Chittagong District Information
Chittagong district is within Chittagong Division which is one of the seven administrative divisions of Bangladesh. Chittagong is a metropolitan city and second largest city of Bangladesh. This district is situated in the southeastern portion of the country, and the city was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River.
Area: 33,771 km²
Population: 6545078; male 52.16%, female 47.84%
Religion :Muslims are 83.92% of the population. Other major religions are Hinduism (13.76%); Buddhism (2.01%), Christianity (0.11%) and others 0.2%.
Literacy rate: 43.2%
Weather: Chittagong has a tropical monsoon climate.
Main crops: Paddy, betel leaf, potato, corn, turmeric, tea, peanut, mustard, patol (heap), brinjal, ginger, cucumber and vegetables.
Transportation: Transport in Chittagong includes bus systems, taxis, ‘baby’ or ‘CNG’ taxis rickshaws.
Chittagong has a station on the narrow gauge eastern section of the Bangladesh Railway. The headquarters of this railway are located here. There are main two railway stations in Station road Chittagong.
The second busiest and international airport in Bangladesh Shah Amanat International Airport is here. It was formerly known as MA Hannan International Airport, but was renamed on April 2, 2005 by the Government of Bangladesh.
Chittagong City is connected with the rest of Bangladesh by a network of coastal water routes. Coastal vessels carry most of the bulk cargo from Chittagong to other important trading centers in the country mainly.
Chittagong city:
This is second-largest city in Bangladesh and the 11th largest city within the Organisation of the Islamic Conference and also the 56th largest urban agglomeration in the world. Chittagong is the divisional headquarters for the Chittagong Division. It is located on the banks of the Karnaphuli River. The city is known for vast hilly beauty. The city areas are divided into several wards and mahallas, under the Chittagong City Corporation. Chittagong City Corporation is governed by the city mayor. There is 41 wards in the city with a population of 4 million. Among them Male are 54.36% and female 45.64%. Population density per square km is 15276.
Chittagong is a major commercial center and the busiest seaport. Much of Bangladesh’s export and import passes through the Port of Chittagong. It became 10th into the list of 100 fastest growing cities in the world.
Major Educational Institutions:
University 3, international University 1, medical college 2, college of physical education 1, teachers training college 1, regional public administration institute 1, polytechnic institute 1, homeopathy college 2, nursing institute 1, forest research institute 1, veterinary college 1, home economics college 1, Bangladesh military academy 1, vocational institute 1, law college 2, art college 1, marine academy 1, marine fisheries academy 1, cadet college 1 .
The Chittagong University, the Chittagong Medical College and the Chittagong Engineering College are almost totally funded by the government. The multi-national Asian University for Women was established in 2008 with students of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, India, Pakistan and Cambodia.
Chittagong University is located in a remote place from the city (22 km north) of Chittagong. It is one of the largest Universities in Bangladesh. It has 3 affiliated Medical colleges under the Faculty of Medicine.
The other public university is Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology, established in 1968.
Recently Chittagong Govt. Veterinary College (CGVC) has been upgraded to Chittagong Veterinary and Animal Sciences University (CVASU) .It is the first university in Bangladesh of this type.
Private universities such as University of Science and Technology Chittagong established in 1992 located in Foy’s Lake, Southern University Bangladesh, Mehedibagh, Chittagong established in the year 1998 being notable examples. International Islamic University Chittagong (IIUC) is one of the best private university situated at Chittagong, Bangladesh.
Moreover, Chittagong has public, denominational, and independent schools. Public schools, including pre-schools, primary and secondary schools, and special schools are administered by the Ministry of Education and Board of Education.
Economical activities:
Chittagong is the busiest port of Bangladesh which handles 80% of all Bangladeshi imports and exports. The sea-borne exports consist chiefly of readymade garments, knitwear, frozen food, jute and jute products, leather and leather products, tea, and chemical products.
Major business houses of Bangladesh are here like Galacticos Incorporation, M.M. Ispahani, A.K. Khan and Co. , Habib Group, PHP Group, KDS Group, S. Alam Group, Mostafa Group and T.K.. almost 40% of the heavy industrial activities of the country is located in Chittagong city and adjacent areas like dry dock, Dock Yards, Oil Refinery, Steel Mills, Power Plant, Cement clinker factory, automobile industries, pharmaceutical plants, chemical plants, cable manufacturing, textiles mills, jute mills, urea fertilizer factory etc.
