Abstract:
The district of Nadia forms the north-eastern portion of the general ,
Presidency Division, .and lies between north latitude 24° 11' and
22° 53', and east longitude 89° 22' and 88° 9'. It extends over
an area of 2,793 square miles, and has a population, according to
the Census of 1901, of 1,667,491 persons. It takes its name fronj^
the town of Nadia or Nabadwip, situated at present on the west
bank of the Bh&girathi, but the administrative headquarters
and chief city of the district (although not the most populous)
is Krishnagar, on the Jalangi river, in latitude 23° 24' N. and
longitude 88° 31' E. The district is separated on the north from the districts of Bound-
Pabna and Rajshahi by the Padma or Ganges; on the north- aries‘
west, from the district of Murshidabad, for about three-quarters of
this boundary, by the Jalangi or Kharis, and on thf> west from
the districts of Bardwan and Hooghly by the Bhagirathi or
Hooghly. On the remaining sides of the distriot |there are no
natural boundaries, but it is bounded on the south by the 24-
Pargannahs district), on the south-east by Jessore, and on the
east by Paridpur. On the western boundary there were two
strips of land included in the distriot, though they lie,«at present,
on the west bank of the Bhagirathi. On the southernmost of
these, which has an area of about 11 square miles, lies the town of
Nadia or Nabadwip; it is probable that this strip would have
been transferred to the district of Bardwan, within {he natural
boundary of which it now falls, had it not been for the previous
history of the river and the anomaly *which would have been
caused by including within another district the town from which
the Madia district derives its name : indeed the order for transfer was actually passed by Sir George Campbell, but was rescinded
in the following year by his successor, Sir\Riohard Temple. The
other strip is the island of Agradwip, which lies about 15 miles
north of Nadia: this, however, was transferred to the district of
Bardwan with effect from 1st April 1888.
