Sylhet Division facts for kids

Sylhet Division Greater Sylhet
Division
Tea Gardens of Srimongol
Map of Sylhet Division in red
Country	Bangladesh
Area
• Total	12,595.95 km2 (4,863.32 sq mi)
Population (2011 census)
• Total	9,807,000
• Density	778.58/km2 (2,016.52/sq mi)
Time zone	BST (UTC+6)

Sylhet Division is the Northeastern division of Bangladesh. It is named after its main city, Sylhet. The division is bordered by the Meghalaya State of India on the north, Tripura State on the south, Assam State of India on the east and Dhaka and Chittagong divisions on the west. Bangladeshis also claims the Karimganj Thana as part of its country.

Demographics

The population of Sylhet Division is about 10 million. Followers of different religions are: Muslim 81.16%, Hindu 17.80%, Christian 0.06%, Buddhist 0.02% and others 0.96%.

History of Sylhet

In the late 18th century, the British East India Company became interested in Sylhet. They saw it as an area of strategic importance in the war against Burma. Sylhet gradually fell under British control and administration. It was governed as a part of Bengal. After the British administrative reorganization of India, Sylhet became a part of Assam. It remained a part of Assam for the rest of the era of British rule.

In 1947, after a referendum, almost all of Sylhet as a district became a part of East Bengal at the time and remained so after Bangladeshi independence. The Karimganj subdivision became part of the new Indian state of Assam. The referendum was held on 3 July 1947. There were a total of 546,815 votes cast on 239 polling stations. A majority of 43.8 per cent voted in favour of East Bengal. There were protests about false votes, but the referendum was acknowledged during India's independence on 18 July 1947. In 1971, Sylhet became part of the newly formed country of Bangladesh.

Images for kids

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  Madhabpur lake of the division's Moulvibazar district.

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  Shaheed Minar replica at Srimongol

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  Osmani International Airport

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  Sylhet Railway station