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30 Oct 2013

Rangpur District

Rangpur
রংপুর
District
Rangpur District in Bangladesh
Rangpur District
Coordinates: 25°44′N 89°15′ECoordinates: 25°44′N 89°15′E
Country  Bangladesh
Division Rangpur Division
Government
 • Divisional Commissioner Jashim Uddin Ahmed[1]
Area
 • Total 2,307.78 km2 (891.04 sq mi)
Population (2001)
 • Total 251,699
 • Density 110/km2 (280/sq mi)
Time zone BST (UTC+6)
 • Summer (DST) BDST (UTC+7)
Postal code 5400
Website dcrangpur.gov.bd
Rangpur (Bengali: রংপুর জেলা, Rangpur Jela also Rangpur Zila) is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Rangpur Division.

Geography

Under the Rangpur division (one of seven divisions) composed of eight districts of the northern Bangladesh, the District of Rangpur is bordered on the north by Nilphamari District, on the south by Gaibandha District, on the east by Kurigram, and on the west by Dinajpur district. Rangpur town is the divisional headquarter. The soil composition is mainly alluvial soil (80%) of the Teesta River basin, and the remaining is barind soil. The temperature ranges from 32 degrees Celsius to 11 degrees Celsius, and the annual rainfall averages 2931 mm.[2]

History

Rangpur was conquered by the army of Raja Man Singh, a commander of the Mughal emperor, Akbar, in 1575, but it was only until 1686 that it was fully integrated into the Mughal Empire. Names of places like Mughalbasa (literal meaning being a locality of the Mughals), and Mughalhat (literal meaning a “local market” organized by the Mughals) bear testimony to the Mughal Association and past of Rangpur and its hinterland. Later on, Rangpur passed under the control of “Sarker” of Ghoraghat. During the period of the British East India Company, the Sannyasi Rebellion took place.

Language

Rangpur is a multi-ligual district. People of Rangpur have two languages- Rangpuri and Bengali. But Rangpuri is used by most inhabitants. Bengali is more popular in the towns and among the educated people. But a small portion of Santal and other similar people other languages also which are their own.

Demographics

Religion in Rangpur District
Religion

Percent
Islam
  
 89.60%
Hinduism
  
 9.59%
Christianity
  
 0.50%
others
  
 0.31%

Total population of Rangpur is 2534365, male 50.91%, female 49.09%. Islam is the predominant religion in Rangpur. Hinduism is the second largest religion in Rangpur. Muslim 89.60%,Hindu 9.59%, . Christian 0.50% and others 0.31%; ethnic nationals: Santal and Orao. Among the Muslims the percentage of the salafi are a bit higher than most districts of Bangladesh.
In an anthropological view most people of Rangpur are having Rajbagshi blood in their veins. This is true mainly for the villages which are the majority in Rangpur.
The district of Rangpur have 4924 mosques, 480 churches, 43 temples and six tombs.

Sub-districts

Zilla Porishod Building.
The district has 3 municipalities, namely, Rangpur Sadar, Badarganj, and Haragach, and eight Upazilas, namely:
Rangpur town, covering an area of around 43 square kilometers, lies on the bank of the Ghaghat river, and was turned into a municipality back in 1869. The population of the Rangpur municipality as of 2006 is 251,699, with 52% male and 48% female, and the literacy rate is 54.6%. Establishment of Rangpur City Corporation, as Divisional City is now under way after the establishment of Rangpur Division in January 2010. The area of Rangpur City Corporation is estimated to be around 100 square kilometer accommodating about 6 million population by next Census of 2011. Rangpur city would be the fifth largest city of Bangladesh after Dhaka (125 million), Chittagong (30 million), Khulna (10 million) and Rajshahi (8 million) estimated population by the next 2011 census.

Education

Begum Rokeya University is the only university in Rangpur district. The Rangpur Medical College, situated in Rangpur is one of the major government medical colleges in Bangladesh. Carmichael College, established in 1916 by some leading zamindars, is a postgraduate college offering courses in 14 subjects in the faculties of arts, social science, science and commerce.[3] The most renowned educational institution in this region is Rangpur Cadet College. Other renowned schools include Cantonment Public School & College,Rangpur(CPSCR), Rangpur Technical School and College and Rangpur Zilla School. Zilla School is established in 1832, this higher secondary school is known for the quality of education it offers.[4] Other prominent educational institutions include Rangpur Govt. College, Begum Rokeya College and Govt. Commercial Institute. Besides there is one polytechnic institute, one vocational institute, around 282 high schools, 722 government primary schools, 38 junior high schools, 193 NGO (Non Government Organization) operated schools and almost 370 Madrasahs in Rangpur.

Places of interest

Tajhat Palace in Rangpur
Just south of the city of Rangpur lies the Tajhat, a former "rajbari" or zamindar's palace. After the end of the British Raj, the building was abandoned and decayed rapidly, although it was used for a few years as a courthouse during the 1980s. In the year 2004, it was largely restored and turned into a museum with ancient inscriptions, art and coins from the area on display. RDRS (Rangpur and Dinajpur Rural Service) Bangladesh,[5] an NGO in northwest Bangladesh, has a large office and guesthouse/convention center in the town of Rangpur.
A museum and women's training center was established in Pairabondh, the birthplace of Begum Rokeya. It is half an hour drive away from Rangpur city. Apart from the Tajbari museum there is another museum at the heart of the town. The town is known as Green town for its beautiful garden and green park throughout the town.
Town Hall in Rangpur
There is a big Zoo at the heart of the city. There is an ancient auditorium named 'Town Hall' at the center of the city, where different cultural programs are held. The economy of the people is weak since there is no major natural resource like minerals and industry. In the rural areas, there are no source of income for landless poor people. In the great Rangpur region, no economic development took place until the 90s, mainly because of the yearly flooding the region used to see before the making of "Teesta Barrage." The coal is found near this district. There is a large military cantonment in the town. "Bhinno Jogot" is a big theme park and a popular picnic spot which is situated 15 kilometres from Rangpur Town.
Near the stadium, there is a very beautiful place called 'Chicli vata' surrounding bij many lakes and rice fields.

Media

Bangladesh Betar Rangpur (BBR) has Broadcasting station in Rangpur.Bangladesh Television (BTV) has satellite station in Rangpur. Rangpur Press Club is situated in the Rangpur town. Rangpur has almost 19 cinema halls. There are a number of locally published newspapers in the district.

Notable residents

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