Administrative geography of Bangladesh

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Subdivisions of Bangladesh
বাংলাদেশের প্রশাসনিক অঞ্চল
LocationBangladesh.svg
Location Bangladesh
Subdivisions

Bangladesh is divided into 8 divisions (bibhag) and 64 districts (jela, zila, zela), although these have only a limited role in public policy. For the purposes of local government, the country is divided into upazilas (sub-districts), "municipalities" or town councils (pourashova), city corporations (i.e. metropolitan municipal corporations) and union councils (i.e. rural councils). The diagram below outlines the five tiers of government in Bangladesh.

Contents

Government Seal of Bangladesh.svg
Central government
8 Divisions
64 Districts
("zila")
495 Sub-Districts
("upazila")
4,571 Union Councils
(Rural area)
330 Municipalities
(Towns)
12 City Corporations
(Metropolis)
Villages Municipal Wards City Wards

Regions

Regions of Bangladesh:

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Northern Bengal

Southern Bengal

Central Bengal

Eastern Bengal Regions of Bangladesh.png
Regions of Bangladesh:
 Northern Bengal
 Southern Bengal
 Central Bengal
 Eastern Bengal

Traditionally Bangladesh is divided between four regions by the fertile Ganges-Brahmaputra delta; [2] formed by the confluence of the Ganges (local name Padma or Pôdda), Brahmaputra (Jamuna or Jomuna), and Meghna rivers and their respective tributaries.

Divisions

Divisions of Bangladesh Bangladesh divisions english.svg
Divisions of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is divided into eight major administrative divisions. Each division is named after the major city within its jurisdiction that serves as the administrative capital of that division:

Proposed divisions

Districts

Districts of Bangladesh BD Map admin.svg
Districts of Bangladesh

The divisions are divided into 64 districts. [11] Each district is run by a Deputy Commissioner (popularly abbreviated to "DC") who is appointed by the government from a Deputy secretary of BCS Administration Cadre.

DivisionDistrictsName of Districts
Barishal 6 Barguna, Barishal, Bhola, Jhalokati, Patuakhali, Pirojpur
Chattogram 11 Bandarban, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chattogram, Cumilla, Cox's Bazar, Feni, Khagrachari, Lakshmipur, Noakhali, Rangamati
Dhaka 13 Dhaka, Faridpur, Gazipur, Gopalganj, Kishoreganj, Madaripur, Manikganj, Munshiganj, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Rajbari, Shariatpur, Tangail
Khulna 10 Bagerhat, Chuadanga, Jashore, Jhenaidah, Khulna, Kushtia, Magura, Meherpur, Narail, Satkhira
Mymensingh 4 Jamalpur, Mymensingh, Netrokona, Sherpur
Rajshahi 8 Bogura, Jaipurhat, Naogaon, Natore, Nawabganj, Pabna, Rajshahi, Sirajganj
Rangpur 8 Dinajpur, Gaibandha, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Nilphamari, Panchagarh, Rangpur, Thakurgaon
Sylhet 4 Habiganj, Moulvibazar, Sunamganj, Sylhet

Upazilas

Subdistricts of Bangladesh, divided by white lines Bangladesh subdistricts.png
Subdistricts of Bangladesh, divided by white lines

The districts are divided into sub-districts called upazilas. Upazilas are similar to the county subdivisions found in some Western countries.[ citation needed ] Bangladesh has 495 upazilas (as of 31 August 2021). [12] [13] [14] The upazilas are the second lowest tier of regional administration in Bangladesh. Like India, City corporations do not fit neatly into upazilas, despite some deemed as "sadar", indicating urban characteristics.

Upazilas were formerly known as thana which literally means police station. Despite the meaning, thanas functioned much as an administrative and geographic region, much as today's upazilas. In 1982 thanas were re-termed to as upazilas with provisions for semi-autonomous local governance. This system was reverted to the thana system in 1992. Later in 1999 geographic regions under administrations of thanas were converted into upazilas. [15] All administrative terms in this level were renamed from thana to upazila. For instance, Thana Nirbahi Officer (lit. Thana Executive Officer) was renamed to upazila Nirbahi Officer (lit. Upazila Executive Officer). The word thana is now used to solely refer to police stations. Generally, there is one police station for each upazila; but larger administrative units may have more than one police station covering different regions.

The upazila is administered by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and upazila parishad. UNOs are Senior Assistant Secretary of Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS). Each upazila parishad (or council) has a chairman, a vice-chairman and a woman vice-chairman. All three are elected through direct popular election.

The sub-districts are further subdivided into 4,571 Rural Councils and 330 Town Councils or Paurasabha or Municipality.

Rural blocks, cities and towns

City corporations

The cities with a city corporation, having mayoral elections, include Dhaka South, Dhaka North, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Rajshahi, Barisal, Rangpur, Comilla, Narayanganj, Mymensingh and Gazipur. The city corporation are divided into wards, which are further divided into mahallas. Direct elections are held for each ward, electing a councillor. The city mayors are elected for a span of five years.

Municipal corporations

In the metropolitan areas, excluding the cities with city corporations, have municipal corporations, also known as Paurasabha. Paurasabhas are divided into wards, which are further divided into Mauzas and Mahallas. Direct elections are held for each ward, electing a chairperson and a number of members. The municipal heads are elected for a span of five years.

Union councils

Union councils (or union parishads or unions) are the smallest rural administrative and local government units in Bangladesh. [16] Each Union is made up of nine Wards. Usually one village is designated as a Ward. There are 4,571 Unions in Bangladesh. [1] A Union Council consists of a chairman and twelve members including three members exclusively reserved for women. Union Parishads are formed under the Local Government (Union Parishads) Act, 2009. [17] The boundary of each Union is demarcated by the Deputy Commissioner of the District. A Union Council is the body primarily responsible for agricultural, industrial and community development within the local limits of the union.

