Jhalokati District

Jhalokati, also spelled Jhalokathi, (ঝালকাঠি) is a district in southern Bangladesh. It is located in the Barisal Division and covers an area of 758.06 km2 It is bounded by Barisal district to the north and east, Barguna district and the Bishkhali river in the south, and Pirojpur district to the west. Annual average temperatures: maximum 33.3 °C, minimum 12.1 °C; annual rainfall 2506 mm. The main rivers in this district are the Bishkhali, Dhanshiri, Gabkhan, Sugandha, Jangalia, Bamanda and Bajitpur. "পেয়ারা আর শীতলপাটি, এই নিয়ে ঝালকাঠি" "(Jhalokathi, The land of tasty Guava and Shitolpati)" is the official moto of the district.

History
The 2021 Bangladesh ferry fire occurred on the Sugandha River near the town.

Subdivisions
The district is administratively subdivided into 4 upazilas, these are:


 * 1) Jhalokati Sadar Upazila
 * 2) Kathalia Upazila
 * 3) Nalchity Upazila
 * 4) Rajapur Upazila

Administration
Zilla Parishad Chairman/Administrator: Khan Saifullah Panir (খান সাইফুল্লাহ পনির)

Deputy Commissioner (DC): Md. Johar Ali

Transportation

 * Roads & Highways:
 * Rural communications: Water transport is a major attraction in Jhalokati district. People can travel at a cheap cost by boats and various types of engine boats. Jhalokati is famous for its beautiful rivers and canals. Tourists can find it enjoyable to travel through boats.

Population
According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Jhalokati District had 162,401 households and a population of 661,160. 121,894 (18.44%) were under 10 years of age. The population density was 935 people per km2. Jhalokati district had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 83.21%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 1088 females per 1000 males. 27.85% of the population lived in urban areas.

Religion
A large majority of the district population is Muslim. It has 2475 mosques, 46 Hindu temples and five Buddhist pagodas. The percentage share of minority Hindus and Christians has seen a decline in absolute numbers since the 1981 census.

Most people of this district speaks Barisali dialect of Bengali which is the dialect of nearby Barisal city.

Media
Print media:
 * Prothom Alo (National)
 * Kaler kantho (National)
 * Samakal (National)
 * The Daily Star (National)

Telecommunications:
 * BTCL
 * Bangla Link
 * Teletalk
 * Grameen Phone
 * Robi etc.

Satellite Television:
 * Akash dth.

Notable personalities

 * Maqsudullah, Islamic scholar and first Pir of Talgachhia
 * Nachiketa Chakraborty, famous Tollywood singer's family hails from Chechri Rampur village in Kathalia Upazila
 * Kabir Ahmed, former international footballer who played for the Pakistan