Faridpur Sadar Upazila

Faridpur Sadar Upazila (faridpur district) area 407.02 sq km, located in between 23°29' and 23°34' north latitudes and in between 89°43' and 89°56' east longitudes. It is bounded by goalanda and harirampur upazilas on the north, saltha upazila on the south, char bhadrasan and Harirampur upazilas on the east, boalmari, madhukhali and rajbari sadar upazilas on the west. Upazila town is situated on the bank of kumar river.

Population Total 413485; male 213765, female 199720; Muslim 367829, Hindu 44615, Buddhist 967, Christian 31 and others 43.

Water bodies Main rivers: padma, Kumar, Old Kumar, Bhubaneshwar; Chapa Beel, Hari Beel, Shakuner Beel, Dhol Samudra, Kole (a strip of shallow water) of Beel Mamunpur and Tepa Kholar Lake (excavated) are notable.

Administration Faridpur Sadar Thana was formed in 1896 and it was turned into an upazila in 1983.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	11	157	332	101084	312401	1016	73.3	41.6

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
22.65	9	35	99945	4413	73.6

Upazila Town
Area (sq km)	Mouza	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
0.80	2	1139	1424	49.2

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Ambikapur 15	5845	11523	10984	43.68
Aliabad 13	7417	16082	15095	49.21
Ishan Gopalpur 47	8771	13873	13361	37.56
Uttar Channel 87	9881	9083	8417	23.22
Kanaipur 63	9340	20475	18362	49.93
Krishnanagar 71	13744	17239	16381	37.98
Kaijuri 55	10363	20057	19085	44.46
Greda 39	5737	12516	11797	44.37
Char Madhabdia 23	6622	13823	12847	30.93
Decreerchar 31	8401	13239	12340	36.91
Majchar 79	10223	13861	13100	46.84

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Mosque at Gerda (1013 AH), Dargah of Sheikh Farid, Shiva Mandir at Chawkbazar, Jagabandhu Ashram (Sree Angan), Mazar of Bismillah Shah, Court Mosque, Faridpur Christian Mission, Gaur Gopal Angina (courtyard), house of Shah Saheb at Goalchamat, Math of Mahim Babu.

History of the War of Liberation The Pak army established camp at Faridpur Stadium on 21 April 1971. They killed 8 Brahmacharis of the Jagabandhu Ashram at Sree Angan and set the Ashram on fire. On 2 May, the Pak army brutally killed 34 persons at Sarkar Bari of' Ishan Gopalpur. A battle between the freedom fighters and the Pak army was held on 9 December at Karimpur bridge of Kanaipur in which 60 Pak soldiers were killed and so were 11 freedom fighters. One freedom fighter was killed in an encounter with the Pak army and the Beharis at Momin Khan Hat on 14 December.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass grave 2 (Faridpur Stadium, Faridpur Housing Estate), memorial sculpture 1, memorial monument 1.

Religious institutions Mosque 321, temple 30, church 3, sacred place 1.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 49.7%; male 53.7%, female 45.4%. Educational institutions: medical college 1, law college 1, homeopathic college 1, teachers' training college 1, technical and vocational college 1, primary teachers' training institute 1, college 13, open university 1, secondary school 40, primary school 148, satellite school 13, community school 14, orphanage 3, madrasa 39. Noted educational institutions: Faridpur Medical College (1992), Government Rajendra College (1918), Faridpur High School (1889), Hitoishi High School (1889), Ishan Girls' High School (1908), Shiva Ram RD Academy (1917), Faridpur Government Girls' High School (1918), Moiez Uddin High School (1926), Adarsha Girls' High School (1927), Faridpur Zila School (1840).

Newspapers and periodicals Daily: Thekana, Gana Samhati, Bhorer Runner, Kumar (2006); Weekly: Ganaman (BS1370), Jagaran, Al-Mizan, Chasibarta, Pragatir Din (1995), Idaning, Faridpur Kantha, Kalvabna (2004), Faridpur Barta, Bangla Sambad; Defunct: Akal (Weekly), Al Muazzen.

Cultural organisations Club 140, library 3, museum 1, cinema hall 3, theatre stage 5, theatre group 17, women's organisation 45.

Tourist spots House of Palli Kabi Jasimuddin, Moiez Manzil and Graveyard, house of Khan Bahadur Abdul Gani, Faridpur Town Theatre (1915), house of Ambikacharan, campus of River Research Institute (1977), Kanaipur Shikdar Bari, house of Shah Saheb at Goalchamat, Sluice Gate.

Main sources of income Agriculture 39.72%, non-agricultural labourer 4.03%, industry 1.65%, commerce 17.49%, transport and communication 9.19%, service 14.23%, construction 3.68%, religious service 0.15%, rent and remittance 1.41% and' others 8.45%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 77.77%, landless 22.23%; agricultural landowner: urban 72.28% and rural 77.95%.

Main crops Paddy, jute, wheat, potato, sugarcane, onion, garlic, turmeric, pulse, vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, kusum phul, sesame, sonamuk, china, barley, arahar, sweet potato.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, litchi, banana, papaya, coconut.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 22, dairy 109, poultry 32, hatchery 3.'

Communication facilities Pucca road 223 km, semi-pucca road 120 km, mud road 408 km; railway 25 km; waterway 40.50 nautical miles; bridge 70, culvert 90.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, bullock cart, buffalo cart.

Noted manufactories Jute mill, textile mill, rice mill, flour mill, pulse mill, ice cream factory.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, wood work, bamboo work, cane work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 37, fairs 6, most noted of which are Kanaipur, Tepakhola, Mominkha, Gendu Mollar, Gajaria, Tambulkhana, Bakhunda and Khalilpur hats; Angina, Chawdhury Bari, Jasim Palli and Akpara melas.

Main exports Jute, onion, garlic, sugarcane molasses, pulse, vegetables, turmeric.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 35.41% (urban 79.96% and rural 22.12%) of the dwellings have access to electricity.'

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 93.51%, tap 3.91%, pond 0.16% and others 2.42%.

Sanitation 55.95% (urban 89.37% and rural 45.98%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 39.02% (urban 9.22% and rural 47.91%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 5.03% (urban 1.41% and rural 6.10%) of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Medical college hospital 1, hospital 10, family planning centre 9, TB hospital 1, child and maternity centre 1, health centre 1, national heart foundation 1, clinic 18, community clinic 38.

Natural Disasters The cyclone, originated from the eastern region of meghna, of 9-10 and 30-31 October 1960 caused huge damages to settlements, livestock and crops of the upazila. The eastern part of the upazila is under constant threat due to river erosion.

NGO activities asa, World Vision, NGO Forum for Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation. [Moazzem Hussain Firoj]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Faridpur Sadar Upazila 2007.