Barishal Diocese is located in the city with the same name on the banks of the Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh.
Barishal, the largest city in the Barishal Division has one of the oldest municipalities. Barishal is also the administrative headquarters of both the Barishal district and the Barishal Division.
Barishal Diocese has the Diocese of Chittagong to the east, and the Diocese of Khulna to the west as borders.
Barishal Diocese covers an area of 20.708 square kilometers. Out of a population of 15,183,927, Catholics make up to 29,685.
The diocese has five parishes which are served by 13 diocesan priests, six religious priests, four religious men, 29 religious women and three major seminarians.
Barishal was a semi-independent area during the Mughal period due to the intense fighting between the Mughals and the Hindu chiefs.
In the course of time, it fell under the Bengal Nawabs and then to the colonial British India. It was later passed to East Pakistan during the Partition and then finally to Bangladesh.
Barishal has one of the biggest river ports in the area. It is a city with nearly 0.38 million people and a divisional headquarters, medical college, cadet college, pharmaceutical and textile industries, and the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority's head office.
Barishal Diocese is located in a fast-growing city. The country's first short take-off and landing airport has been completed in Barishal and a private airlines, Air Bengal, has begun regular service between Dhaka Tejgaon Airport and Barishal.
The city is sometimes called the "Venice of the East" or the "Venice of Bengal".
Barishal has a tropical wet and dry climate.
Barishal is a rice-producing center of Bangladesh.
Balam (a kind of basmati rice) is the most popular rice in Barishal. It is also famous for betel leaf, a typical South Asian chewing leaf.
As the Barishal Diocese territory is surrounded by river, fish is available in plenty there. The Bengali saying, "Dhan, nadi, khal ai tine Barishal," translates to "paddy, river, and canal are the three things that make Barishal.”
Coconut is a common fruit as the city is located near the coast. Barishal is also known for its hog plum.
The products exported in the region include - Agricultural products, Hilsha fish, medicines, empty gelatine capsules, cement, etc.
The majority of Barishal's people are Muslims (89.50 percent), mainly Sunni Islam Hanafi. Other religious groups include Hindus (8.5 percent), Christians (4 percent) and Buddhists (0.60 percent).
Since 2015-end, the Catholic minority forming a part of the Bangadesh's population in Barishal has its own diocese.
