Nilphamari District () is a district in Northern Bangladesh. It is a part of Rangpur Division. It is about 350 kilometers to the northwest of the capital Dhaka. It has an area of . Nilphamari is bounded by Rangpur and Lalmonirhat in east, Rangpur and Dinajpur in south, Dinajpur and Panchagarh in west, Cooch Behar of India in north. The headquarters of the district is in Nilphamari city, which is widely regarded as the industrial city of Northern Bangladesh. Saidpur which is major business center of the district also serves as connecting hub of Rangpur.
Etymology
About 200 years ago, the British established farms for cultivating indigo (nil). The soil of this area was very fertile for indigo cultivation. As a result, a lot of and (farm) were built here compared to the other districts. It is widely believed that the term "" was derived from "" by the local farmers. And then the word "Nilphamari" was derived from "Nil khamari".
Geography
The many rivers in Nilphamari district include the Teesta, Buritista, Isamoti, Jamuneshwari, Dhum, Kumlai, Charalkata, Sorbomongola, Salki, Chikli, Chara and Deonai. There are four municipal corporations in Nilphamari district. Area of these Municipalities are Nilphamari, Saidpur, Jaldhaka and Domar, There are 60 unions, 370 mouzas and 378 villages in Nilphamari district.
History
Nilphamari was previously under the Rajshahi division. The Nilphamari subdivision was established in 1875. It was a subdivision of the Rangpur District. It was turned into a district in 1984. The district consists of 6 upazilas, 4 municipalities, 60 union , 370 and 378 villages.
Historical specialty
The historical Tebhaga movement spread over Domar and Dimla of this district in the 1940s. Indigo used to be cultivated extensively in this district. Saidpur is best known for its railway workshop. In 1870, the Assam-Bengal railway set up its largest workshop in Saidpur and many Biharis or Urdu-speakers came to work there. During the British rule the telephone exchange for the whole Assam-Bengal District was also situated in Saidpur, and it was the third-largest city of Bangladesh after Dhaka and Chittagong. Saidpur had the first airport in North Bengal. There was also a cantonment during the British period.
Administration
thumb|Nilphamari District upazila geocode map
{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Upazila (subdistrict)!! Area (Km<sup>2</sup>)!! Population (2022)!! Estimated Population (2026)
|-
| Nilphamari Sadar ()|| 373.09|| 523,950|| ~549,600
|-
| Saidpur Upazila ( alt. spelling: Syedpur) || 121.68|| 312,988|| ~328,300
|-
| Jaldhaka ()|| 303.52 || 386,790|| ~405,700
|-
| Kishoreganj ()|| 204.91 || 269,322|| ~282,500
|-
| Domar () || 216.36|| 282,626|| ~296,400
|-
| Dimla ()|| 326.80 || 316,838|| ~332,300
|-
| Total|| 1546.59 || 2,092,568|| ~2,194,800
|}