Jhalokati District

Jhalokati
ঝালকাঠি
District
From top: Jhalokati Sadar Road, Kirtipasha Zamindar Bari Ruins and Jhalokathi N S Kamil Madrasah Complex
Location of Jhalokati in Bangladesh
Location of Jhalokati in Bangladesh
Expandable map of Jhalokati District
Coordinates: 22°34′N 90°09′E
Country Bangladesh
Division Barisal Division
Government
 • Deputy Commissioner Md. Johar Ali
Area
 • Total 758.06 km2 (292.69 sq mi)
Population
 (2022 census)
 • Total 661,161
 • Density 870/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+06:00 (BST)
HDI (2018) 0.672
medium · 2nd of 21
Website www.jhalakathi.gov.bd

Jhalokati, also spelled Jhalokathi, (Bengali: ঝালকাঠি) is a district in southern Bangladesh. It is located in the Barisal Division and covers an area of 758.06 km2 It is bounded by Barisal district to the north and east, Barguna district and the Bishkhali river in the south, Lohagara Upazila and Pirojpur district to the west. Annual average temperatures: maximum 33.3 °C, minimum 12.1 °C; annual rainfall 2506 mm. The main rivers in this district are Bishkhali, Dhanshiri, Gabkhan, Sugandha, Jangalia, Bamanda and Bajitpur. "পেয়ারা আর শীতলপাটি, এই নিয়ে ঝালকাঠি" "(Jhalokathi, The land of tasty Guava and Shitolpati)" is the official moto of the district.

History

The 2021 Bangladesh ferry fire occurred on the Sugandha River near the town.

Subdivisions

The district is administratively subdivided into 4 upazilas, these are:

  1. Jhalokati Sadar Upazila
  2. Kathalia Upazila
  3. Nalchity Upazila
  4. Rajapur Upazila

Administration

Zilla Parishad Chairman/Administrator: Khan Saifullah Panir (খান সাইফুল্লাহ পনির)

Deputy Commissioner (DC): Md. Johar Ali

Transportation

  • Roads & Highways:
  • Rural communications: Water transport is a major attraction in Jhalokati district. People can travel at a cheap cost by boats and various types of engine boats. Jhalokati is famous for beautiful rivers and canals like Barishal. Tourists can find it enjoyable to travel through boats.

Population

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a.
1974 496,791 —    
1981 583,102 +2.31%
1991 666,139 +1.34%
2001 694,231 +0.41%
2011 682,669 −0.17%
2022 661,161 −0.29%
Sources:

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Jhalokati District had 162,403 households and a population of 661,161, 30.2% of whom lived in urban areas. The population density was 935 people per km2. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 83.1%, compared to the national average of 74.7%.

Religion

Religions in Jhalokati district (2011)
Religion Percent
Muslims
 
 89.90%
Hindus
 
 10.04%
Other or not stated
 
 0.06%
Religion in present-day Jhalokati district
Religion Population (1941) Percentage (1941) Population (2011) Percentage (2011)
Islam 252,292 64.09% 613,750 89.90%
Hinduism 141,259 35.89% 68,572 10.04%
Others 82 0.02% 347 0.06%
Total Population 393,633 100% 682,669 100%

A large majority of the district population is Muslim. It has 2475 mosques, 46 Hindu temples and five Buddhist pagodas. The percentage share of minority Hindus and Christians have seen a decline in absolute numbers since the 1981 census.

Most people of this district speaks Barisali dialect of Bengali which is the dialect of nearby Barisal city.

Media

Print media:

Telecommunications:

Satellite Television:

  • Akash dth.

Notable personalities

See also