Barisal Division is located in south-central Bangladesh. Formerly a district called Bakerganj, it is now one of the 7 divisions of Bangladesh.The division currently consists of six districts, 38 Thana, 353 union parishads, 3159 mouzas, 12 municipalities, 25 wards and 4163 villages. The districts are: Barguna , Barisal , Bhola , Jhalokati , Patuakhali , Pirojpur. Barisal Division is located in south-central Bangladesh, It is bounded by Dhaka division on the north, Bay of Bengal on the south, Chittagong division on the east and Khulna division on the west. Barisal was once known as "Crop house of Bengal" for her rich rice production. It is still an important rice producing area of the country. Since middle age Barisal acted as a trans-shipment center for rice, hides, and pulses for the Bengal. Bakery, textile, Pharmaceutical products are output of a few industrial installation.