Shibganj Upazila () is an

upazila An ''upazila'' ( pronounced: ), 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 ...

of Bogra District in the Division of

Rajshahi Rajshahi (, ) is a metropolis, metropolitan city and a major Urban area, urban, administrative, commercial and educational centre of Bangladesh. It is also the administrative seat of the eponymous Rajshahi Division, division and Rajshahi Distr ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. The upazila was created in 1983. It is named after its administrative center, the town of Shibganj.

Geography

Shibganj Upazila has a total area of . It is the northernmost upazila of Bogra District. It borders

Rangpur Division Rangpur Division (; ; ) is a first-level Divisions of Bangladesh, administrative division of Bangladesh. It covers the northernmost part of the country with a population of about 18 million inhabitants within an area of . Rangpur Division shar ...

to the north, Sonatala and Gabtali upazilas to the east, Bogra Sadar and Kahaloo upazilas to the south, Dupchanchia Upazila to the southwest, and

Joypurhat District Joypurhat District () is a List of districts of Bangladesh, district in northern Bangladesh, and part of Rajshahi Division. Etymology Prior to the coming of the Chilahati–Parbatipur–Santahar–Darshana line, Calcutta–Jalpaiguri railway line ...

to the west. The

Karatoya River Karatoya River (also spelt Korotoa River) is a small stream in Rajshahi Division of Bangladesh. Etymology The name of the river is a combination of two Sanskrit words ''kar'' (hand) and ''toa'' (water). Course The Karatoya, known as the Phuljh ...

flows south through the upazila.

Demographics

According to the

2011 Census of Bangladesh In 2011, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted a national census in Bangladesh, which provided a provisional estimate of the total population of the country as 142,319,000. The previous decennial census was the 2001 census. Data were r ...

, Shibganj Upazila had 99,242 households and a population of 378,700. 74,741 (19.74%) were under 10 years of age. Shibganj had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 44.09%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 989 females per 1000 males. 21,643 (5.72%) lived in urban areas.

Points of interest

Mahasthangarh Mahasthangarh is the earliest urban archaeological sites discovered thus far in Bangladesh. The village Mahasthan in Shibganj upazila of Bogra District contains the remains of an ancient city which was called Pundranagara or Paundravardha ...

is the earliest urban archaeological site in Bangladesh. It's also the largest. The citadel covers more than , and many more mounds are spread over the surrounding on the west bank of the Karatoya River. Lonely Planet describes it as one of Bangladesh's two "most famous and impressive archaeological sites." A museum exhibits artifacts excavated at the site: sculptures, inscriptions, terracotta plaques depicting scenes from daily life, beads, coins, and ceramics shards.

Administration

Shibganj Upazila is divided into Shibganj Municipality and 12 union parishads: Shibganj, Bihar, Roynagar, Buriganj, Majhihatta, Pirab, Atmul, Kichak, Maidanhata, Deuli, Mokamtala, and Saidpur. The union parishads are subdivided into 233 mauzas and 409 villages. Shibganj Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 31 mahallas.

Education

There are seven colleges in the upazila. They include Mohasthan Mahi Sawar Degree College, Mokamtala Women's Degree College, Pirob United Degree College, Chowdhury Adarsha Mahila College and Govt. M H College, founded in 1972. The madrasa education system in the upazila includes five fazil madrasas.

Notable residents

* Prafulla Chaki, revolutionary and nationalist, was born in Bihar village under the upazila in 1888. * Mahmudur Rahman Manna, politician, stood as a

Bangladesh Awami League The Awami League, officially known as Bangladesh Awami League, is a major List of political parties in Bangladesh, political party in Bangladesh. The oldest existing political party in the country, the party played the leading role in achievin ...

candidate for the Bogra-2 constituency in the general election of 2001. However, he lost the poll. * M. R. Akhtar Mukul, author and journalist, migrated to Mahasthangarh after partition in 1947.

References

{{Upazilas of Rajshahi Division Upazilas of Bogra District