Dhaka District ঢাকা জেলা Dhaka Zilla | |
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   -12.jpg) .jpg)  | |
 Location of Dhaka District within Bangladesh | |
 Expandable map of Dhaka District | |
| Coordinates:23°47′N90°18′E / 23.79°N 90.30°E /23.79; 90.30 | |
| Country |  Bangladesh |
| Division | Dhaka |
| Headquarters | Dhaka |
| Government | |
| • Deputy Commissioner | Md. Rezaul Karim |
| • District Council Chairman | Md. Mahbubur Rahman[1] |
| • Chief Executive Officer | Md. Mamunur Rashid |
| Area | |
| 1,463.6 km2 (565.1 sq mi) | |
| Population | |
| 14,734,701 | |
| • Rank | 1st inBangladesh |
| • Density | 10,067/km2 (26,075/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 11,237,217 |
| • Rural | 3,497,484 |
| Demonym(s) | Dhakai, Dhakaiya |
| GDP (2015 US dollar) | |
| • Total | $50.1 billion (2023)[3] |
| • Per capita | $3,600 (2023) |
| GDP (PPP, 2015 international dollar) | |
| • Total | $167.2 billion (2023) |
| • Per capita | $12,100 (2023) |
| Postal code | 1000 |
| Area code | 02 |
| ISO 3166 code | BD-13 |
| HDI (2023) |  0.741[4]high ·1st of 20 |
| Website | www |
Dhaka District (Bengali:ঢাকা জেলা,romanized: Ḍhākā jēlā) is adistrict in centralBangladesh,[5] and is the densest district in the nation. It is a part of theDhaka Division.Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, rests on the eastern banks of theBuriganga River which flows from theTurag to the southern part of the district. The formerDhaka city corporation occupied only about a fifth of the area of Dhaka district until 2011 where the municipal corporation was fractionated and rearranged inNorth andSouth corporations due to being the economic, political and cultural centre of the district and also the country. Dhaka District consists ofDhaka city,Keraniganj,Nawabganj,Dohar,Savar andDhamrai upazila. Dhaka District is an administrative entity, and like many other cities, it does not cover the modernconurbation which isGreater Dhaka, which has spilled into neighbouring districts, nor does the conurbation cover the whole district, as there are rural areas within the district.
Dhaka District shares borders withGazipur andTangail to the north,Munshiganj andRajbari to the south,Narayanganj to the east andManikganj to the west. The main rivers flowing through this district arePadma,Kaliganga,Dhaleshwari,Ichamati,Shitalakshya,Buriganga and numerous smaller rivers includingBangshi,Turag,Balu, Elamjani, Alam, Bherujkha, Ramkrishnadi, Elisamari, Tulsikhali. Major lakes (Bengali:বিল) include Belai, Saldaher, Labandaher, Churain, Damsharan and Kiranjir Beel. The annual average temperature of the district is maximum 41.1 °C, minimum 11.5 °C; the average annual rainfall 1931mm.
The administrative Dhaka District was first established in 1772, but the existence of urbanised settlements in the area that is now Dhaka city—dates from the 7th century. The present-daySavar was the capital of the Sanbagh Kingdom during the seventh and eighth centuries. The city area of Dhaka was ruled by theBuddhist kingdom ofKamarupa and thePala Empire before passing to the control of theHinduSena dynasty in the 9th century. Many believe that the name of the city was derived after the establishment of the goddessDhakeshwari's temple byBallal Sena in the 12th century. Dhaka and its surrounding area were identified asBengalla around that period. The town itself consisted of a few market centres like Lakshmi Bazar, Shankhari Bazar, Tanti Bazar, Patuatuli, Kumartuli, Bania Nagar and Goal Nagar. After theSena dynasty, Dhaka was successively ruled by theTurkish andAfghan governors descending from theDelhi Sultanate before the arrival of theMughals in 1608.
