BARISAL

town, south-central Bangladesh. It lies in the Ganges (Padma) River delta on an offshoot of the Arial Khan River. Incorporated as a municipality in 1876, it is a transshipment centre for rice, hides, and pulses. It is linked by steamer with Dhaka (73 miles north) and with Chittagong to the southeast. There is a medical college affiliated with the University of Dhaka. Barisal gives its name to a curious natural phenomenon known as Barisal guns, thundering noises heard in the delta and apparently coming from the sea. The sounds have not been satisfactorily explained but may have a seismic origin. Pop. (1974) 98,127; (1981) 172,905; (1991 prelim.) 180,014.