Gopalganj District is one of the administrative districts of Bihar. Gopalganj town is the district headquarters. Gopalganj District is a part of Saran Division. This administrative district of Bihar was established on 2nd October 1973. Earlier it was Gopalganj sub-division of Chhapra District. Main languages spoken in the district are Bhojpuri language and Hindi language.
History of Gopalganj District
History of Gopalganj District is a part of the history of old Saran District, which included the present districts of Saran District, Siwan District and Gopalganj District. The composite Saran district lying on one of the main lines of the Aryans advance was probably occupied at an early period by Aryan races. The Chero tribe are said to have held the country for many centuries and traces of their rule are still pointed out through the archaeological remains found in different places of the region. These aboriginal inhabitants are believed to have been subdued by immigrant Rajputs after a conflict which lasted for hundred of years.
Geography of Gopalganj District
Gopalganj District is located between 20 degree 12 minutes and 26 degree 39 minutes north latitudes and 83 degree 54 minutes to 84 degree 55 minutes east longitudes, in the northern part of the state. East Champaran District and West Champaran District bound Gopalganj District in the north, by Siwan District and Chappra District in the south, by East Champaran and Muzaffarpur Districts in the east and by Uttar Pradesh in the west. This district occupies a total area of 2033 sq kms. Administration of Gopalganj District has been divided into two sub-divisions Hathwa and Gopalganj, each sub-division consisting of seven blocks. District Collector being the top level of this hierarchy, sub-divisional magistrates (SDM) and Tehsildars are the head of the sub-divisions and tehsils respectively. For block level administration, Block Development Officer (BDO) acts as the coordinator of the functions of the respective block. To implement this administrative set-up in the district, police department assists the local administration through various police stations spread all over the district.
Demography of Gopalganj District
According to the Census in 2011, Gopalganj District had a total population of 2,558,037 of which male and female were 1,269,677 and 1,288,360 respectively. The population of Gopalganj District constituted 2.46 percent of total population of Bihar. The average literacy rate of Gopalganj in 2011 was 67.04 compared to 47.48 of 2001. If things are looked out at gender wise, male and female literacy were 78.38 and 56.03 respectively. The total literates in Gopalganj District were 1,421,866 of which male and female were 818,991 and 602,875 respectively.
Gopalganj District has a network of government aided health facilities, which include district hospital, rural hospitals, primary health centres, sub-centres and dispensaries. Major national and state highways pass through the district. Gopalganj is a railway junction connected to major cities of the country.