The development of townships and significant growth in population came as the city was proclaimed the capital ofBengal underMughal rule in 1608. During Mughal rule the areas currently under Dhaka district were famous for their textile products—especially theMuslin. MughalsubahdarIslam Khan was the first administrator of the city. Khan named the town "Jahangir Nagar" (City of Jahangir) in honour of the Mughal emperorJahangir, although this name was dropped soon after Jahangir's death. The main expansion of the city took place under the Mughal generalShaista Khan. The city then measured 19 by 13 kilometres (11.8 by 8.1 mi), with a population of nearly a million people. The city passed to the control of theBritish East India Company in 1757 after theBattle of Plassey and eventually to theCrown,British Empire, in 1765 at theBattle of Buxar. The city's population shrank dramatically during this period as the prominence ofKolkata rose, but substantive development and modernisation eventually followed. A modern civic water supply system was introduced in 1874 and an electricity supply was launched in 1878. TheDhaka Cantonment was established near the city, serving as a base forBritish Indian military personnel.
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During the abortivePartition of Bengal in 1905, Dhaka was declared to be the capital of the newly established state ofEastern Bengal and Assam, but Bengal was reunited in 1911. The rural areas under the present Dhaka district, especiallyDohar Upazila were used for the production ofindigo.
Following the partition of Bengal in (1947) appending the partition ofBritish India in 1947, Dhaka became the capital ofEast Bengal as a part of the newMuslim state ofPakistan, while the western part of Bengal with a majority Hindu population had become a part of the new and independent India, designated asWest Bengal withCalcutta as state capital. Calcutta witnessed communal violence that left thousands of people dead. A large proportion of the city'sHindu population departed forIndia, while the city received hundreds of thousands ofMuslim immigrants from Calcutta, India. The city's population rose dramatically in a very short period of time, which created severe shortages and infrastructural problems.[6] As the centre of regional politics, Dhaka saw an increasing number of political strikes and incidents of violence. The adoption ofUrdu as the soleofficial language ofPakistan led to protest marches involving large crowds. Known as thelanguage movement of 1952, the protests resulted in police firing which killed students who were demonstrating peacefully.[7] Throughout the 1950s and '60s, Dhaka remained a hotbed of political activity, and the demands for autonomy for the Bengali population gradually gained momentum.
The1970 Bhola cyclone devastated much of the region, killing an estimated 500,000 people. More than half the city of Dhaka was flooded and millions of people were marooned.[citation needed] With public anger growing against ethnic discrimination and poor cyclone relief efforts from the central government, Bengali politicianSheikh Mujibur Rahman held a nationalist rally on 7 March 1971 at theRace Course Ground. An estimated one million people attended the gathering, leading toZiaur Rahman's 26 March declaration of Bangladesh's independence.[7][8] In response, thePakistan Army launchedOperation Searchlight, which led to the arrests, torture and killing of hundreds of thousands of people, mainly Hindus andBengali intellectuals.[9]
During theBangladesh Liberation War thePakistan army arrested and killed fourteenMuktijoddhas fromDhamrai Bazar. A mass grave created during the war still exists in the western side of Kalampur Bazar.[10] The Pak army also burnt down many houses in Konakhola, Basta, Brahmankirtha, Goalkhali and Khagail Kholamora villages ofKeraniganj Upazila.
The fall of Dhaka city to the allied forces led byJagjit Singh Aurora on 16 December marked the surrender of the Pakistani army. The post-independence period has seen a rapid and massive growth of the city population, attracting migrant workers from rural areas across Bangladesh.[6] A real estate boom followed withurban sprawl and the development of new settlements such asGulshan,Banani andMotijheel.[6]
The district does not cover all parts of Greater Dhaka, and Greater Dhaka does not include all parts of the district, which includes rural areas. The district consists of 57 thanas (50 in city corporations, 7 in upazilas), 5 upazilas, 86 unions, 974 mauzas, 1999 villages, 2 City Corporations, 129 City Wards, 855 City Mahallas, 3 paurashavas, 27 wards and 133 mahallas.[13]
The five upazilas in Dhaka district are:
The municipal area of Dhaka City is under the jurisdiction of theDhaka North City Corporation andDhaka South City Corporation; for administrative purposes, the municipal area is divided into 92 wards.[5] Tejgaon Development Circle is merged with the two city corporations.
