Dhaka

For other uses, see Dhaka (disambiguation).

Dhaka is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. Dhaka is a megacity, and has a population of 10.2 million residents as of 2022, and a population of over 22.4 million residents in Greater Dhaka. It is widely considered to be one of the most densely populated built-up urban area in the world.

ঢাকা Dacca
Megacity
Skyline of Motijheel Sangsad Bhaban Ahsan Manzil in Old Dhaka Lalbagh Fort Curzon Hall of the University of Dhaka Independence Monument in Suhrawardy Udyan
Coordinates: 23°45′50″N 90°23′20″E
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Dhaka Division
District	Dhaka District
Establishment	1608 (1608)
Government
• Type	Mayor–council
• Body	DNCC and DSCC
• Mayor of North Dhaka	Atiqul Islam
• Mayor of South Dhaka	Sheikh Fazle Noor Taposh
• Police Commissioner	Khandker Golam Faruq
Area
• Megacity	305.47 km2 (117.94 sq mi)
• Metro	2,161.17 km2 (834.432 sq mi)
Elevation	32 m (104.96 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Megacity	10,278,882
• Rank	1st
• Density	33,649.4/km2 (87,151.5/sq mi)
• Metro	22,478,116
Time zone	UTC+06:00 (BST)
Postal code	1000, 1100, 12xx, 13xx
Vehicle registration	DHAKA-D-11-9999""111
HDI (2021)	0.745 high · 1st of 20
Calling code	02 (for Dhaka City only)
Police	Dhaka Metropolitan Police
International airport	Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport
Rapid Transit	Dhaka Metro Rail
Metro GDP 2023 (Market XR)	$95 billion (per capita $4,018)
Metro GDP 2023 (PPP)	$316 billion (per capita $13,614)
Website	dncc.gov.bd (Dhaka North City Corporation) dscc.gov.bd (Dhaka South City Corporation)

It is located just north of the Buriganga River, a channel of the Dhaleswari River, in the south-central part of the country. Dhaka is Bangladesh’s most populous city and is one of the largest metropolises in South Asia. Pop. (2001) city, 5,333,571; metro. area, 9,672,763; (2011) city, 7,033,075; metro. area, 14,543,124.

It was part of the Mughal Empire of Hindustan and served as the capital of the empire twice. Once from 1608 to 1639 and once from 1660 to 1704. After that, it became a part of the British Raj. Then it became a part of Pakistan as part of the Partition of India on 15 August 1947. Bangladesh was then called East Pakistan, and Dacca (Dhaka) became provincial capital of East Pakistan. In 1971, the new nation of Bangladesh was created.

Dhaka is home to Bangladesh Bank which is the country's central bank. Many multinational companies have offices in the city. The Dhaka Stock Exchange is one of the largest stock exchanges in South Asia.

The Bangabhaban in Dhaka is the official residence and workplace of the President of Bangladesh. It is also home to the National Parliament House.

There are 52 universities in Dhaka. Dhaka College was started in 1841, making it the oldest institution for higher education in the city.

A monument in Dhaka called ShaheedMinar

History

Dhakeshwari (“The Hidden Goddess”), whose shrine is located in the western part of the city. Although the city’s history can be traced to the 1st millennium CE, the city did not rise to prominence until the 17th century, when it served as the capital of the Muslim Mughal dynasty of Bengal province (1608–39 and 1660–1704). It was the center of a flourishing sea trade, attracting English, French, Armenian, Portuguese, and Dutch traders.

Historic buildings of the Muslim period include Lal Bagh fort (1678) and its tomb of Bibi Pari (died 1684), wife of a governor of Bengal; the Bara Katra (great caravansary, a building historically used for sheltering caravans and other travelers; 1664); the Chhota Katra (small caravansary; 1663); and Husayni Dalan (a religious monument of the Shīʿite branch of Islam; 1642). Other 17th-century buildings include the Hindu Dhakeshwari temple and Tejgaon church, built by the Portuguese.

With the removal of the provincial capital to Murshidabad (1704) and the weakening of the muslin industry, Dhaka entered a period of decline. It passed under British control in 1765 and was constituted a municipality in 1864, but it continued to lose prominence until it was designated the capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam province (1905–12). During the early 20th century Dhaka served as a commercial center and seat of learning. Following the end of British rule, when the region became a part of Pakistan, it was named the capital of East Bengal province (1947) and of East Pakistan (1956). Dhaka suffered heavy damage during the war of independence in 1971 but emerged as the capital of Bangladesh.

