Bhurungamari Upazila

Bhurungamari (ভুরুঙ্গামারী) is the northernmost upazila of Kurigram District in the Division of Rangpur, Bangladesh.

Geography
Bhurungamari is located at 26.125°N, 89.6833°W. It has 57,005 households and total area 236.26 km2.

Demographics
According to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Bhurungamari Upazila had 57,005 households and a population of 231,538. 54,360 (23.48%) were under 10 years of age. Bhurungamari had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 39.57%, compared to the national average of 51.8%, and a sex ratio of 1040 females per 1000 males. 29,683 (12.82%) lived in urban areas.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Bhurungamari has a population of 176822. Males constitute are 50.38% of the population, and females 49.62%. This Upazila's eighteen up population is 88435. Bhurungamari has an average literacy rate of 19.5% (7+ years), and the national average of 32.4% literate.

Administration
Bhurungamari Upazila is divided into ten union parishads: Andharijhar, Bhurungamari, Boldia, Bangasonahat, Char Bhurungamari, Joymarirhat, Paiker Chhara, Pathardubi, Shilkhuri, and Tilai. The union parishads are subdivided into 70 mauzas and 126 villages.

Railway links
During the British era, there was a railway line linking Assam with Bengal that passed through Bhurngamari. The rail link was closed after the partition of India in 1947. Possibilities of resumption of traffic through the Bhurugamari-Sonahat section was discussed when the resumption of rail traffic between India and Pakistan took place in 1955.

Note: The map alongside presents the position as it stands today (2020). The international border was not there when the railways were first laid in the area in the 19th-20th century. It came up in 1947. Since then, it has been an effort to live up to the new realities. The map is 'interactive' (the larger version) - it means that all the places shown in the map are linked in the full screen map.

Developments
An inland port has been set up at Sonahat.

In 2018, the existing road bridge across the Dudhkumar River was found to be weak and a new bridge was sanctioned, along with a new highway. The Kurigram (Daserhat)-Nageshwari-Bhurungamari-Sonahat Land port road is to be converted to a national highway.