Meherpur ( bn, মেহেরপুর, pron: ''meɦeɾpuɾ'') is the northwestern
district
A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
of
Khulna Division
The Khulna Division ( bn, খুলনা বিভাগ) is the second largest of the eight divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of and a population of 15,563,000 at the 2011 Bangladesh census (preliminary returns). Its headquarters and lar ...
in southwestern
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
. It is bordered by the Indian state of
West Bengal
West Bengal (, Bengali: ''Poshchim Bongo'', , abbr. WB) is a state in the eastern portion of India. It is situated along the Bay of Bengal, along with a population of over 91 million inhabitants within an area of . West Bengal is the fou ...
to the west, and by the Bangladeshi districts of
Kushtia and
Chuadanga
Chuadanga ( bn, চুয়াডাঙ্গা) is a prosperous city in the western part of Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous cou ...
to the east.
Pre-independence Meherpur was a subdivision of
Nadia district
Nadia () is a district in the state of West Bengal, India. It borders Bangladesh to the east, North 24 Parganas and Hooghly districts to the south, Purba Bardhaman to the west, and Murshidabad to the north.
Nadia district is highly influenti ...
.
The district has an area of .
History
According to
Ashraf Siddiqui, the district is named after the 16th century
dervish
Dervish, Darvesh, or Darwīsh (from fa, درویش, ''Darvīsh'') in Islam can refer broadly to members of a Sufi fraternity (''tariqah''), or more narrowly to a religious mendicant, who chose or accepted material poverty. The latter usage i ...
Meher Ali Shah.
The
Provisional Government of Bangladesh was formed and solemnly sworn in Meherpur's
Baidyanathtala village (later renamed as Mujibnagar), on 17 April 1971 under the leadership of
Tajuddin Ahmed
Tajuddin Ahmad ( bn, তাজউদ্দীন আহমদ; ; 23 July 1925 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and statesman. He led the Provisional Government of Bangladesh as its prime minister during the Bangladesh Liberatio ...
and
Syed Nazrul Islam
Syed Nazrul Islam ( bn, সৈয়দ নজরুল ইসলাম, Soiyod Nozrul Islam; 1925 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and a senior leader of the Awami League. During the Bangladesh Liberation War, he was declared a ...
. The entire Proclamation ceremony was organised by local leaders under the supervision of Momeen Chowdhury and MM Rustom Ali.
After that day on 18 April 1971, the
Pakistani Army
The Pakistan Army (, ) is the land service branch of the Pakistan Armed Forces. The roots of its modern existence trace back to the British Indian Army that ceased to exist following the Partition of British India, which occurred as a result ...
killed 8 people in Amjhupi village. Meherpur became a district in 1983.
Administration
Meherpur district is divided into three
upazila
An ''upazila'' ( bn, উপজেলা, upôzela, lit=sub-district pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative region in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a ...
s:
Gangni Upazila,
Meherpur Sadar Upazila and
Mujibnagar Upazila.
Demographics
According to the
2011 Bangladesh census, Meherpur District had a population of 655,392, of which 324,634 were males and 330,758 females. Rural population was 571,999 (87.28%) and urban population was 83,393 (12.72%). Meherpur had a literacy rate of 46.27% for the population 7 years and above: 46.87% for males and 45.69% for females.
Muslims formed 97.77% of the population, Hindus 1.20%, and Christians 1.01%. Other religions were 0.02%.
Economy
Main sources of income: Agriculture 68.95%, non-agricultural labourer 3.24%, industry 0.87%, commerce 13.83%, transport and communication 2.21%, service 3.81%, construction 1.03%, religious service 0.14%, rent and remittance 0.59% and others 5.33%.
See also
*
Mujibnagar Upazila
*
Districts of Bangladesh
References
Districts of Bangladesh
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