Khulna District

The Khulna District (খুলনা জেলা, Khulna Jela also Khulna Zila) is a district of Bangladesh. It is located in the Khulna Division, bordered on the north by Jessore District and Narail District, on the south by the Bay of Bengal, on the east by the Bagerhat District, and on the west by the Satkhira District. It was the first sub-division of United Bengal Province established in 1842 under Jessore district. On 1 June 1882, by notification of the official gazette published from Kolkata, Khulna and Bagerhat sub-division of Jessore district and Satkhira sub-division of 24 Pargana district formed the new district of Khulna.

Geography and climate
Khulna District has a total area of 4389.11 sqkm. It borders Jessore District to the north, Narail District to the northeast, Bagerhat District to the east, the Bay of Bengal to the south, and Satkhira District to the west.

Khulna district is comprised mostly of flat plains. The northernmost part of the district, north of Khulna town, comprises deltaic silt deposits and is relatively elevated compared to the rest of the district. The central part of the district is relatively lower in elevation and comprises tidal deltaic deposits. The majority of the district was once covered by the Sunderbans, but these now cover only the southern part of the district.

The district is divided by numerous rivers and khals. Major rivers of Khulna District are the Rupsa (a continuation of the Bhairab and Atrai), Arpangachhia, Shibsa, Pasur, and the Koyra.

History
Khulna district does not have a significant ancient history, due to its coverage by the Sunderbans mangroves for a long time. Settlements dating to 800-900 CE have been found in Rezakpur village in Khulna's Paikgachha Upazila. Muslim rule came to Khulna during the 14th century. The saint Khan Jahan Ali obtained a jagir containing the present district. In the 16th century, Maharaja Pratapaditya ruled present Khulna, Bagerhat and Satkhira districts before being conquered by the Mughals. The region then became part of the Sarkar of Khalifatabad. It came under British rule after the Battle of Plassey, and was part of Jessore district until 1882.

Demographics
According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Khulna District had 670,861 households and a population of 2,613,385. 418,531 inhabitants, or 16.01% of the population, were under 10 years of age. The population density was 595 people per km2. Khulna district had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 80.66%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 992 females per 1,000 males. 40.83% of the population lived in urban areas.

76.63% of the population was Muslim and 22.68% Hindu at the time of the 2011 census. A small minority of Christians constituted 0.66% of the population.

Khulna was a Hindu-majority part of Bangladesh before Partition, but during the massive riots in the 1950s and 1960s most of the Hindus there fled to India. The population of Hindus and Christians has remained constant since 1981, but their percentages have fallen massively.

Education
Khulna district has about 1,700 primary and secondary schools, and 320,000 pupils. 15% of schools have no drinking water sources. Tubewells (55%) and rainwater harvesting (20%) are common sources of drinking water for schools in this district.

The district contains the following educational institutions:

Schools:
 * Government Coronation Secondary Girls' School
 * Government Daulatpur Muhsin High School
 * Khulna Zilla School

Colleges: Universities:
 * Govt Majid Memorial City College
 * Khulna Government Model School and Collage
 * Khulna Medical College
 * Khulna Dental College
 * Khulna Collectorate Public School and College
 * Khulna University of Engineering & Technology
 * Khulna University
 * Khulna Agricultural University
 * Sheikh Hasina Medical University

Healthcare infrastructure
The Khulna district has about 300 healthcare centres according to the Facility Registry of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. This includes community clinics, union health centres, union health sub-centres, and upazila health complexes.