The economic geography of Dhaka is many interesting.

The history of Dhaka begins with the

existence of urbanised settlements in the area that is now Dhaka dating from the 7th century
CE. Dacca or Dhaka is the capital and one of the oldest cities of Bangladesh. The city area
was ruled by the Buddhist Pala Empire before passing to the control of the Sena dynasty in
the 9th century CE. After the Sena dynasty, Dhaka was successively ruled by the Turkic and
Afghan governors descending from the Delhi Sultanate before the arrival of the Mughals in
1608. After Mughals, British ruled the region for 200 years until the independence of India.
In 1947, Dhaka became the capital of the East Bengal province under the Dominion of
Pakistan. After the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, Dhaka became the capital of the
new state.
Dhaka District shares borders with Gazipur and Tangail to the
north, Munshiganj and Rajbari to the south, Narayanganj to the east and Manikganj to the
west. Rivers flowing through this district
are Padma, Kaliganga, Dhaleshwari, Ichamati, Shitalakshya, Buriganga
The five upazilas in Dhaka district are:

 Dhamrai Upazila, suburban and rural

 Dohar Upazila, suburban and rural
 Keraniganj Upazila, suburban
 Nawabganj Upazila, suburban and rural
 Savar Upazila, suburban
 Demra Upazila, suburban and rural

The municipal area of Dhaka city is under the jurisdiction of the Dhaka North City
Corporation and Dhaka South City Corporation; for administrative purposes, the municipal
area is divided into 92 wards. Dhaka is the commercial heart of Bangladesh. The city has a
large middle class population, increasing the market for modern consumer and luxury
goods. Many skilled workers are employed in the businesses and industries located in the
Dhaka metropolitan area. The city has historically attracted many migrant workers. Hawkers,
peddlers, small shops, rickshaws transport, roadside vendors and stalls employ a large
segment of the population – rickshaw-drivers alone number as many as 400,000. Half the
workforce is employed in household and unorganised labour, while about 800,000 work in
the textile industry. Even so, unemployment remains high at 23%. According to City Mayors
Statistics, Dhaka's GDP registered at $52 billion in 2005 with an annual growth rate of
6.1%. Its estimated GDP in the year 2020 is $126 billion. The annual per capita income of
Dhaka is estimated at $550, although a large segment of the population lives below the
poverty line, with many surviving on less than $3 a day.
The main business districts of the city
include Motijheel, Panthapath and Gulshan. Bashundhara City is a recently developed
economic area that houses many high-tech industries and corporations and a shopping mall
that is one of the largest in Southeast Asia, frequented daily by more than 25,000
people. The Export Processing Zone in Dhaka was set up to encourage the export of
garments, textiles and other goods. The EPZ is home to 80 factories, which employ mostly
women. The Dhaka Stock Exchange is based in the city, as are most of the large companies
and banks of Bangladesh, including the Bangladesh Bank, HSBC, Citibank. Urban
developments have sparked a widespread construction boom, causing new high-rise buildings
and skyscrapers to change the city landscape. Growth has been especially strong in the
finance, banking, manufacturing, telecommunications and services sectors, while tourism,
hotels and restaurants continue as important elements of the Dhaka economy.