The Khulna District (, Khulna Jela also Khulna Zila) is a district of Bangladesh. It is located in the Khulna Division, bordered on the north by the Jessore District and the Narail District, on the south by the Bay of Bengal, on the east by the Bagerhat District, and on the west by the Satkhira District. It was the very first sub-division of United Bengal Province established in 1842 under Jessore district. On 1 June 1882, by notification of the official gazette published from Kolkata, Khulna and Bagerhat sub-division of Jessore district and Satkhira sub-division of 24 Pargana district formed the new Zila 'Khulna'. Geography and climate Khulna District has a total area of . It borders Jessore District to the north, Narail District to the northeast, Bagerhat District to the east, the Bay of Bengal to the south, and Satkhira District to the west. Major rivers of Khulna District are the Rupsa (a continuation of the Bhairab and Atrai), Arpangachhia, Shibsa, Pasur, and the Koyra. Demographics At the time of the 2011 census, Khulna district had a population of 2,318,527 of which 1,175,686 were males and 1,142,841 were females. Rural population was 1,540,939 (66.46%) while urban population was 777,588 (33.54%). Khulna had a literacy rate 60.14% for the population 7 years and above: 64.32% for males and 55.85% for females. 76.63% of the population was Muslim and 22.68% Hindu at the time of the 2011 census. There was a small minority of Christians as well which was 0.66% of the population. Khulna was a Hindu-majority part of Bangladesh before Partition, but during the massive riots in the 1950s and 60s most of the Hindus there fled to India. The population of Hindus and Christians has remained constant since 1981, but their absolute numbers have fallen massively. Education The district contains educational institutions including: School Government Coronation Secondary Girls' School Government Daulatpur Muhsin High School Khulna Zilla School Colleges Govt Majid Memorial City College Khulna Government Model School and Collage Khulna Medical College Khulna Collectorate Public School and College Universities Khulna University of Engineering & Technology Khulna University Khulna Agricultural University See also Districts of Bangladesh Khulna Division Notes References Districts of Bangladesh Districts of Bangladesh established before 1971