Rajshahi Division

Rajshahi Division
রাজশাহী বিভাগ
Varendra
Division of Bangladesh
Clockwise from the top:
Somapura Mahavihara, Choto Sona Mosque, Jamuna Bridge, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant & Hardinge Bridge, Uttara Ganabhaban and Gokul Medh
Nickname: 
Land of Zamindars
Coordinates: 25°00′N 89°00′E / 25.000°N 89.000°E / 25.000; 89.000
Country Bangladesh
Established1829
Capital
and largest city		Rajshahi
Government
 • Divisional CommissionerDr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir[1]
 • Deputy Inspector General (DIG)Md. Alamgir Rahman
 • Parliamentary constituencyJatiya Sangsad (39 seats)
Area
18,174.4 km2 (7,017.2 sq mi)
Population
 (2022)[2]
20,353,116 (Enumerated)
 • Urban
[2]
4,840,396
 • Rural
[2]
15,511,404
 • Metro
[2]
553,241
 • Adjusted Population[2]
20,794,019
Languages
 • Official languageBengali[3]
 • Indigenous minority languages
List[4]
Time zoneUTC+6 (BST)
ISO 3166 codeBD-E
HDI (2017)0.602[5]
medium
Notable sport teamsRajshahi Kings, Rajshahi Division
Websiterajshahidiv.gov.bd

Rajshahi Division (Bengali: রাজশাহী বিভাগ) is one of the eight first-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of 18,174.4 square kilometres (7,017.2 sq mi)[6] and a population at the 2022 Census of 20,353,119.[7] Rajshahi Division consists of 8 districts, 70 Upazilas (the next lower administrative tier) and 1,092 Unions (the lowest administrative tier).

The region has historically been dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars.[8] Formerly comprising 16 districts, a new division (Rangpur Division) was formed with the 8 northern districts of the old Rajshahi Division from early 2010.[6]

  1. ^ "List of Divisional Commissioners".
  2. ^ a b c d e National Report (PDF). Population and Housing Census 2022. Vol. 1. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023. p. 386. ISBN 978-9844752016.
  3. ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh". Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
  4. ^ "Bangladesh". Ethnologue. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
  5. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
  6. ^ a b Sajahan Miah (2012). "Rajshahi Division". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 21 November 2024.
  7. ^ "Population Census 2011: National Volume-1: Analytical Report" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. p. 199. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
  8. ^ Encyclopedia of Bangladesh pp 6