Barisal (Bengali: বরিশাল Bariśāl) is one of the major cities in Bangladesh. It is 142 km (373 km by road) away from the capital city Dhaka and an old port on the Kirtankhola river, on the northern shore of the Bay of Bengal in southern Bangladesh and . It is now the headquarters of both the Barisal Division and the Barisal District. Barisal is one of the oldest municipality in Bangladesh which was established in the year 1876. It was turned into a City Corporation on 25 July 2002. The city consists of 30 wards and 50 mahallas. The area of the town is 45 km². Previously, Barisal was the headquarters of Greater Barisal district.