Patuakhali District, Bangladesh
Patuakhali district is located in the south- western coastal area of Bangladesh. The region was once under the the ancient kingdom of “Chandradip” and Kachua under Baufal upazila was the capital of the Chandradip. Due to natural calamities in very often on the coastal area and the frequent attacks of Magh pirates, the capital was transferred to Madhabpasha in Barisal. The forestry area of Chandradvipa was separated from Chandradip and marked as Bazuha (means protected region). In the last decade of the eighteenth century, a number of Buddhist Rakhains of Arakan settled at Rangabali Island, Khepupara and Kuakata regions. Since then human settlement began to grow in this region.
Patuakhali was a subdivision of the then Bakerganj district and upgraded into a district on 01 January 1969. The called name of the region is “Sagorkonnya” (the daughter of sea) because of locating the world famous Kuakata sea beach in the region. The Geo position of the district is 22˚19’60’’ North latitudes and 90˚19’60’’ east longitude.
Administration: The area of Patuakhali is 3221.31 Sq Km. It is under Barisal Division. There are 05 Municipalities in Patuakhali named Patuakhali, Kalapara, Bawfal, Kuakata and Golachipa. The number of Upazilla (sub district) in Patuakhali district is 08, named- Patuakhali, Mirzagonj, Bawfal, Golachipa, Kolapara, Dasmina, Dumki and Rangabali containing 71 Unions, 561 Mauzas and 878 Villages.
Population: The total population of Patuakhali district is 15,35,854 (Male- 753,441 and Female- 782,413), Sex ratio 96:100, Population Density 1439/Sq Km and annual growth rate is 0.49%.
Literacy: The Literacy Rate of Patuakhali district is 54.10% (Male- 56.20% and Female- 52.00%). School attendance rate is 56.80% for 5 to 24 years age group.
Other Important Data: The postal code of Patuakhali district is 8600 and NWD Code is 0441. Total Parliament seat in Patuakhali is 04. During the liberation war, Patuakhali was under Sector Number 09. Urbanization rate of the district is 13.14%.
Rivers: Tetulia, Lohalia, Agunmukha, Laukathi, Andharmanik, Payra, Bura, Gouranga, Lebukhali, Pangshia etc. All the rivers flow to the Bay of Bengal.
Agro Products: Paddy, Jute, Betel-Nut, Coconut, Vegetables, Mango, Guava, Papaya, Orange, Pineapple etc.
Remarkable personalities from Patuakhali District
Rebal Satindranath Sen, Comrade Hiralal Das Gupta, Mustafa Mojid, Altaf Hossain Chowdhury (Politician), Sayad Ashraf Hossain, Advocate Shahjahan Mia (Politician), Abdul Karim Mia, Khandaker Abdul Khalek (Poet) etc.