Education

It has one of the best schools for students to study in and it is a very educational city. Dhaka has the largest number of schools, colleges and universities of any Bangladeshi city. The education system is divided into 5 levels: Primary (from grades 1 to 6), Junior (from grades 6 to 8), Secondary (from grades 9 to 10), Higher Secondary (from grades 11 to 12) and tertiary.[98] The five years of Primary education concludes with a Primary School Completion (PSC) Examination, the three years of Junior education concludes with Junior School Certificate (JSC) Examination, and next two years of Secondary education concludes with a Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Examination. Students who pass this examination proceed to two years of Higher Secondary or intermediate training, which culminate in a Higher Secondary School Certificate (HSC) Examination.[98] Education is mainly offered in Bengali, but English is also widely taught and used. Many Muslim families send their children to attend part-time courses or even to pursue full-time religious education alongside other subjects, which is imparted in Bengali and Arabic in schools, colleges and madrasas.Dhaka College is the oldest institution for higher education in the city and among the earliest established in British India, founded in 1841. Since independence, Dhaka has seen the establishment of numerous public and private colleges and universities that offer undergraduate and graduate degrees as well as a variety of doctoral programmes.

The Contemporary City

Since its establishment as the capital city, the population, area, and social and economic diversity of Dhaka have grown tremendously. Together with its river port of Narayanganj, 10 miles (16 km) to the south, Dhaka now is one of the most densely industrialized regions in the country. Traditional products include jamdani (fine-quality muslin), embroidery, silk, and jewelry. Among the city’s major industries are jute processing and the manufacture of chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather goods, ceramics, and electronics products. A strong export-oriented garment industry emerged in the late 20th century.

The area around Dhaka consists of a level plain bounded by the Meghna, Padma (Ganges [Ganga]), and Jamuna (Brahmaputra) rivers. The plain is crossed by a network of streams and rivers, the chief being the Dhaleswari, Buriganga, and Sitalakhya. Important crops are rice, jute, sugarcane, and oilseeds; there is also some cattle farming.

The city contains several universities, among which the University of Dhaka (1921), the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (1962), and Jahangirnagar University (1970) are prominent. Dhaka is also home to numerous government colleges, a nuclear-science training and research centre, the national library, a museum, and the national art gallery. In addition, the area includes the site of the ancient city of Vikramapura, former capital of the Pala rulers of Bengal (8th–12th century). Among Dhaka’s more recent buildings of note are the Star Mosque (Tara Masjid), built in the Mughal architectural style in the early 19th century with later renovations; Curzon Hall at the University of Dhaka, erected at the beginning of the 20th century, combining Mughal and European influences; and the National Assembly Building (Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban), designed by architect Louis I. Kahn and completed in 1982.

Place to visit

• Ahsan Manzil Museum
• Lalbagh Fort
• National Parliament House
• Sonargaon
• Bangladesh National Museum

Dhaka-Agartala Bus

After years of negotiations, the Dhaka-Agartala bus was agreed upon on July 11, 2001. The bus connects Bangladesh with its eastern neighbor, the Indian state of Tripura. Tripura has a substantial Bengali population and indigenous peoples who have close commercial and cultural links with the people of eastern Bangladesh.

Gallery

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  National Assembly of Bangladesh, Dhaka.

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  National Assembly of Bangladesh, Backside.

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  Hatirjheel 2nd-bridge, Dhaka.

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  Crescent Lake - Chandrima Uddan.

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  Mausoleum of Ziaur Rahman, Chandrima Uddan.

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  Sunrise in Dhaka.

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  Dhanmondi 32 Lake

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  Hatirjheel Bridhe

Dhaka Media

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  Dhaka was the capital of the Mughal province of Bengal, Bihar and Orissa

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  Lalbagh Kella (Lalbagh Fort)

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  বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি প্রাঙ্গণে অবস্থিত নিমতলী দেউড়ি সংস্কার করে এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি ঐতিহ্য জাদুঘর প্রতিষ্ঠা করা হয়।

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  Woman draped in muslin and holding a hookah in Dhaka in 1789

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  Court of the Naib Nazim of Dhaka, the governor of Dhaka, Chittagong and Comilla under the Nawabs of Bengal

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  China (porcelain) belonging to a family of Old Dhaka in the 1800s.

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  A horse racing derby taking place in Dhaka in 1890.

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  Lord Curzon (standing far left) with early automobiles in Shahbag in 1904

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  Panorama of the Dhaka waterfront in 1847

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  Dhaka was the capital of Eastern Bengal and Assam in the British Raj between 1905 and 1912

• NASA animation showing the urban growth of Dhaka from 1972 to 2001.

Other websites

• Dhaka in Banglapedia