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Sirajganj

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Sirajganj is a busy city in north-western Bangladesh. It sits in the Rajshahi Division. The city is built on the right bank of the Jamuna River. This river is the main stream of the Brahmaputra. It is about north west of the capital city, Dhaka. Around 450,000 people live in Sirajganj today. This makes it the 13th largest city in the whole country.

In the past, the city worked as a major river port. It was a chief center for the jute trade. Jute is a plant that people used for many things. Many jute presses were located here in northern Bengal. In the late 1800s, traveling to the city was a long trip. A steamer took six hours from the Goalundo railway terminal. Later, the city joined the railway network in 1915.

History changed the city in a few big ways. An earthquake hit Assam in 1897. This event damaged buildings and moved the river's course. The river moved further away from the city. Because of this, Sirajganj became less important for trade. Another port called Narayanganj became more famous instead. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, a Pakistani Brigadier named Jehanzeb Arbab looted the bank.

Many different people live in Sirajganj today. Most people are Muslims, making up 90.23% of the population. About 9.65% of the people are Hindus. There are also small groups of Christians and Sarnaists. The city has 240 mosques and 30 temples. There is also one church. The literacy rate is 82.72% according to the 2022 census.

There are many interesting places to see and learn. You can visit the Jamuna Bridge or the Durjoy Bangla Statue. The city has two medical schools for students. One is the public Shaheed M. Monsur Ali Medical College. The other is the private North Bengal Medical College & Hospital. There are also eight colleges and many schools. You can even travel to Dhaka by train six days a week.

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