The study of urbanization in Bangladesh has not yet been spread out with proper
importance. At present research on urbanization associated with spatial and temporal
variations are very much lacking. Chaudhury (1980) attempted to understand the complex
process of urbanization and its variations. In that study Bangladesh was divided into four
regions on the basis of former divisions. The author analyzed not only the divisional
variations but also the factors affecting the variations with special emphasis on the
economic characteristics of the divisions. Urbanization is viewed both as cause and effect
in socio-economic development accompanied by demographic and cultural change
(Laskar, 1983). The author explored regional va ations like Chaudhury, on the basis of
former four divisions. The divisions of Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna and Rajshahi were
termed as Central, Eastern, Southern and Northern regions respectively. In his study
Laskar used the terms 'ubanization' and 'urban growth' interchangeably though there
exists noteworthy differences betwe€n them. The present paper distinguishes between
these two terms with real data. Demographic and economic indicators are considered to
be the most important aspects of urbanization. Indeed urbanization and economlc
developrnent have been closely linked ever since the industrial revolution of the
seyenteenth and eighteenth centuries (European Demographic Inflation Bulletin; yol. VI,
No. 4, 1975). Eusuf (1993) studied the urban growth of urban centes and their changing
pattern in rank-order by population size. The author used only population as a determining
factor of changing pattern of urban cenhes.