KHULNA  , a

town and district of British India, in the Presidency division of Bengal . The town stands on the river Bhairab, and is the terminus of the Bengal Central railway, 109 M . E. of Calcutta . Pop . (1901), 10,426 . It is the most important centre of river-borne trade in the delta . The DISTRICT of KHULNA lies in the middle of the delta of the Ganges, including a portion of the Sundarbans or seaward fringe of swamps . It was formed out of Jessore in 1882 . Area (excluding the Sundarbans), 2077 sq. m . Besides the Sundarbans, the north-east part of the district is swampy; the north-west is more elevated and drier, while the central part, though low-lying, is cultivated . The whole is alluvial . In 1901 the population was 1,253,043, showing an increase of 6% in the decade .

Rice is the principal crop; mustard, jute and tobacco are also grown, and the fisheries are important . Sugar is manufactured from the date palm . The district is entered by the Bengal Central railway, but by far the greater part of the traffic is carried by water . See District Gazetteer (Calcutta, 1908) .