Divisions of Bangladesh
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The administration of Bangladesh is divided into eight major regions called divisions (Bengali: বিভাগ bibhag). Each division is named after the major city within its jurisdiction that also serves as the administrative headquarters of that division. Each division is further split into several districts (Bengali: জেলা jela) which are then further sub-divided into Upazilas.
History
Following the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, the country had four divisions: Chittagong Division, Dacca Division, Khulna Division and Rajshahi Division. In 1983, the English spelling of the Dacca Division (along with the name of the capital city) was changed into Dhaka to more closely match the Bengali pronunciation. In 1993, Barisal Division was split off from Khulna Division; in 1998, Sylhet Division was split off from Chittagong Division; and in 2010 (25 January), Rangpur Division was split off from Rajshahi Division, this latest creation consisting of the Rangpur and Dinajpur areas. In terms of area the newly formed Rangpur Division ranked fifth followed by Barisal and Sylhet division.[1] In 2015 there started process to create three more divisions.
Overview of divisions
The following table outlines some key statistics about the seven divisions of Bangladesh as found in the 2011 Population and Housing Census conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
| Division | Bengali | Population [2] | Area (km2)[2] | Population density 2011 (people/km2)[2] |
Sex ratio (males per 100 females)[2] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | 2001 | 2011 (census) | |||||
| Barisal Division | বরিশাল | 7,462,643 | 8,173,718 | 8,325,666 | 13,225.20 | 613 | 96.8 |
| Chittagong Division | চট্টগ্রাম | 20,522,908 | 24,290,384 | 28,423,019 | 33,908.55 | 831 | 96.1 |
| Dhaka Division | ঢাকা | 32,665,975 | 39,044,716 | 36,054,418 | 20,593.74 | 1,751 | - |
| Khulna Division | খুলনা | 12,688,383 | 14,705,223 | 15,687,759 | 22,284.22 | 699 | 100 |
| Rajshahi Division | রাজশাহী | 14,212,065 | 16,354,723 | 18,484,858 | 18,153.08 | 1,007 | 100.4 |
| Rangpur Division | রংপুর | 11,997,979 | 13,847,150 | 15,787,758 | 16,184.99 | 960 | 99.8 |
| Mymensingh Division | ময়মনসিংহ | 8,701,186 | 9,864,665 | 11,370,000 | 10,584.06 | 1,074 | - |
| Sylhet Division | সিলেট | 6,765,039 | 7,939,343 | 9,910,219 | 12,635.22 | 779 | 99.1 |
| Totals | 08 | 106,314,992 | 124,355,263 | 149,772,364 | 147,569.06 | 964 | |
Proposed divisions
Three more divisions have been proposed to ease down administrative work load due to population increase:[3][4][5]
- Comilla Division (কুমিল্লা Comilla) - proposed to consist six northwestern districts of the existing Chittagong Division, formerly known as Comilla Region.
- Faridpur Division (ফরিদপুর SHABAB Faridpur) - proposed to consist five southern districts of the existing Dhaka Division; and
See also
- Divisions of Pakistan
- ISO 3166 codes
- Districts of Bangladesh
- Upazilas of Bangladesh
- Villages of Bangladesh
References
- ^ "Divisions of Bangladesh". Retrieved 17 January 2014.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b c d "2011 Population & Housing Census: Preliminary Results" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 12 January 2012.
- ^ "3 new divisions to be formed". Retrieved 15 February 2015.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "ময়মনসিংহ বিভাগ গঠনে কাজ শুরুর নির্দেশ প্রধানমন্ত্রীর". Retrieved 26 January 2015.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ "Mymensingh to become new division". Retrieved 26 January 2015.
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