayor, who governs the city's 31 wards. Khulna Metropolitan Police (KMP) maintains law and order and regulates traffic flow in the metropolitan area. It has eight police stations: Khulna Kotwali Thana, Sonadanga Thana, Khalishpur Thana, Daulatpur Thana, Khan Jahan Ali Thana, Aarongghata Thana, Horintana Thana and Labonchora Thana. The Metropolitan Magistrate Court (CMM) adjudicates the city's legal issues. The Khulna Development Authority (KDA) plans and coordinates the city's development . Khulna Water Supply & Sewerage Authority (KWASA) parallels the KCC. Khulna has two parliamentary constituencies: Khulna-02 (Khulna Sadar Thana and Sonadanga Thana) and Khulna-03 (Khalishpur Thana, Daulatpur Thana and part of Khan Jahan Ali Thana). Khulna District and Khulna Division are headquartered in the city. Demographics. In the 2011 census, Khulna had a population of 663,342. The city and its metropolitan area had an estimated 2014 population of 1.022million. Its population density is about . The city's literacy rate is 59.1 percent, higher than the national average of 56.5 percent. Most of Khulna's population is Bengali, like the rest of  Bangladesh. Pure local residents of the city are known as Khulnaiya. Its population is also composed of people from neighboring districts and from Barisal and Faridpur Divisions. Many people from Noakhali District live in the city. Khulna also has a Bihari population. Most residents of Khulna speak Bengali (the national language, its dialects and regional languages). English is understood by a large segment of the population, especially for business. There is a minority Urdu-speaking population, descendants of Muslims displaced from eastern India in 1947 who sought refuge in East Bengal. Many of them can be seen in the Khalishpur  area of Khulna city. Islam is Khulna's major religion, practiced by 80.12 percent of the population. Other religions are Hinduism (19.11 percent), Christianity (0.67 percent) and Buddhism (0.04 percent). Economy. Khulna is the Bangladesh's third-largest economic centre. North of the Port of Mongla, it has a variety of light and heavy industry. Major sectors are jute, chemicals, fish and seafood packaging, food processing, sugar milling, power generation and shipbuilding. The KCCI regulates commerce through its Licensed Measurers' Department (LMD) and certification, attestation and publicity departments of this area. The region has an Export Processing Zone, which has  attracted foreign investment. The city is home to branch offices of a number of national companies, including M. M. Ispahani Limited, BEXIMCO, James Finlay Bangladesh, Summit Power and the Abul Khair Group. The largest companies based in the city include Khulna Shipyard, Bangladesh Cable Shilpa Limited, Bangladesh Oxygen, Platinum Jubilee Mills, Star Jute Mills and the Khulna Oxygen Company. The economy of Khulna is the third largest in the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, contributing $52 billion in nominal gross state product and $94 billion in purchasing power parity terms as of 2020. Transport. Road. Rickshaws are the most  popular means of public transport in Khulna for short trips, and auto rickshaws are also common. Nagar Paribahan buses have frequent service between Rupsha and Phultala, with stops throughout Khulna. Motorcycles are popular among the middle class, and wealthier people prefer a private car. The N7 highway connects Khulna with the rest of Bangladesh, and the Khulna City Bypass is a major road. The R760 connects Satkhira and western Khulna Districts. There are several nationwide bus services available in Khulna (most privately owned), and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation operates inter-district bus service from the city. Sonadanga Bus Terminal  is Khulna's main bus terminal. Major bus routes include Khulna-Jessore-Dhaka; Khulna-Goplaganj-Dhaka; Khulna-Jessore-Kushtia; Khulna-Satkhira; Khulna-Bagerhat; Khulna-Mongla; Khulna-Narail; Khulna-Barisal; Khulna-Rajshahi; Khulna-Faridpur; Khulna-Kuakata, and Khulna-Dhaka-Chittagong. Rail. Khulna railway station is the city's main station in the city. Bangladesh Railway operates six intercity trains: the Sundarban and Chitra Express (to Dhaka), the Kapotaksha and Sagardari Express (to Rajshahi), and the Rupsa Express and Seemanta Express to Chilahati. Two commuter express trains serve Benapole, in addition to mail trains to Parbatipur, Chapainawabganj and Goalanda. The international Bandhan  Express runs to Kolkata. There are four other railway stations in Khulna, and two more (in addition to the Rupsha Rail Bridge) are under construction as part of the Khulna–Mongla Port Railway project. They are Khulna Junction, Daulatpur College, Daulatpur and Shiromoni, Arongghata, Mohammadnagar. Air. There is a airport in Khulna which is almost 20kilometres near from the main city.It is named Khan Jahan Ali Airport which is under construction. Jessore Airport, which is situated 50 kilometres north from the city centre.Biman Bangladesh Airlines, US-Bangla Airlines, Novoair and other airlines have regular flights between Jessore and  Dhaka, with air-conditioned bus service from the airport to Khulna.Most of the annual passengers of Jashore Airport are from Khulna city. Water. Several passenger launches and cargo services operate from the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority Launch Terminal in Khulna, with express service to Dhaka. Education. Khulna has a number of educational institutions including the Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET). The Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET) is the only engineering university in Khulna, has been ranked in the 2019 edition of QS Asian University Rankings. Brajalal College, founded in 1902, is the city's oldest higher -education institution. It also has a general public university, named Khulna University which is the only public university in Bangladesh where student politics is prohibited. There is also an agriculture university, named Khulna Agricultural University (KAU) which had its first batch in 2018. The Khulna Medical College (KMC) and BL College are also in the city. North Western University, Bangladesh (NWU) and the Northern University of Business and Technology (NUBT) are private institutions. Sports. Cricket and football are the two most popular sports in Khulna, and the Khulna Division cricket team has its home ground in the city. Khulna's  Bangladesh Premier League Khulna Titans were formerly the Khulna Royal Bengals. The Khulna Abahani Club played in Bangladesh Football Premier League for several seasons before its relegation in the 2008–09 Bangladesh Premier League season. Sheikh Abu Naser Stadium, the city's only international sports venue (hosting test cricket, One Day International and Twenty20 International matches), became Bangladesh's seventh test-cricket venue on 21 November 2012; it also hosts several Bangladesh Premier League matches. Khulna District Stadium hosts other domestic sports and cultural events. Media. Some of the print media include: and the only English-language newspaper "Daily Tribune". Other  electronic media include: Radio Stations are Bangladesh Betar Khulna (106.5 MHz) Radio Today (89.6), Radio Foorti (88.0), and Radio Khulna FM (88.8). Tourism. The Sundarbans, in Khulna District, is home to the Bengal tiger and the world's largest virgin mangrove forest. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Mosque City of Bagerhat is a formerly-lost city in the suburbs of Bagerhat, about south-est of Khulna. It is also a World Heritage Site. Rabindra Complex is in the village of Dakkhindihi, from Khulna. The home of Rabindranath Tagore's father-in-law, Beni Madhab Roy Chowdhury, Tagore  visited it several times. The museum has been renovated and is administered by Bangladesh's Department of Archaeology. The Khulna Divisional Museum, founded in 1998, is the city's only museum. It was established by Bangladesh's Department of Archaeology.