Savar Upazila HQ

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

Savar Upazila (Dhaka district) with an area of 280.13 sq km, is bounded by Kaliakair and Gazipur sadar upazilas on the north, Keraniganj upazila on the south, Mirpur, Mohammadpur, Pallabi and Uttara thanas of Dhaka City Corporation on the east, Dhamrai and Singair upazilas on the west. The land of the upazila is composed of alluvium soil of the Pleistocene period. The height of the land gradually increases from the east to the west. Main rivers are Bangshi, Turag, Buriganga and Karnatali.

Savar is located at 23.8583°N 90.2667°E. at a distance of about 24 km to the northwest of Dhaka city. Savar is mostly famous for the National Monument for the Martyrs of the Liberation War of Bangladesh (Jatiyo Smriti Soudho). It has 66,956 units of household. Savar (Town) consists of 9 wards and 55 mahallas. The area of the town is 24.1 sq km. It has a population of 124885; male 53.03%, female 46.97%; population density per sq 5182.

Savar thana was established in 1912 and was turned into an upazila in 1983. The upazila consists of one municipality, 9 wards, 11 union parishads, 175 mouzas, 321 villages.

Jahangirnagar University, P.A.T.C, Gana Bishwabiddalay, Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre, Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Institution, the only national sports institute of Bangladesh sports institution, Atomic Energy Research Establishment, Satellite Ground Receiving Station (Talibabad), National Institute of Biotechnology, Bangladesh Livestock Research Institute, Savar Youth Training Centre, Brac Training Centre, two Largest entertainment theme parks namely "Fantasy Kingdom" and "Nondon", Dhaka Export processing Zone, Savar dairy farm and a cantonment are situated here.

As of 1991 Bangladesh census, Population 378034; male 54.67%, female 45.33%; Muslim 88.59%, Hindu 10.41%, Christian 0.93%, Buddhist 0.03% and others 0.04%; ethnic nationals: 319 (Buno, Garo, Sangma and Barman).

Archeological heritage: A total of 13 ancient archaeological sites have been discovered at Savar. The distance between one site to another site is not more than two kilometres. The cultural remains discovered from these sites are pottery, brick stupas and monasteries, bronze images, gold and silver coins, iron spear-heads and a dao (iron-knife), stone querns and mullers, terracotta plaques, weights, dabbers, balls and decorated bricks. The potteries of these sites represent red, black and grey wares.

There are 318 Mosques, 8 churches and 68 other religious institutions, most noted of which are Jahangirnagar University and Savar Dairy Farm Mosques, Savar Baptist Church, Savar Daskinpara Harir Akhra Temple and Panchabati Ashram Temple.

Average literacy 37.8%: male 44.8% and female 29.1%. Educational institutions: university 2, college 5, school and college 5, high school 38, junior high school 3, madrasa 16, government primary school 88, non-government primary school 13, community school 12, satellite school 8. Noted institutions: Adhar Chandra High School (1913),

Main occupations Agriculture 24.34%, agricultural labourer 12.84%, wage labourer 4.44%, cattle breeding, forestry and fishing 1.90%, industry 1.37%, commerce 17.35%, service 20.68%, construction 1.66%, transport 3.96% and others 11.46%.

Land use: Total cultivable land 16745.71 hectares, fallow land 10551.18 hectares

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Dairy 181, hatchery 5, poultry 209, fishery 1319.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 62 km, semi pucca 56 km and mud road 562 km; highway 50 km.

Manufactories: Ceramic industry, beverage industry, press and publication, garments industry, foot ware, jute mills, textile mills, printing and dying factory, transformer industry, automobile industry, biscuit and bread factory, pharmaceutical industry, soap factory, brick field, cold storage, welding, plant nursery, etc. Bangladesh Export Processing Zone is located in this upazila.

Cottage industries, fisheries, dairies and poultry: There are 181 combined fisheries, dairies and poultry, 5 hatcheries, 209 poultry, and 1319 fisheries.

Manufacturing facilities include Ceramic industry, beverage industry, press and publication, garments industry, foot ware, jute mills, textile mills, printing and dying factory, transformer industry, automobile industry, biscuit and bread factory, pharmaceutical industry, soap factory, brick field, cold storage, welding, plant nursery, etc.

Main exports: Jackfruit, papaya, flower, sapling, dairy products, meat, transformer, fabrics, dye, medicine, ready made garments, electronics and electric goods, shoe, brick, sweetmeat etc.

Health centres: Upazila health complex 1, combined military hospital 1 (Savar Cantonment), Korea Bangladesh Friendship Hospital 1, family planning centre 7, satellite clinic 2, private clinic 21

NGO activities: Operationally important NGOs are brac, asa, proshika, grameen bank, Ganasastha Kendra, World Vision, Swanirvor Bangladesh, VERC, Palli Mangal Karmasuchi, CDD, Adesh.