Noakhali Sadar Upazila

Noakhali Sadar is an upazila of Noakhali District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. Noakhali Thana was established in 1861 and was converted into an upazila in 1984. The upazila takes its name from the district and the Bengali word sadar . It is the subdistrict where the district headquarters, Noakhali town, is located. The town is situated on the western bank of the Noakhali Canal, from which it takes its name. The Noakhali Canal was dug in 1660 to control flooding of the river Dakatia. The name Noakhali means "New canal", derived from the Bengali words noa and khal .GeographyNoakhali Sadar Upazila has a total area of. It borders Begumganj Upazila to the north, Kabirhat Upazila to the east, Suborno Char Upazila to the south, and Komolnagar and Lakshmipur Sadar upazilas of Lakshmipur District to the west. The Noakhali Canal flows north through the upazila.DemographicsAccording to the 2011 Bangladesh census, Noakhali Sadar Upazila had 100,219 households and a population of 525,934, 24.9% of whom lived in urban areas. 12.3% of the population was under the age of 5. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 51.7%, compared to the national average of 51.8%.The boundaries of the upazila were redrawn in 2005 to create a new upazila, Suborno Char, and again in 2006 to create Kabirhat Upazila. The combined population of the three in 2011 was 1,012,392, a 32% increase from 2001.