Lowest level elective units

Rural villages

City and municipal wards

Non–elective ceremonial units

Mahallas

Mouzas

Historical administrative divisions

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Divisions of Bangladesh</span> First-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh

Divisions are the first-level administrative divisions in Bangladesh. As of 2023, there are eight divisions of Bangladesh, each named after the major city within its jurisdiction that also serves as the administrative seat of that division. Each division is divided into several districts which are further subdivided into upazilas, then union councils.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dhaka Division</span> Administrative division of Bangladesh

Dhaka Division is an administrative division within Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of the Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains a population magnet, covers an area of 20,508.8 km2 with a population in excess of 44 million, growing at 1.94% rate since prior count, compared with national average of 1.22%. However, national figures may include data skewing expatriation of male labor force as gender ratio is skewed towards females.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mymensingh District</span> District of Bangladesh in Mymensingh Division

Mymensingh is a district in Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh, and is bordered on the north by Meghalaya, a state of India and the Garo Hills, on the south by Gazipur District, on the east by the districts of Netrokona and Kishoreganj, and on the west by the districts of Sherpur, Jamalpur and Tangail. Mymensingh is the 8th administrative divisional headquarter and 12th city corporation of Bangladesh. According to Ministry of Public Administration, Mymensingh is ranked 4th in district status. The density of Mymensingh city is 44,458/km2 which is the second most densely populated city in Bangladesh. Mymensingh attracts 25 percent of health tourists visiting Bangladesh. Once known as the largest district of the Indian subcontinent. Mymensingh town is the district headquarters. Mymensingh had the largest economy in the nation until Mohokuma Tangail rebelled and took over more than one-third of its land by the support of Pakistan's dictatorship.

<i>Upazila</i> Third-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh

An upazila, formerly called thana, is an administrative division in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a borough of Western countries. Rural upazilas are further administratively divided into union council areas.

Hizla is the largest upazila (sub-district) of southern Bangladesh's Barisal District.

Nangalkot is an upazila, an administrative unit, of the Comilla District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. It is a rural area with no urban settlements. It has 16 unions, the lowest of administrative units in Bangladesh. It is one of the 16 upazilas, the second tier of administrative units, of the Cumilla District.

Baniachong is an upazila of Habiganj District in the Division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. Village Baniyachong is the biggest and the most populous village in Asia.

Madhabpur is an upazila (sub-district) of Habiganj District, located in Bangladesh's Sylhet Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagannathpur Upazila</span> Upazila of Bangladesh

Jagannathpur is an upazila located in the southeast of the district of Sunamganj and in the middle of the division of Sylhet, Bangladesh. It is bordered by Chhatak and Dakshin Sunamganj to the north, Bishwanath and Osmani Nagar to the east, Derai to the west, and Nabiganj to the south.

Ullapara is an upazila in Sirajganj District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. It is known as the gateway to North Bengal, since the Dhaka-Rangpur and Dhaka-Rajshahi highways intersect at Hatikumrul in Ullapara.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Bangladesh</span> Languages of a geographic region

The national language and official language of Bangladesh is Bangla according to the third article of the Constitution of Bangladesh. The second most spoken language in Bangladesh is claimed to be Burmese which is spoken by the Marma tribe in Chittagong Hill districts as the districts border Myanmar; it is also spoken by the Rohingya people. Almost 99% of Bangladeshis speak Bengali as their first language. Bengali Language Implementation Act, 1987 made it mandatory to use Bengali in all government affairs except in the cases of foreign relations. According to a 2022 census, Bengali is predominantly spoken by 99% of the country's population and it also serves as the national language of the nation. The indigenous people of northern and southeastern Bangladesh speak a variety of native languages. Bangladesh has 44 indigenous languages according to Professor Shameem Reza.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of Bangladesh</span> Overview of and topical guide to Bangladesh

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Bangladesh:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Military plans of the Bangladesh Liberation War</span>

Prior to Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, India had no plans for large scale military action in East Pakistan. Since the Sino-Indian War of 1962, the primary objective of the Indian Army Eastern Command was the defence of the Indian northern and eastern borders, defending the "Shiliguri Corridor", and on combating insurgencies raging in Mizoram, Nagaland, Manipur and the Naxalites in West Bengal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Districts of Bangladesh</span> Second-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh

The divisions of Bangladesh are divided into 64 districts or zila. The headquarters of a district is called a district seat. The districts are further subdivided into 495 subdistricts or upazilas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Local government in Bangladesh</span>

There are 8 divisions and 64 districts in Bangladesh, each district further subdivided into upazila. The area within each subdistrict, except for those in metropolitan areas, is divided into several unions, with each union consisting of multiple villages. Direct elections are held for each union, electing a chairperson and a number of members. In 1997, a parliamentary act was passed to reserve three seats in every union for female candidates. Following elections in the 2014–16 period, 25.2% of councillors were women, up from 23.4% in the 2011–13 period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives</span> Government ministry of Bangladesh

The Ministry of Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives is a ministry of the government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. It is responsible for the housing and building, regional and rural policy, municipal and cities administration and finances, and the conduct of elections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board</span>

The Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board or BREB, is government organization in Dhaka, Bangladesh and is responsible for rural electrification. It is the largest power distribution organization in Bangladesh. BREB has brought all the 461 upazilas on grid under 100% electrification. Md Selim Uddin, an additional secretary is the present chairman of the board.

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