Barisal City

Barisal City, বরিশাল Bariśāl, is an old port on the Kirtankhola on the northern shore of the Bay of Bengal in southern Bangladesh. It is now the divisional headquarter of the Barisal Division and consists of 30 wards and 50 mahallas. The area of the town is 19.99 km². Barisal municipality was established in 1957 and was turned into a City Corporation in 2000.

Barisal City has one police academy.

Durgasagar: with an area of about 2,500 hectare, is the largest pond or dighi of southern Bangladesh. It is located at Madhabpasa village of babuganj upazila, about 11 km away from barisal town. Locally it is known as Madhabpasha Dighi. According to a desire of Rani Durgavati, mother of Raja Joynarayan, the dighi was dug in 1780 (1187 BS). There are coconut trees around the dighi which together with the dighi are bounded by brick-walls. In the middle of the dighi, there is an island with bushes. Migratory birds usually come here during winter. The surrounding areas of the dighi has now been turned into a picnic spot.

Barisal is a rice producing center of Bangladesh. Balam (a kind of baasmati) is the most popular rice in Barisal. It is also famous for Betel Leaf, a typical south Asian chewing item. As Barisal is surrounded by river so fish is plenty in there.It is said..

"Dhan (paddy) nadi (river) Khal (canal) ai tine Barisal."

Means, paddy,river and canal this three thing makes Barisal.

Coconut is very common in there as it is a costal area. Hog Plum in Barisal is very famous.

Exports: Fish, medicine, bidi (local tobacco) and handicrafts.

Barisal was a semi-independent area in Mughal period because of heavy fighting between them and Hindu chiefs. In course of time, it fell under Bengal Nawabs and British India, later passed to Bangladesh.

Following the partition of India in 1947, the area of Bangladesh became a province of Pakistan, initially known as East Bengal, and then, from 1955, as East Pakistan. The people of East Pakistan Province declared their independence as the nation of Bangladesh on March 26, 1971, while fighting a savage war against the central Pakistani government. The separation from Pakistan took place, with extensive aid from India, on December 16, 1971 as a result of the third Indo-Pakistan War. Bangladesh was soon recognized by most other nations, although Pakistan withheld diplomatic recognition until 1974 and China did not recognize the nation until 1976. Bangladesh was admitted to the United Nations in 1974.

The central city of this region is the city of Barisal. It is one of the biggest river ports in Bangladesh. It is a city with nearly 0.38 million people and a divisional headquarter, medical college, cadet college, some pharmaceutical industries, textile industries and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's head office. Barisal is fast growing city of the country stands on the Kirtankhola River. Country's first short landing and take off airport has been completed in Barisal and a private Airlines named Air Bengal has begun its regular air flight between Dhaka Tejgaon Airport and Barisal.

The city is sometimes called the "Venice of the East" or the "Venice of Bengal".

Population

According to an estimate of 2008 Barisal has a population of 210,374; male 53.28%, female 46.72%. Literacy rate among the town people is 85%.

Population by Religion

Muslim 90.64%; Hindu 8.38% and Christian 0.98%.

Mosque: 130, church: 5

Temple: More than 200

Transport

Road: 200 km

Airport: 1

Port: Internal port

River is also a popular transport system with other district.The luxurious launch journey connects between the south and Dhaka city. It is one of the most enjoyable night journey ever you could get in your life. The launches are really royal, majestic and with pomp and 

Name of some Bus in Barisal route. 1. Eagle Paribahan 2. Sakura Paribahan 3. Druti Paribahan 4. Hanif Enterprise 5. Ilish Paribahan.

Noted Barisailese

Abala Bose, social reformer and wife of Jagadish Chandra Bose

A.K. Fazlul Huq, (Mayor of kolkata (1935, first Muslim mayor of kolkata), Prime Minister of undivided Bengal (1937–1943) and of East Bengal (1954), Home Minister of Pakistan (1955) and Governor of East Pakistan (1956–1958)

Altaf Mahmud noted bengali film song composer and one of the martyred intelligentsia in 1971.

Amal Kumar Raychaudhuri, physicist

Anil Biswas (composer) noted Hindi and bengali film song composer

Aroj Ali Matubbar, noted Astronomer and Philosopher.

Aswini Kumar Dutta, social reformer and philanthropist

Abul Hasnat Abdullah - Pioneer of Peace Treaty

Jibanananda Das, famous Bengali poet.

Kamini Roy, famous poetess and first woman graduate with honours in the subcontinent.

Kadambini Ganguly, first female graduate and first female physician in the entire British empire

Kusumkumari Das, poetess and mother of Jibanananda Das

Mithun Chakraborty, famous actor.

Mohiuddin Jahangir (Bir Shreshto) was a Captain in the Bangladesh Army during the 1971 Liberation War. The main gate of Dhaka Cantonment- "Shaheed Jahangir Gate" is named in his honour.

Pannalal Ghosh renowned musician and flutist

Partha Dasgupta, eminent economist.

Parul Ghosh, Hindi and bengali film singer

Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, Minister of parliamentary affairs and information, India.

Salman Khan, Founder of Khan Academy

ShantiSudha Bose @ Kanak Dutta freedom fighter and vocal artist

Sufia Kamal, poetess

Sushmita Sen, famous actress.

Shaheed Abdur Rob Serniabat - Great politician

Surendra Nath Dutta - noted freedom fighter

Swadesh Ranjan Dutta - poet and pioneer to small stories in bengali literature

Tapan Raychaudhuri, noted historian.

Tofazzal Hossain Manik Miah Founder Editor of The Daily Ittefaq.

Utpal Dutt (29 March 1929 – 19 August 1993), was an Indian actor, director and writer-playwright