Mymensingh Division

Mymensingh Division (Bengali: ময়মনসিংহ বিভাগ) is one of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of 10,485 square kilometres (4,048 sq mi) and a population of 11,370,000 as of the 2011 census. It was created in 2015 from districts previously composing the northern part of Dhaka Division. Its headquarters are in Mymensingh city in Mymensingh District.

History

Provincial Map of Bengal showing the Greater Mymensingh Area (present Division with Tangail and Kishoreganj) in 1917.

The Greater Mymensingh region (Mymensingh District along with five other neighbouring districts) was created as a Mymensingh district by the British Indian government in 1787. Later it was reorganized in two phases into six districts: Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Jamalpur, Tangail, and Sherpur. But Kishoreganj and Tangail are no longer part of Mymensingh, so Mymensingh comprises four districts.

On 12 January 2015 prime minister Sheikh Hasina declared the establishment of a new Mymensingh Division. The initial intention was to carve six districts (those comprising the original Mymensingh district of 1787) out of the Dhaka Division. However, while four of the districts were eager for the establishment of a new division, people in the Tangail and Kishoreganj Districts wished to remain part of Dhaka Division. On 14 September 2015 Mymensingh was officially announced as a division consisting four districts.

Administrative divisions

Name Headquarter Area (km2) Population
1991 Census
Population
2001 Census
Population
2011 Census
Mymensingh District Mymensingh 4,394.57 3,957,182 4,489,726 5,110,272
Netrokona District Netrokona 2,794.28 1,730,935 1,988,188 2,229,642
Jamalpur District Jamalpur 2,115.16 1,874,440 2,107,209 2,292,674
Sherpur District Sherpur 1,364.67 1,138,629 1,279,542 1,358,325
Total District 4 10,584.06 8,701,186 9,864,665 11,370,000

Census figures for 1991, 2001 and 2011 are from Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, Population Census Wing. The 2011 Census figures are based on preliminary results.