Dhaka

Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh.

Millions of people live there. A river called the Buriganga flows past the city. Many boats travel on the river.

Dhaka is the capital of Bangladesh and its most populous city. It lies in the south-central part of the country, just north of the Buriganga River, and it is one of the largest cities in South Asia.

The city is run by two city corporations, Dhaka North and Dhaka South. Bangladesh's 2022 census counted about 10.3 million people in the two of them together, and many more live in the towns around them. The 2011 census counted about 14.5 million people in the whole metropolitan area.

Dhaka lies just north of the Buriganga River, a channel of the Dhaleswari, in south-central Bangladesh; Britannica calls it the country's most populous city and one of the largest metropolises in South Asia.

The city is governed as two city corporations. The Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics' Population and Housing Census 2022 counted 5,990,723 people in Dhaka North and 4,305,063 in Dhaka South, about 10.3 million together (the preliminary report of July 2022 gave 5,979,537 and 4,299,345). The 2011 census recorded 7,033,075 in the city and 14,543,124 in the metropolitan area.

Dhaka has an old fort called Lalbagh Fort.

It was built more than 300 years ago. Dhaka also has a parliament building designed by a famous architect.

Lalbagh Fort dates from 1678, when Dhaka was a Mughal capital. Inside is the tomb of Bibi Pari, the wife of a governor of Bengal. Dhaka also has two old caravansaries, the Bara Katra and the Chhota Katra, built in the 1660s as places where traveling merchants could stay.

Curzon Hall at the University of Dhaka, built at the start of the 1900s, mixes Mughal and European styles. The National Assembly Building, where Bangladesh's parliament meets, was designed by the architect Louis I. Kahn and completed in 1982.

Britannica lists the Mughal-period monuments: Lalbagh Fort (1678) with the tomb of Bibi Pari (died 1684), wife of a governor of Bengal; the Bara Katra (1664) and Chhota Katra (1663), great and small caravansaries for sheltering caravans and travelers; and the Husayni Dalan (1642), a Shia monument. Other 17th-century buildings include the Dhakeshwari temple and the Tejgaon church, built by the Portuguese.

Later landmarks include the Star Mosque (Tara Masjid), built in the Mughal style in the early 19th century and renovated since; Curzon Hall (early 20th century), combining Mughal and European influences; and the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, the National Assembly Building, designed by Louis I. Kahn and completed in 1982.

Dhaka has lots of rickshaws. A rickshaw is a small three-wheeled cart pulled by one person.

They are painted with flowers, birds and animals. Dhaka also has a train that runs high above the street.

Look at a Dhaka street and you will see rickshaws: small three-wheeled passenger vehicles, each pulled by one person. Almost every part is painted with flowers, birds, animals and famous faces, and decorated with tassels and tinsel. In 2023 UNESCO added Dhaka's rickshaws and rickshaw painting to its list of the world's living heritage.

Roads are often jammed with traffic. Bangladesh's first metro rail brings some relief. MRT Line-6 runs on a raised track for 20.1 kilometers from Uttara to Motijheel. When the section to Motijheel opened in 2023, the trip took about half an hour instead of two to three hours by road.

UNESCO inscribed "Rickshaws and rickshaw painting in Dhaka" on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2023. Craftsmen build the rickshaws by hand, and painters cover almost every part with floral patterns, animals, historical scenes, national heroes, film stars and text; because the vehicles move slowly, UNESCO describes them as a roving exhibition. Workshops pass the craft on orally and by hands-on training.

MRT Line-6, built as a 20.10 km elevated line by Dhaka Mass Transit Company Limited, is the country's first metro rail. The Daily Star reported in November 2023 that with the Agargaon–Motijheel section open, the 20.10 km route from Uttara could be ridden in about half an hour, against two to three hours by road. The same report says the government plans six metro lines, a network of about 140 km in and around Dhaka.

People in Dhaka make many things, like clothes and fine cloth.

The city has many universities. It has a museum and a national library too.

Dhaka and its river port, Narayanganj, about 16 kilometers to the south, form one of the most industrialized areas in Bangladesh. Clothes made in Dhaka are sold around the world, and the city is also known for jamdani, a very fine, light cotton cloth called muslin, as well as embroidery and silk.

The University of Dhaka was founded in 1921, and the city has several other universities, a national library, a museum and a national art gallery.

Together with Narayanganj, 16 km south, Dhaka is one of the most densely industrialized regions of Bangladesh. Traditional products include jamdani (fine-quality muslin), embroidery, silk and jewelry; major industries include jute processing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, leather goods, ceramics and electronics, and a strong export-oriented garment industry emerged in the late 20th century.

Prominent universities include the University of Dhaka (1921), the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (1962) and Jahangirnagar University (1970). The city also has a nuclear-science training and research center, the national library, a museum and the national art gallery. Nearby lies the site of Vikramapura, the former capital of the Pala rulers of Bengal (8th–12th century).