Jibannagar Upazila

Jibannagar Upazila (chuadanga district) area 199.24 sq km, located in between 23°22' and 23°31' north latitudes and in between 88°45' and 88°57' east longitudes. It is bounded by chuadanga sadar upazila on the north, maheshpur upazila (jhenaidah) on the south, kotchandpur upazila (Jhenaidah) on the east, west bengal the state of India on the west.

Population Total 179581; male 89839, female 89742; Muslim 175084, Hindu 4457, Buddhist 1, Christian 5 and others 34.

Water bodies Main rivers: bhairab; Natunpara Beel, Joydia Beel, Ruar Beel and Sutia Beel are notable.

Administration Jibannagar Thana was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	4	62	83	38152	141429	901	47.75 (2001)	43.9

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
12.40 (2001)	9	26	25518	1946 (2001)	57.4

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
15.75 (2001)	2	12634	1946 (2001)	48.2

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Andulbaria 19	8914	13622	13775	43.2
Uthali 76	13605	24428	24579	46.7
Banka 38	15970	24182	24209	47.2
Simanta 57	9263	14837	14431	36.3

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Three-domed Mosque (Dhopakhali).

War of Liberation In 1971, freedom fighters killed 10 Pak soldiers by mine explosion at Shialmari on the border of Jibannagar and Darshana. Besides, a direct encounter between the freedom fighters and the Pak army was held on the Dhopakhali border of the upazila in which five freedom fighters were killed and two were wounded. Freedom fighters had encounters with Pak army at Harinagar, Kushumpur, Madhukhali, Banpur, Pathila-Dattnagar and some other places of the upazila. A mass grave has been discovered in the upazila.

For details: see জীবননগর উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৪।

Religious institutions Mosque 131, temple 11, tomb 8. Noted religious institutions: Dhopakhali Mosque, tomb of Khawja Paresh Shah, Karcha Danga Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 46.1%; male 46.8%, female 45.5%. Educational institutions: college 4, secondary school 24, primary school 62, kindergarten 4, NGO operated school 84, madrasa 18. Noted educational institutions: Jibannagar College (1984), Jibannagar Pilot Secondary School (1957).

Cultural organisations Library 2, club 18, theatre group 7, cinema hall 7.

Main sources of income Agriculture 69.83%, non-agricultural labourer 2.53%, industry 0.74%, commerce 13.65%, transport and communication 3.43%, service 3.48%, construction 1.21%, religious service 0.49%, rent and remittance 0.27% and others 4.70%.

Main crops Paddy, sugarcane, jute, wheat, mug, musuri, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Sesame, mustard, tobacco, linseed, gram.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, papaya, banana.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries 'Fishery 3, dairy 4, poultry 17.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 168.62 km, mud road 195 km; railways 10 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage.

Noted manufactories Sugar mill, flour mill, rice mill, chira mill, saw mill, ice factory.

Cottage industries Weaving, embroidery, blacksmith, potteries, brass and metal work, bamboo work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 19, fairs 2 (Baruni and Gangapuja).

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 54.3% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 97.7%, tap 0.2% and others 2.1%.

Sanitation 47.6% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 45.6% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 6.8% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, health and family planning centre 4.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, CARE, Wave Foundation, Usha. [Iman Siddiqui]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Jibannagar Upazila 2007.