Rajshahi Division

{{About|the division|the district|Rajshahi District|the metropolis|Rajshahi}}

{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}{{short description|Division of Bangladesh}}

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{{Infobox settlement

| name = Rajshahi Division

| native_name = রাজশাহী বিভাগ

| native_name_lang = bn

| settlement_type = Division of Bangladesh

| other_name = Varendra

| nickname = Land of Zamindars

| image_seal =

| image_skyline = {{Photomontage

| photo1a = পাহাড়পুর সোমপুর বিহার.jpg

| photo2b = ছোট সোনা মসজিদ - চাঁপাইনবাবগঞ্জ.jpg

| photo2a = Gokul Medh, Bogra, September 2016 10.jpg

| photo3a = Uttara Ganabhaban Natore.jpg

| photo3b = Sunrise view at Jamuna.jpg

| photo4a = Ruppur Nuclear Power Plant , Ruppur, Pabna.jpg

| position =

| spacing = 1

| color_border = white

| color = white

| size = 280

}}

| image_alt =

| image_caption = Clockwise from the top:
Somapura Mahavihara, Choto Sona Mosque, Jamuna Bridge, Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant & Hardinge Bridge, Uttara Ganabhaban and Gokul Medh

| image_map = {{switcher|File:Rajshahi in Bangladesh.svg|Rajshahi Division in Bangladesh|File:Rajshahi Division districts map.png|Districts of Rajshahi Division}}

| map_alt =

| coordinates = {{coord|25|00|N|89|00|E|region:BD_type:adm1st_source:GNS-enwiki|display=inline,title}}

| coor_pinpoint =

| coordinates_footnotes =

| subdivision_type = Country

| subdivision_name = {{flag|Bangladesh}}

| established_title = Established

| established_date = 1829

| seat_type = Capital
{{nowrap|{{nobold|and largest city}}}}

| seat = Rajshahi

| government_footnotes =

| leader_party =

| leader_title = Divisional Commissioner

| leader_name = [https://rajshahidiv.gov.bd/bn/site/officer_list/ড.-দেওয়ান-মুহাম্মদ-হুমায়ূন-কবীর Dr. Dewan Muhammad Humayun Kabir]{{cite web | url=http://pmis.mopa.gov.bd/pmis/Forms/divcommlist.php | title=List of Divisional Commissioners | access-date=20 June 2022 | archive-date=18 June 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220618085224/http://pmis.mopa.gov.bd/pmis/Forms/divcommlist.php | url-status=dead }}

| leader_title1 = Deputy Inspector General (DIG)

| leader_name1 = [https://policedig.rajshahidiv.gov.bd/en/site/view/OfficerList Mohammad Shahjahan]

| leader_title2 = Parliamentary constituency

| leader_name2 = Jatiya Sangsad (39 seats)

| unit_pref = Metric

| area_footnotes =

| area_total_km2 = 18174.4

| area_note =

| elevation_footnotes =

| elevation_m =

| population_footnotes = {{Cite book |url=https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/b343a8b4_956b_45ca_872f_4cf9b2f1a6e0/2024-01-31-15-51-b53c55dd692233ae401ba013060b9cbb.pdf |title=National Report |date=November 2023 |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics |isbn=978-9844752016 |series=Population and Housing Census 2022 |volume=1 |location=Dhaka |pages=386}}

| population_total = 20353116 (Enumerated)

| population_as_of = 2022

| population_metro_footnotes =

| population_blank1_title = Adjusted Population

| population_blank1 = 20794019

| population_demonym =

| population_density_km2 =

| population_urban = 4840396

| population_urban_footnotes =

| population_rural = 15511404

| population_rural_footnotes =

| population_metro = 553,241

| demographics_type1 = Languages

| demographics1_title1 = Official language

| demographics1_info1 = Bengali{{cite web |url=http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-details-367.html |title=The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh |website=Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs |access-date=1 February 2017 |archive-date=10 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110101626/http://bdlaws.minlaw.gov.bd/act-details-367.html |url-status=live }}

| demographics1_title2 = {{nobold| Minority languages}}

| demographics1_info2 = {{Collapsible list

| titlestyle = background:transparent;text-align:left;font-weight:normal;font-size:100%;

| title = List{{cite web |url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/BD/ |title=Bangladesh |website=Ethnologue |access-date=7 January 2024}}

|Santali

|Koda

|Maithili

|Paharia

|Kol

|Urdu}}

| population_note =

| timezone1 = BST

| utc_offset1 = +6

| iso_code = BD-E

| website = {{URL|rajshahidiv.gov.bd/}}

| footnotes =

| blank_name_sec1 = HDI (2017)

| blank_info_sec1 = 0.602{{Cite web|url=https://hdi.globaldatalab.org/areadata/shdi/|title=Sub-national HDI - Area Database|website=Global Data Lab|language=en|access-date=13 September 2018}}
{{color|#fc0|medium}}

| blank_name_sec2 = Notable sport teams

| blank_info_sec2 = Rajshahi Kings, Rajshahi Division

| official_name =

}}

Rajshahi Division ({{langx|bn|রাজশাহী বিভাগ}}) is one of the eight first-level administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It has an area of {{convert|18,174.4|sqkm}} and a population at the 2022 Census of 20,353,119.{{cite web |url=http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/PopCenZilz2011/NRV-1Report2011.pdf |title=Population Census 2011: National Volume-1: Analytical Report |author= |website=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics |page=199 |access-date=February 9, 2016 |archive-date=April 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220404115714/http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/PopCenZilz2011/NRV-1Report2011.pdf |url-status=dead }} Rajshahi Division consists of 8 districts, 70 upazilas (the next lower administrative tier) and 1,092 unions (the lowest administrative tier).

The region has historically been dominated by various feudal Rajas, Maharajas and Zamindars.[https://books.google.com/books?id=aqidO6AIiUoC&dq=dighapatia+zamindar&pg=PA6 Encyclopedia of Bangladesh pp 6] Formerly comprising 16 districts, a new division (Rangpur Division) was formed with the 8 northern districts of the old Rajshahi Division from early 2010.{{cite Banglapedia|author=Sajahan Miah|article=Rajshahi Division}}