According to the2022 Census of Bangladesh, Dhaka District had 4,035,241 households and a population of 14,734,701 with an average 3.62 people per household. Among the population, 2,231,856 (15.15%) inhabitants were under 10 years of age. The population density was 10,067 people per km2. Dhaka District had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 84.88%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 865 females per 1000 males. Approximately 76.26% of the population lived in urban areas. The ethnic population was 27,137.[2][14]
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1981 | 4,023,838 | — |
| 1991 | 5,839,642 | +3.79% |
| 2001 | 8,511,228 | +3.84% |
| 2011 | 12,043,977 | +3.53% |
| 2022 | 14,734,701 | +1.85% |
| Sources:[14] | ||
| Religion | Percent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Islam | 94.88% | |||
| Hinduism | 4.56% | |||
| Christianity | 0.43% | |||
| Others | 0.13% | |||
| Religion | 1941[15]: 94–95 [a] | 1981[14] | 1991[14] | 2001[14] | 2011[14] | 2022[14] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
Islam | 565,552 | 56.67% | 3,672,579 | 91.27% | 5,414,536 | 92.72% | 8,020,372 | 94.23% | 11,400,096 | 94.65% | 13,980,953 | 94.88% |
Hinduism | 422,284 | 42.32% | 316,612 | 7.87% | 379,397 | 6.50% | 441,213 | 5.18% | 566,368 | 4.70% | 672,269 | 4.56% |
Christianity | 7,073 | 0.71% | 26,063 | 0.65% | 36,354 | 0.62% | 41,395 | 0.49% | 62,064 | 0.52% | 63,402 | 0.43% |
| Others[b] | 2,997 | 0.30% | 8,584 | 0.21% | 9,355 | 0.16% | 8,248 | 0.10% | 15,449 | 0.13% | 18,073 | 0.13% |
| Total Population | 997,906 | 100% | 4,023,838 | 100% | 5,839,642 | 100% | 8,511,228 | 100% | 12,043,977 | 100% | 14,734,701 | 100% |
In2011, Islam was the largest religion in the Dhaka district with 94.65% of the population. Hinduism was the second-largest religion with 4.70% of the population. 0.52% of the population were Christians, while Buddhists were only 0.11% of the population. Although all communities are predominantly urban, a greater percentage of Hindus live in rural areas than in other communities. The district of Dhaka has more than 12 000 mosques, 3012 Hindu mandirs, 530 churches, 174Buddhist temples, three pagodas and a synagogue. For a long time, Islam has been the majority religion in Dhaka, with only 1300 mosques, but more mosques were recently built, and the district is now called the City of Mosques.[16]
Dhaka is the commercial heart of Bangladesh.[17] The city has a large middle class population, increasing the market for modern consumer and luxury goods.[6][18][19] Many skilled workers are employed in the businesses and industries located in the Dhaka metropolitan area. The city has historically attracted many migrant workers.[20]Hawkers, peddlers, small shops, rickshaws transport, roadside vendors and stalls employ a large segment of the population[20][21]—rickshaw-drivers alone number as many as 400,000.[19] Half the workforce is employed in household and unorganised labour, while about 800,000 work in the textile industry. Even so, unemployment remains high at 23%. According toCityMayors Statistics, Dhaka's GDP registered at $52 billion in 2005 with an annual growth rate of 6.1%.[22] Its estimated GDP in the year 2020 is $126 billion. The annual per capita income of Dhaka is estimated at $550, although a large segment of the population lives below the poverty line, with many surviving on less than $3 a day.[19]
The main business districts of the city includeMotijheel,Panthapath andGulshan.Bashundhara City is a recently developed economic area that houses many high-tech industries and corporations and a shopping mall that is one of the largest in Southeast Asia, frequented daily by more than 25,000 people.[19] TheExport Processing Zone in Dhaka was set up to encourage the export of garments, textiles and other goods. The EPZ is home to 80 factories, which employ mostly women.[23] TheDhaka Stock Exchange is based in the city, as are most of the large companies and banks of Bangladesh, including theBangladesh Bank,HSBC,Citibank and theGrameen Bank. Urban developments have sparked a widespread construction boom, causing new high-rise buildings and skyscrapers to change the city landscape.[19] Growth has been especially strong in the finance, banking, manufacturing,telecommunications and services sectors, while tourism, hotels and restaurants continue as important elements of the Dhaka economy.[19][20]
The historic city of Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and lies on the banks of theBuriganga River in the central area of Bangladesh. The old town of Dhaka, south of the city centre, is the site of most of the tourist attractions, including theLalbagh Fort, the Stat Mosque, and theAhsan Manzil Palace Museum.
