Patharghata Upazila HQ

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

Patharghata Upazila (Barguna district) with an area of 387.36 sq km, is bounded by Mathbaria and Bamna upazilas on the north, the bay of Bengal on the south, Barguna sadar and the river Bishkhali on the east, Sarankhola upazila and the river Haringhata on the west, Main rivers are Bishkhali and Haringhata.

The location of Patharghata town is 22.0413237N 89.9692833E. Patharghata (Town) consists of 9 wards and 5 mahallas. The area of the town is 18.31 sq km. The town has a population of 13060; male 51.41%, female 48.59%; density of population is 713 per sq km. Literacy rate among the town people is 50.7%. The town has 2 dakbungalows.

Patharghata thana was turned into an upazila in 1982. The upazila consists of 7 union parishads, 42 mouzas and 67 villages.

As of the 1991 Bangladesh census: Population 134635; male 50.18% and female 49.82%; Muslim 87.80%, Hindu 12.18%, Christian 0.01% and others 0.01%.

Main occupations: Agriculture 39.57%, fishing 7.88%, agricultural labourer 18.01%, wage labourer 4.09%, commerce 11.06%, construction 1.45%, service 4.84%, others 13.10%.

Literacy and educational institutions: Average literacy 46.4%; male 49.7% and female 43%. Educational institutions: college 2, secondary school 16, government primary school 61, private primary school 69, madrasa 95.

Cultural organisations: Rural club 35, cinema hall 5 and women's organisation 7.

Religious institutions: Mosque 443 and temple 56.

Land use: Cultivable land 19968 hectares, fallow land 100 hectares; single crop 60.02%, double crop 29.98%, treble crop land 10.0%.

Land control: Among the peasants, 16% are landless, 46.7% small, 32% medium and 5.3% rich.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Poultries 6, fishery 59, hatchery 1 and dairy 4.

Communication facilities- Roads: pucca 17.54 km, mud road 368.5 km; waterways 32 nautical mile.

Manufactures: Ice factory 9, saw mill 5;

Cottage industry: Bamboo and cane work 7, wood work 25, blacksmith 15, goldsmith 12, welding 8 and tailoring150.

NGO activities: Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, caritas, proshika, grameen bank, Sankalpa and Sangram.

Health centres: Upazila health complex 1, union health and family welfare centre 5 and satellite clinic 1.