Jhalokati Sadar Upazila
Jhalakati Sadar (or Jhalokathi Sadar, ) is an upazila of Jhalokati District in the Division of Barisal, Bangladesh. Geography. Jhalakathi Sadar is located at . It has 36,504 households and a total area 204.48 km. Most of its people are literate. Demographics. According to the 1991 Bangladesh census, Jhalakati Sadar had a population of 195,619. Males comprised 51.13% of the population, and females 48.87%. The population aged 18 or over was 102,890. Jhalakati Sadar had an average literacy rate of 54.4% (7+ years), compared to the national average of 32.4%. Economy. Between 1940 and 1975, Jhalakati was famous  for the only automatic rice huller in the region owned by Shudhangshu Bhushan Das Son of Aswini Kumar Das. It was a thriving complex built on an area approximately 2 square kilometer. The smoke from the chimney served as a navigation landmark by passing steamers while the factory siren could be heard from as far as Barisal. After the company declared bankruptcy in 1975 their descendants eventually migrated to India and other parts of Bangladesh. The massive ruins of the factory can still be seen in the west Chandkati. The family lost its honour, assets and property due to the  partition of India and Pakistan leading to a dangerous military rule in east Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh) which initiated riots killing and displacing millions of Hindu bengalis from their homes to seek refuge in India. The zilla once popular due to the existence of this family and their business have now forgot the name 'Das'. Administration. Jhalakati Sadar Upazila is divided into Jhalakati Municipality and 10 union parishads: Basanda, Binoykati, Gabkhandhansiri, Gabharamchandrapur, Keora, Kirtipasha, Nabagram, Nathullabad, Ponabalia, and Sekherhat. The union parishads are subdivided into 158 mauzas and 190 villages. Jhalakati Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 47 mahallas . Education. There are six colleges in the upazila. They include Aklima Moazzem Hossain College, Hemayet Uddin Degree College, Jhalakathi Government College, founded in 1964, Jhalakathi Government Women's College, Shah Mahmudia College, and Sher-E-Bangla Fazlul Haque College. According to Banglapedia, Bowkathi Bindu Bashini High School, founded 1918, Jhalokati Government Girls' School (1919), Jhalakathi Government High School (1872), Kirtipasa Prosanna Kumar Secondary School (1903), Nathullabad High School (1923), Udbodhan Secondary School (1940) and Taruli Secondary School (1957) are notable secondary schools. The madrasa education system includes three fazil and one kamil madrasas. According to Banglapedia, Sarengal Nesaria Honainia Fazil  Madrasa, founded in 1974, is a notable Fazil madrasa.