Dhaka was predominantly a city of theMughals, whose governors and viceroys built several palace, mosques and katrias. One example of this time is the Aurangabad Fort, commonly known asLalbagh Fort. Also in this area of Dhaka is the Ahsan Manzil Plance Museum, theBara Katra, the Cotta Katra and several mosques of note.
The old European quarter lies just north of Dhaka's old town, which houses the presidential place and the National Museum, Dhaka's commercial and diplomatic regions are northeast of this zone. Dhaka Zoo and the Botanical Gardens are a short taxi ride into the suburbs.
Once famed for itsMuslin, Dhaka is now renowned for pinkpearls and a rich tradition ofhandicrafts.
TheBotanical garden is a park atMirpur in Dhaka. It contains various species of plants. It is also a major tourist spot.
Built in 1678 by the Viceroy of Bengal, it contains a three-domed mosque, the tomb of Pari Bibi, the reputed daughter of Nawab Shaista Khan, the Audience Hall and the hammam of the Governor. Four Kilometres from the hotel.
A majestic place, it was once home to theNawab of Dhaka, and houses 23 galleries displaying portraits, furniture and household articles.
Jatiyo Smriti Soudho or National Martyrs' Memorial is a monument in Bangladesh. It is the symbol of the valour and the sacrifice of the martyrs of theBangladesh Liberation War of 1971, which brought the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistani rule. The monument is located in Savar, about 35 Kilometres north-west of the capital, Dhaka.
The Star Mosque, also known as Tara Masjid or Sitara Masjid, is a historic mosque located in theArmanitola area ofOld Dhaka, Bangladesh. It was originally constructed in the first half of the 19th century by Mirza Ghulam Pir (also referred to as Mirza Ahmed Jan), a local nobleman. At the time of its construction, the mosque featured a simple architectural design, devoid of the elaborate decorations seen today. The structure was commonly referred to as the Mosque of Mirza Ghulam Pir, in honour of its founder. In 1926, the mosque underwent significant renovation under the patronage of Ali Jan Bepari, a local businessman. During this renovation, decorative elements—including the prominent blue star motifs—were added to the mosque's interior and exterior surfaces. Following these modifications, the mosque became popularly known as the Star Mosque (Tara or Sitara Masjid). Today, it is recognised for its ornate aesthetic and distinctive star-themed embellishments, which have become emblematic of its architectural identity.[24]
This mosque in the Mohammadpur area of Dhaka is known for its seven domes.
In the old European quarter of Dhaka, themuseum contains many interesting collections, including sculptures and paintings of the Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim periods. One kilometre from the hotel.
Bara Katra was built between1644 and1646 CE to be the official residence of Mughal princeShah Shuja, the second son of the emperorShah Jahan. The prince endowed it to hisdiwan and the builder of the serai, Abul Qasim.
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