Jamalpur is named for Shah Jamal, a Sufi saint from Yemen who came to spread Islam in the region during the reign of Akbar.

The main town is situated on the bank of the river Brahmaputra, 140 kilometres (87 mi) north of Dhaka, the national capital.

There are some hills and forests still remaining in the North of the district by the border with the Indian State of Meghalaya and it is one of the only places in North-Eastern Bangladesh where elephants are still found.

The most notable historical events include the Fakir-Sannyasi Rebellion (1772–1790), the Indigo Resistance Movement (1829), Famine (1874), the advent of rail transport (1899), and the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

On June 21, 1971, the Pakistani army, in collaboration with the local Razakars, killed 9 people at the Shashan Ghat (cremation center) at Jamalpur Sadar Upazila on the bank of the Brahmaputra.

A battle was fought between Bengali troops under Sector Commander Colonel Abu Taher and the Pakistani army on November 13 at Kamalpur of Bakshiganj Upazila.

[3] The small Pakistani military base at Kamalpur fell on December 4, following a heavy attack by rebels lasting 21 days.

He earned renown among the Pakistanis when he refused to surrender to the Indian commander, Hardev Kler, telling him to use a sten, not a pen.

During this retreat their commander Abdul-Qadir Niazi fell into enemy custody, giving the Bangladeshis and Indians a morale boost.

The town's main exports are jute, tobacco, mustard seed, peanut, leather, egg, pulse, betel leaf, and handicrafts.

Jamalpur District had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 61.70%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 1055 females per 1000 males.