Sirajganj

Sirajganj is a major riverine district of Rajshahi Division in central-northwestern Bangladesh, known for the Jamuna corridor, jute trade, transport links, and important cultural sites such as Shahjadpur Kachharibari. It covers about 2,497.95 km² and had a population of 3,357,706 in the 2022 census. Sirajganj town serves as the district headquarters and a key road, rail, and river transport hub linking North Bengal with the rest of the country.

The area that later became Sirajganj was shaped by changes in the Jamuna river system and by the expansion of river-based trade in north Bengal. Local tradition links the district name to zamindar Siraj Ali Chowdhury. Sirajganj became a subdivision under Pabna in 1885 and was established as a district in 1984. Its modern historical memory also includes the Salanga movement and massacre of 1922, jute commerce, and the strategic rise of transport and river-port activity.

Location: Central-western part of Rajshahi Division along the Jamuna river system.

Landscape: Broad floodplains, char lands, river channels, and low-lying agricultural terrain dominate the district.

Major Rivers and Wetlands: Jamuna, Hurasagar, Baral, Karatoya-connected channels, and seasonal floodplain wetlands.

District established: 1984

Headquarters: Sirajganj

Subdivisions: 9 upazilas, 6 municipalities, 82 unions

Current upazilas in this database are linked separately through the upazilas table.

Population (2022): 3,357,706

Households: 842,308

Urban population: 680,019

Population density: about 1,398 per km²

Literacy rate (age 7+): 69.48%

Communities: The district includes ethnic minorities, especially in parts of Raiganj and Tarash.

Sirajganj is a major district-level education center in the Jamuna corridor, with a mix of colleges, medical education, and emerging university institutions.

Local importance: school, madrasa, and college networks are strong across Sirajganj Sadar, Shahjadpur, Ullahpara, and Kazipur.

Economic character: River transport, agriculture, weaving, trade, and service activity define Sirajganj's economy.

Agriculture and rural production: Rice, jute, vegetables, dairy, fisheries, and char-land farming are important.

Trade and transport: The district is a strategic transport corridor because of the Jamuna Bridge and associated highway, railway, and river-port links.

Cultural memory: Sirajganj is associated with jute commerce, river life, Rabindranath's Shahjadpur connection, and the political history of Salanga.