Shariatpur Sadar () is an

upazila An ''upazila'' ( pronounced: ), formerly called ''thana'', is an administrative division in Bangladesh, functioning as a sub-unit of a district. It can be seen as an analogous to a county or a borough of Western countries. Rural upazilas ...

Shariatpur District Shariatpur District () is a district in Dhaka Division of central Bangladesh. Shariatpur is named after the Islamic revivalist, Haji Shariatullah. Etymology Shariatpur was named after Haji Shariatullah (1781–1840), who was the founder of Faraiz ...

in the Division of

Dhaka Dhaka ( or ; , ), List of renamed places in Bangladesh, formerly known as Dacca, is the capital city, capital and list of cities and towns in Bangladesh, largest city of Bangladesh. It is one of the list of largest cities, largest and list o ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...

. Shariatpur Thana was converted into an upazila in 1984. It is the subdistrict where the district headquarters, Shariatpur town, is located. A huge number of Bangladeshi populations in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

comes from the Shariatpur district.

Etymology

Shariatpur was named after

Haji Shariatullah Haji Shariatullah (; 17811840) was a prominent religious leader and Islamic scholar from Bengal in the eastern the subcontinent, subcontinent, who is best known as the founder of the Faraizi movement. In 1884, the Shariatpur District was formed a ...

(1781–1840), who was the founder of Faraizi Movement and an eminent Islamic reformer/revivalist during

British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...

. The Bengali word ''sadar'' means headquarter.

Geography

Shariatpur Sadar Upazila has a total area of . It borders

Zajira Upazila Zajira () is an upazila of Shariatpur District in the Division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Zajira Thana was established in 1973 and was upgraded to an upazila in 1984. It was named after its administrative center, the town of Zajira. Geography Zajira Up ...

to the north,

Naria Naria was a goddess in Gallo-Roman religion who appears to have been venerated only in what is now the western part of Switzerland. She was only mentioned twice in a Gallo-Roman context, and her nature and responsibilities remain obscure. Etym ...

and Bhedarganj upazilas to the east, Damudya Upazila to the southeast, and

Madaripur District Madaripur District () is a district in central Bangladesh and a part of the Dhaka Division. History Madaripur subdivision was established in 1854 within Bakerganj district. In 1873, it was separated from Bakerganj and annexed to Faridpur distric ...

to the south and west.

Demographics

According to the

2011 Census of Bangladesh In 2011, the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics conducted a national census in Bangladesh, which provided a provisional estimate of the total population of the country as 142,319,000. The previous decennial census was the 2001 census. Data were r ...

, Shariatpur Sadar Upazila had 45,883 households and a population of 210,259. 49,738 (23.67%) were under 10 years of age. Shariatpur Sadar had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 50.8%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1019 females per 1000 males. 49,535 (23.76%) lived in urban areas.

Administration

Shariatpur (former name Palong) Thana was turned into an upazila in 1984. The upazila is divided into Shariatpur Municipality and 11 union parishads: Angaria, Binodpur, Chandrapur, Chikandi, Chitalia, Domsar, Mahmudpur, Palong, Rudrakar, Shaul Para, and Tulasar. The union parishads are subdivided into 105 mauzas and 152 villages. Shariatpur Municipality was established in 1990. It is subdivided into 9 wards and 27 mahallas.

Education

There are three colleges in the upazila. They include Shariatpur Government College. According to Banglapedia, Palong Tulasar Gurudas Government High School is a notable secondary school in the upazila. The Madrasa education system here includes one Fazil Madrasa. There is a private university in this district named Z. H. Sikder University of Science and Technology http://www.zhsust.edu.bd/ in Bhedorgonj upazila. One newly established private medical college is also in this area named Monowara Sikder Medical College and Hospital http://sikderhospital.com/

References