Khulna is on the Rupsha and Bhairab River, a strategic industrial point in southwestern Bangladesh.

A colonial steamboat service, which includes the Tern, Osrich and Lepcha, operates on the river route to the city.

Khulna is considered the gateway to the Sundarbans, the world's largest mangrove forest and home of the Bengal tiger.

Muslim settlements increased during the time of Shamsuddin Ilyas Shah, and many mosques and shrines were established.

A Muslim saint, Khan Jahan Ali, acquired a jagir (fiefdom) encompassing a large part of Khulna Division from the king of Gauḍa during the 15th century and renamed the region as Jahanabad.

Vikramaditya established a sovereign kingdom with its capital at Iswaripur (in present-day Satkhira District).

Vikramaditya was defeated by Raja Man Singh I, a Hindu Rajput general of the Mughal emperor Akbar, in 1611.

Syed Mohammad Abdul Halim (an official of the Bengali civil service) requested Khulna's inclusion in Pakistan, and the boundary commission declared that the city was part of East Bengal.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War, the Pakistan Army created the 314th ad hoc Brigade to hold Khulna.

[11] Khulna is in the northern part of the district, and the Mayur River is the western boundary of its metropolitan area.

Khulna gets less rainfall than other parts of Bangladesh due to its location and the effects of the Sundarbans south of the city.

Jahanabad Cantonment, containing the Army Service Corps Center and School (ASCC&S) is situated in Gilatola area of the Khulna metropolitan.

Khulna had a literacy rate of 88.07% for those 7 years and older and a sex ratio of 102.91 males per 100 females.

An Urdu-speaking population, descendants of Muslims displaced from Bihar in 1947 who sought refuge in East Bengal, lives in the city's Khalishpur area.

Major sectors are jute, chemicals, fish and seafood packaging, food processing, sugar milling, power generation and shipbuilding.

The city is home to branch offices of several national companies, including M. M. Ispahani Limited, BEXIMCO, James Finlay Bangladesh, Summit Power and the Abul Khair Group.

Nagar Paribahan buses have frequent service between Rupsha and Phultala, with stops throughout Khulna.

Motorcycles are popular among the middle class, but wealthier people prefer a private car.

There are several nationwide bus services available in Khulna (most privately owned), and the Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation operates inter-district buses from the city.

Major bus routes include Khulna-Jessore-Dhaka; Khulna-Goplaganj-Dhaka; Khulna-Jessore-Kushtia; Khulna-Satkhira; Khulna-Bagerhat; Khulna-Mongla; Khulna-Narail; Khulna-Barisal; Khulna-Rajshahi; Khulna-Faridpur; Khulna-Kuakata, and Khulna-Dhaka-Chittagong.

Plenty of rental car agencies operate within the city and metro area, where sedans, SUVs, and micro-buses are available to hire hourly or daily.

Educational institutions in the city include Khulna University of Engineering & Technology (KUET).

Electronic media include the Khulna Gazette,[29] Protidin Shebok,[30] Shomoyer Khobor.

State-owned Bangladesh Television has a relay station in the Khalishpur Thana of Khulna, established in 1977.

[33] The Sundarbans, in Khulna District, is home to the Bengal tiger and the world's largest virgin mangrove forest.