Chittagong Division

Chittagong Division, officially known as Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the south-easternmost areas of the country, with a total area of 34,529.97 km² (13,332.10 sq mi) and a population at the 2022 census of 33,202,326. The administrative division includes mainland Chittagong District, neighbouring districts and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Chittagong Division চট্টগ্রাম বিভাগ
Division
Chattogram Division
Clockwise from the top: Konglak Hill, Sajek Valley, Meghna River in Lakhsmipur, Foy's Lake, Buddha Dhatu Jadi, Bajra Shahi Mosque, St. Martin's Island, and Pink Sky at Teknaf Beach
Chittagong Division in Bangladesh Districts of Chittagong Division
Coordinates: 22°55′N 91°30′E / 22.917°N 91.500°E / 22.917; 91.500
Country	Bangladesh
Established	1829
Capital and largest city	Chittagong
Government
• Divisional Commissioner	Md. Tofayel Islam^[1]
• Parliamentary constituency	Jatiya Sangsad (58 seats)
Area
• Total	34,529.97 km^2 (13,332.10 sq mi)
Population  (2022)^[2]
• Total	33,202,326
• Density	960/km^2 (2,500/sq mi)
Languages
• Official language	Bengali^[3]
• Regional language	Chittagonian Noahkhailla
• Indigenous minority languages	List^[4] Bawm Chakma Marma Mru Kokborok Mizo Chawk Khimi Kuki Tanchangya
Time zone	UTC+6 (BST)
ISO 3166 code	BD-B
Notable sport teams	Chattogram Challengers, Chittagong Division, Chittagong Abahani
Website	www.chittagongdiv.gov.bd

Chittagong Division is home to Cox's Bazar, the longest natural sea beach in the world;^[5][6] as well as St. Martin's Island, Bangladesh's sole coral reef.

History

The Chittagong Division was established in 1829 to serve as an administrative headquarters for five of Bengal's easternmost districts, with the Chittagong District serving as its headquarters.^[7] In East Pakistan, the division's Tippera district was renamed as Comilla District in 1960.^{[citation needed]}

In 1984, fifteen districts were created by separating and reducing the original five districts of Chittagong, Comilla, Hill Tracts, Noakhali and Sylhet:^{[citation needed]}

• The Chittagong District was divided into two districts; Chittagong and Cox's Bazar District
• The Comilla District was split into three districts; Comilla, Brahmanbaria and Chandpur
• The Hill Tracts District was split into three districts; Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati
• The Noakhali District was divided into three districts; Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni
• The Sylhet District was split into four districts; Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj.

Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj district ceded from the Chittagong Division to join a newly-established Sylhet Division in 1995.^{[citation needed]}

Administration

Chittagong Division is presently subdivided into eleven districts (zilas) and thence into 100 sub-districts (upazilas).^[8] The first six districts listed below comprise the north-western portion (37.6%) of the division, while the remaining five comprise the south-eastern portion (62.4%), the two portions being separated by the lower (or Bangladeshi) stretch of the Feni River; the upland districts of Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban together comprise that area previously known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Districts^{[9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19]}

Name	Headquarters	Area (km^2)	Population 1991 Census	Population 2001 Census	Population 2011 Census	Population 2022 Census^[2]
Brahmanbaria District	Brahmanbaria	1,881.20	2,141,745	2,398,254	2,840,498	3,306,559
Comilla District	Comilla	3,146.30	4,032,666	4,595,539	5,387,288	6,212,216
Chandpur District	Chandpur	1,645.32	2,032,449	2,271,229	2,416,018	2,635,748
Lakshmipur District	Lakshmipur	1,440.39	1,312,337	1,489,901	1,729,188	1,938,111
Noakhali District	Maijdee	3,685.87	2,217,134	2,577,244	3,108,083	3,625,252
Feni District	Feni	990.36	1,096,745	1,240,384	1,437,371	1,648,896
Khagrachhari District	Khagrachhari	2,749.16	342,488	525,664	613,917	714,119
Rangamati District	Rangamati	6,116.11	401,388	508,182	595,979	647,587
Bandarban District	Bandarban	4,479.01	230,569	298,120	388,335	481,109
Chittagong District	Chittagong	5,282.92	5,296,127	6,612,140	7,616,352	9,169,464
Cox's Bazar District	Cox's Bazar	2,491.85	1,419,260	1,773,709	2,289,990	2,823,265
Total Districts	11	34,529.97	20,552,908	24,290,384	28,423,019	33,202,326

Demographics

Religions in Chittagong Division^[2]
Religion			Percent
Muslims			88.11%
Hindus			8.61%
Buddhists			2.92%
Christians			0.22%
Sikhs			0.14%

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Chittagong Division had 7,528,333 households and a population of 33,202,326, 33.7% of whom lived in urban areas. The population density was 979 people per km². 90.11% were Muslims, 6.61% Hindus, 2.92% Buddhists, 0.22% Christians and 0.14% others.^[2]

See also

• Divisions of Bangladesh

References

1. "List of Divisional Commissioners". from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2022-06-20.
2. Population and Housing Census 2022: Preliminary Report. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. August 2022. pp. 6, 9, 12, 16, 21, 27. ISBN 978-984-35-2977-0. from the original on 2023-01-14. Retrieved 2023-06-08.
3. "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh". Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
4. "Bangladesh". Ethnologue. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
5. Ethirajan, Anbarasan (26 December 2012). "Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar: A paradise being lost?". BBC World. from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
6. The g Europyxhdjd5xgsjx a World Year Book 2003. Taylor & Francis. 2003. p. 679. ISBN 978-1-85743-227-5.
7. Webster, John Edward (1911). "History: Divisional Commissioners". Eastern Bengal and Assam District Gazetteers. Vol. 4. Noakhali. Allahabad: The Pioneer Press. p. 26.
8. Ahmed Anam (2012). "Chittagong Division". In Sirajul Islam; Miah, Sajahan; Khanam, Mahfuza; Ahmed, Sabbir (eds.). Banglapedia: the National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Online ed.). Dhaka, Bangladesh: Banglapedia Trust, Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. ISBN 984-32-0576-6. OCLC 52727562. OL 30677644M. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
9. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
10. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
11. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
12. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
13. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
14. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
15. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
16. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
17. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
18. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
19. (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.

External links

 

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Chittagong Division.

• Government of Chittagong Division website