Tangail
Tangail (, ), formerly Arail, is a major city within the Dhaka Division in central Bangladesh. It sits on the bank of the Louhajang River, north-west of Dhaka, the nation's capital. It is considered to be the main urban area of the Tangail District, and is the 13th-largest city by population in Bangladesh. Etymology. The name "Tangail" is thought to originate from the Bengali word "tanga", meaning horse carts; long lines of horse carts were common in the area in the early 19th century, as these were the favored mode of transport for passengers and cargo. History. Tangail  has been a popular local business center since the early 19th century. In 1860, Tangail became the central area of the Greater Mymensingh region due to its fertile land and high elevation near the Louhajong River.Until 1969, Tangail was part of Greater Mymensingh. Tangail was made a separate district due to suppress Mymensingh District's dominion. Before partition of 6 Upazila incident Mymensingh District's economic growth was higher than the capital Dhaka. The Tangail Airdrop was a successful battalion-size Para Commandos (India) operation mounted on 11 December 1971 by the 2nd Battalion (Special Operations) (2 PARA) of  the Indian Army's Parachute Regiment during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh. The main objective of the operation was the capture of Poongli Bridge on the Jamuna River which would cut off the Pakistani 93rd Brigade which was retreating from Mymensingh in the north to defend the capital of East Pakistan, Dhaka, and its approaches. The paratroop unit was also tasked to link up with the advancing Maratha Light Infantry on the ground to advance towards the East Pakistani capital. The Pourasabha (municipal corporation) was established on July 1, 1887, and originally divided the  city into five wards: This was later restructured to four wards - Ward No. 1 (Central), 2 (Betka), 3 (Dighulia) and 4 (Santosh) - and then, in 1988, to six wards with the addition of Wards 5 (Zila Sadar) and 6 (Kazipur). The first city election was held in November 1887 where eight ward commissioners from four wards were elected by the citizens. The Subdivision Commissioner of Tangail, Shashi Shekhar Dutt, was appointed as the first administrator of Tangail city. The city was poorly developed with a lack of paved roads and roadside lamps; subsequently, the regional zamindars and subdivision board provided  financial support to dig ponds, lakes, and canals, which created a safe water supply. In the early 1900s, the Pourashava installed kerosene roadside lamps. The Pourashava gradually became populated in the first half of the 20th century. During this time, many tube wells were set up in the city and the main modes of transportation were horsecars and cattle. Electricity was established in the city in the early 1930s. Paved roads were constructed in the 1960s, connecting the city to Dhaka. Simultaneously, bridges and culverts were installed. In 1985, Tangail was promoted from a "C Class" city to a "B  Class" city. In 1989, the Pourashava was promoted to "A-Class". In the 1990s, the city was financed by the Asian Development Bank and the Government of Bangladesh to develop water supply, sanitation, wastewater drainage, bus terminals, supermarkets, and other infrastructure. In 1999, the city was restructured again into 18 wards (its current organization). Wards. Tangail has an area of , divided into 18 wards and 64 mahallas. The Bangladeshi government is planning to expand the city to a total area of 81.75 km. Geography And Climate. The city of Tangail is located in Dhaka Division, Central Bangladesh. The city lies  in a low-lying floodplain plain area near Jamuna River, south of the high plateau of Madhupur tract. The average elevation of Tangail is 14 meters (49 feet). Tangail experiences a Tropical savanna climate "(Köppen: Aw )" with hot, humid tropical Wet season (Monsson Season) and warm, dry Winter, with high humid condition year-round. The yearly average temperature in Tangail is 27.5 °C and average rainfall is 1817 mm. Demographics. Tangail had 700000 residents as of 2017. The majority of this population are Muslim (88.2%), like most of the cities in Bangladesh. Other religious groups include Hindus (11.7%), Christians  (0.08%) and Buddhists (0.02%). Sports. In the centre of the city, Tangail Stadium hosts the city's most important sporting events. The stadium has hosted national events. It is the home venue of Bangladesh Football Premier League club Team BJMC. It was converted into a cricket stadium in 2015 and regularly hosts First Division Cricket. Transport. Bangabandhu Bridge, the longest bridge in Bangladesh, connects Tangail and Sirajganj. It takes approximately 1 hour and 55 minutes to reach Tangail from Dhaka (about 98 km away), via Kaliakair and Tongi. Several bus lines operate between Tangail and Dhaka's Mohakhali (মহাখালী) bus  terminal. Among them are the Nirala, Dhaleshwari, Jathika, and High Choice bus lines. Tangail railway station offers travel to Dhaka and other cities within Bangladesh. The inter-city Ekota Express, Sundarban Express and Rangpur Express (amongst others) serve the station alongside commuter rail and mail train services. Tangail Airport was opened in 1967 for agricultural purposes but has been unmaintained since 1976. Parks. Tangail contains numerous parks, including Tangail Poura Uddan (one of the city's most-visited places), SP Park and DC Lake and Soul park Garinda. The city also contains part of the Madhupur National Park, one of  Bangladesh's oldest national parks. Education. The literacy rate of the city area is 71.8%. He was a famous educationist. He established about 38 schools and colleges. He is a founder member of University of Dhaka, He was the first Muslim minister of united bengal. For his contribution in education he was given the office of education ministry.