Barisal, city in southern Bangladesh, capital of Barisal District, near the mouth of the Meghna (Ganges) River. The city is a center for trade in rice, betel nuts, jute, sugarcane, and fish. The chief industries are rice and flour milling and the manufacture of soap and bricks. Three colleges, branches of Dhaka University, are located in Barisal. The mysterious sound phenomenon commonly known as Barisal guns occurs in this region. Population (1991) 180,014.
