The headquarters of Netrokona District was located at the end of the Mogra River and was called Natorkona.

[3] Netrokona is situated in the northern part of Bangladesh, along the border with the Indian state of Meghalaya.

The southeastern part of the district becomes a haor during the monsoon, while the north and west is largely alluvial plains.

[5] Traditions in Netrokona tell of Shah Sultan Rumi who migrated to Madanpur in Atpara Upazila in 1053 CE where he preached the religion of Islam to the local people and converted the Koch king Ganesh, well before Muslim rule in the region.

Khaliajuri in the Haor region was long ruled by a series of Hindu chieftains into the Mughal period.

During the British period, Shyam Biswas, a Bengali Hindu zamindar, was noted to be very cruel and abusive towards the inhabitants living in his land.

During the Bangladesh War of Independence, pro-independence militants attacked the Atpara Thana on 19 August 1971.

Netrokona District had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 66.25%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 1040 females per 1000 males.

Susang Durgapur, an Upazila of Netrakona, is one of the major sources of the country's China-Clay used for ceramic products.