Patnitala Upazila HQ

 township, subdistrict, fourth-level administrative division, local government

Patnitala Upazila (Naogaon district) with an area of 382.39 sq km, is bounded by Dhamoirhat upazila and West Bengal of India on the north, Mahadevpur upazila on the south, Badalgachhi upazila on the east, Sapahar and Porsha upazilas on the west. Main rivers are Atrai and Shiba.

The location of the Patnitala town is 25.0500°N 88.7333°E. Patnitala (Town) consists of four mouzas. The area of the town is 4.73 km. It has a population of 8586; male 54.29%, female 45.71%; density of population is 1815 per sq km; literacy 58.1%.

Patnitala was made a thana in 1907 and was turned into an upazila in 1983. The upazila has 11 unions and 301 villages.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 198164; male 51.26%, female 48.74%; Muslim 76.48%, Hindu 16.41%, Christian 1.3%, others 5.81%; ethnic nationals: Santals and Oraon.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 11.5%; male 17.3%, female 5.6%. Educational institutions: college 4, secondary school 37, government primary school 82, non-government primary school 39, madrasa 12; Sarlabala (Gandhi) Girl's School (1920), Nazipur Pilot High School (1930) are notable.

Religious institutions Mosque 336, temple 147, church 9, pilgrim 1.

Main occupations Agriculture 49.31%, agricultural labourer 31.77%, commerce 6.54%, wage labourer 1.77%, service 3.22%, others 7.39%.

Land use Cultivable land 30995 hectares, fallow land 283 hectares; single crop 44%, double crop 38% and treble crop land 18%. Land under irrigation 95%.

Land control Among the peasants, 8% are landless, 48% marginal, 33% medium and 11% rich.

Dairies, fisheries and poultries Dairy 2, fishery 1, hatchery 1, poultry 20.

Communications facilities Roads: pucca 35.66 km, semi pucca 480 km and mud road 418.27 km.

Manufactories Flour mill 2, ice factory 6, biscuit factory 4, rice mill 50.

Cottage industries Bamboo work 7, goldsmith 42, blacksmith 115, wood work 400, tailoring 255, welding 20.

Minerals resources Copper field at Ambati and a limestone field at Chawk Nirkhin.

NGOs activities Operationally important NGOs are caritas, CARE, proshika, brac, asa and thengamara mahila sabuj sangha.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, satellite clinic 6, family planning centre 5.