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Narayanganj

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Narayanganj is a major city located in central Bangladesh. It sits within the Greater Dhaka area. Specifically, the city is located southeast of the capital city, Dhaka. With a population of nearly 1 million people, it holds a significant rank. It is the fifth largest city in the entire country.

Tomb of Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, Narayanganj, Bangladesh
Tomb of Ghiyasuddin Azam Shah, Narayanganj, Bangladesh

The city serves as a vital hub for business and industry. It is especially well-known for its textile sector. Narayanganj is also a primary center for the jute trade. Jute is a natural fiber used in many products. The city contains many jute processing plants. Because of these many mills, people call it the "Dundee of Bangladesh." This nickname refers to Dundee, which was the first industrial "Juteopolis" in the world.

The history of the city is tied to a religious leader. His name was Bicon Lal Pandey. He was a Hindu leader known as Benur Thakur or Lakshmi Narayan Thakur. In 1766, following the Battle of Plassey, he leased the area. He did this from the British East India Company. Pandey donated the markets and riverbank land as Devottor property. This term means property "given to God." The land was meant to pay for the worship of the god Narayan.

As time passed, the city developed important modern services. A post office was established in 1866. In 1877, a telegraph service began between Dhaka and Narayanganj. The Bank of Bengal introduced the first telephone service in 1882. The Narayanganj Municipality was later incorporated on September 8, 1876. In 1885, the municipality established Victoria Hospital. This was the first hospital in the area. Harakanta Banerjee provided financial contributions to help start it.

Today, the city is managed by the Narayanganj City Corporation. This corporation was established on May 5, 2011. It unified three former municipalities into one group. These were the Narayanganj, Siddhirganj, and Kadam Rasul municipalities. The current mayor of the corporation is Selina Hayat Ivy. Before leading the whole corporation, she served as the mayor of the Narayanganj Municipality.

Demographic data from the 2022 Census of Bangladesh shows how people live here. There are 255,468 households within the Narayanganj City Corporation. The total population was recorded at 967,951 people. The average size of a household is 3.74 people. The literacy rate for people aged 7 and older is 83.66%. This is higher than the national average of 74.80%. The sex ratio in the city is 99.85.

Transportation in the city is quite developed. There are four different railway stations available. These are Pagla Halt, Fatulla, Chashara, and Narayanganj stations. Travelers from Dhaka can use three specific roads to enter. These are the Dhaka–Narayanganj old road, the link road, and the Narayanganj–Demra road. Additionally, the BRTC AC Bus provides transport between Narayanganj and Dhaka.

Education is a major part of city life. There are many different educational institutes located here. Government Tolaram College was established in 1937. It sits near Chashara in the center of the city. The college has a 90.48% passing rate on HSC exams. Another important school is Narayanganj Government Women's College. It is also located in the city center. It has a passing rate of around 82.99%. Other notable schools include Adarsha School Narayanganj and Morgan Girls High School. Some of these schools serve only girls, while others are co-educational.

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