Nepedia
Back to Discover
Advanced Reader
🗺️

Mymensingh

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Mymensingh is a major metropolitan city in north-central Bangladesh.

পুরাতন ব্রহ্মপুত্র নদ ময়মনসিংহ
পুরাতন ব্রহ্মপুত্র নদ ময়মনসিংহ

It serves as the capital of the Mymensingh Division. The city is a vital administrative, financial, and educational hub. It is located on the banks of the Old Brahmaputra River. This river flows along the northern edge of the city.

Cloudy Brahmaputra
Cloudy Brahmaputra

Mymensingh sits north of the national capital, Dhaka. It is also located near Tura, a city in Meghalaya. The city is accessible through the Gobrakura Land Port. As of 2022, it is the 7th largest city by area in Bangladesh. It is also the 8th largest city by population.

MymensinghRailway
MymensinghRailway

The geography of the city is shaped by its river and its elevation. Mymensingh is over 19 meters above sea level. This makes it the highest of the major cities in Bangladesh. The city has no officially defined geographical limits. Since the 1980s, the city has expanded through fast urbanization. A railway line built between 1885 and 1899 passes through the city. This line divides the urban area into two sides.

Intercity Train Tista Express (Bangladesh)
Intercity Train Tista Express (Bangladesh)

Other landmarks mark the city's edges. These include the Bangladesh Agricultural University campus and the Mymensingh Medical College.

Mymensingh Medical College Bangladesh
Mymensingh Medical College Bangladesh

The Shambhuganj Bridge connects the city to Shambhuganj on the other side of the river.

The climate is a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate, known as Köppen Cwa. This climate is slightly colder than the climate in Dhaka. This is because Mymensingh is closer to the Himalayas. The monsoon season begins in May or June and lasts until August. During this time, it rains heavily for days or even weeks. The highest temperatures occur during April and May. Temperatures can reach as high as 37 degrees Celsius. High humidity during this period causes heavy sweating. In the winter, which includes December and January, temperatures fall below 10 degrees Celsius. Many travelers find the period between November and February is the best time to visit.

Mymensingh has a long history spanning over 220 years. The British East India Company constituted the city on 1 May 1787.

Originally, the city was called Nasirabad. At first, Begunbari served as the district headquarters. However, a flash flood devastated Begunbari. This forced the relocation of the headquarters to Mymensingh. During the British Raj, the district was ruled by Talukdar Zamindars. Most inhabitants were Hindus, making up 78% of the population before Partition. Following the Partition in 1947, many Hindu families left. A second exodus occurred after the Indo-Pak war of 1965. In 1971, during the liberation war, the Mukti Bahini resistance group took over the city on December 11.

The city's economy is built on several important sectors. Agriculture is the most significant contributor to the GDP. Historically, the district was famous for jute production. Jute was called the "golden fibre" because of its high revenue. However, the jute industry has declined due to the demand for polythene. Today, many people have modified paddy fields into ponds for fish farming. This has created new opportunities for local fishermen. The demand for fish in global markets is a major economic driver. Prawns are also sold in very large numbers during the winter. Government employees make up a large part of the workforce. Many others work as rickshaw pullers, taxi drivers, or mechanics.

Education and healthcare are central to the city's identity. Mymensingh is well-known for its many educational institutions.

Mymensingh Politechnical Institute
Mymensingh Politechnical Institute

Schools like Vidyamoyee Uccha Balika Bidyalaya have helped educate Bengali Muslim women. Justice Nazmun Ara Sultana, the first woman justice of the High Court of Bangladesh, attended these schools. The city is also a major medical center. It attracts 25 percent of all health tourists visiting Bangladesh. This is due to the high quality of healthcare available. The population is quite literate, with a rate of 84.41% for those aged 7 and older. As of 2022, the population was 577,000 people living in 135,495 households.

Cultural traditions are deeply rooted in the local way of life. The city is associated with the Maimansingha Gitika, a collection of rural ballads. It is also known for Nakshikantha, which is a traditional embroidered quilt. Food is another important part of the culture. The staple diet is rice served with fish or meat curry. People often eat dal, which is a type of lentil soup. Traditional snacks include seasonal pitha, dal-puri, and shingara. Sweets like jilapi are very popular. The city also has a rich history of drama and music. Landmarks like Shashi Lodge, built in 1905, show the city's architectural past.

Sculpture5 in TTC Mymensingh
Sculpture5 in TTC Mymensingh

Even the local cinema halls, such as Chayabani, remain part of the social fabric.

763 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (18)
File:Mymensingh Paurashava mahallah geocode map - Small Area Atlas Mymensingh.svg
Mymensingh Paurashava mahallah geocode...
File:Provincial Geographies of India Volume 2 0013.jpg
Provincial Geographies of India Volume 2 0013.jpg
File:বাংলাদেশের সামরিক (১৯৬৭-১৯৭১) পরিকল্পনা.png
বাংলাদেশের সামরিক (১৯৬৭-১৯৭১) পরিকল্পনা.png
File:Cloudy Brahmaputra.jpg
Cloudy Brahmaputra.jpg
File:Hotel Al-Rifat in Chorpara Mymensingh.JPG
Hotel Al-Rifat in Chorpara Mymensingh.JPG
File:Chinese restaurant in Mymensingh.JPG
Chinese restaurant in Mymensingh.JPG
File:Alexander caslte.jpg
Alexander caslte.jpg
File:Sculpture5 in TTC Mymensingh.JPG
Sculpture5 in TTC Mymensingh.JPG
File:পুরাতন ব্রহ্মপুত্র নদ ময়মনসিংহ.jpg
পুরাতন ব্রহ্মপুত্র নদ ময়মনসিংহ.jpg
File:Jainul Abedin Museum.jpg
Jainul Abedin Museum.jpg
File:Boro Masjid 1.JPG
Boro Masjid 1.JPG
File:Bishyanath Mandir 1.JPG
Bishyanath Mandir 1.JPG

+ 6 more

More to explore

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.