Jhalokati, also spelled Jhalokathi, 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, Barguna district to the east and the Bishkhali river in the south, and Pirojpur district to the west. 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 motto of the district.

History

Jhalokati subdivision was established in 1972, shortly after the Liberation of East Pakistan, now Bangladesh and was turned into a district in 1984. The 2021 Bangladesh ferry fire occurred on the Sugandha River near the town.

Subdivisions

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

Administration

Zilla Parishad Chairman/Administrator: Khan Saifullah Panir Deputy Commissioner (DC): Md. Johar Ali

Transportation

Population

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Jhalokati District had 162,401 households and a population of 661,160 with an average 4.02 people per household. Among the population, 121,894 (18.44%) inhabitants 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. Approximately, 27.85% of the population lived in urban areas. The ethnic population was 203.

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.After partition,many Hindus of the area migrated to West Bengal now in India. Most of the local residents speak a native dialect of Bengali, known by fellow countrymen as "Barishailla".

Notable personalities