There is a Ship breaking in chittagong. It was introduced to the area in 1969. This industry is concentrated at Fauzdarhat, a 16 kilometers long beach 20 kilometers north-west of Chittagong.
A Korean company, has established a special Korean Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) in the port city of Chittagong.
Second stock Exchange of Bangladesh is located here. This is known as Chittagong Stock Exchange.
Some Specialty in dialect and people:
Being a port city from early times Chittagong attracted people of the world and have a variety of people and culture. The people of the city are the native Bengali and Tibeto-Burman populations have had significant influence from Arab, Afghan, and Mughal traders and settlers, all of whom had traveled in the city after arriving on its shores many hundreds of years ago. Chakma tribe is one of the Tibeto-Burman tribes that have been influenced by Bengali culture. The descendants of Portuguese settlers, known as the Firingi, also continued to live in Chittagong, as Catholic Christians, in the old Portuguese enclave of Paterghatta. Chittagong became a melting pot of races.
Dialect of Chittagong is very special. Natives speak Chittagonian (চাটগাঁইয়া Chaţgaiã), an Indo-European language of the Eastern Indic group. A person who only know how to speak Standard Bengali will not understand Chittagonian speakers, and vice versa Chittagonian has approximately 14 million speakers. According to the status of Top 100 Languages by Population by Ethnologies, Chittagong ranked in 67th Language of the world.
Prominent figures:
Chittagong is the home town of Dr. Mohammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, the pioneer of Microcredit, who won Nobel Prize in Peace in 2006.
Chittagong has produced many cricketers. Tamim Iqbal, Akram Khan, Aftab Ahmed are some of the most prominent figures among them.
History:
The city was a Portuguese colony before falling under Mughal rule during the 16th and 17th centuries. An Islamic preach Hazrat Badar Aawlia arrived in this city from the seas and chose Cheragi Pahar to live and started to spread the message of Islam among the locals More than six hundred years ago. It carries the history of revolutionary activities During the British Raj. During World War II, the British used Chittagong as an important military base for Allied forces.
Masterda Surya Sen formed the secret Republican Army and he set up camps for revolutionary youths to train in guerilla here. On 24 September 1932, 8 young rebels led by Pritilata Waddedar attacked the European Club. During 1930-32, 22 officials and 220 non- officials were killed by the revolutionarists in separate incidents.
During the Bangladesh Liberation War, Chittagong had some of the heaviest fighting with the Mukti Bahini attacking Pakistani navy ships and the Indian navy firing missiles at Pakistani naval installations. in Chittagong Awami League leader M A Hannan and liberation war hero and future Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman famously announced the declaration of independence of the country on behalf of independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Places of interests:
A Chinese traveler poet, Huen Tsang (7th century A.D.) described Chittagong as “a sleeping beauty emerging from mists and water”. Now the city of Chittagong is a major tourist attraction in Bangladesh. Its green hills and forests, its sandy beaches attract the holiday-markers of home and abroad. Chittagong is filled with dense green forests, endless rolling hills, a moderate climate and breathtaking beaches. This district is a part of Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) wich is the most beautiful part of Bangladesh.
Patenga beach
Patenga Beach is a popular tourist spot. The beach is located near to fascinating landmarks including the Shah Amanat International Airport and the BNS Isha Khan Naval Base. It is located at the Karnaphuli River mouth and stretches to the Bay of Bengal which attracts travelers and visitors from home and abroad.
Foy’s Lake
Foy’s Lake is a man-made lake which was once just a lake and spillway constructed by Assam-Bengal Railway engineer. It was dug in 1924 and was named after the English engineer Mr. Foy. The lake is next to Batali Hill, the highest hill in Chittagong Metropolitan area. It is An amusement park, managed by the Concord group, is located here which features usual theme park rides and attractions as well as boat rides on the lake, landscaping, restaurants, concerts with floating stages, scenic walking trails and many other fun activities. The park includes a water theme park, resort and an amusement center.
Shaheed Zia Memorial Complex
There is a heritage park called Shaheed Zia Memorial Complex and Mini Bangladesh at Chandgaon which reflects the most notable structures and instances of Bangladesh. There is 71-metre tower in Mini Bangladesh in Chittagong and has a restaurant on the top that rotates once every 90 minutes. One can perceive of the country’s architectural beauty, ethnic traditions and archaeological inheritance through having a glimpse of the heritage park. Replica of major structures of the country like Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (parliament building), National Memorial of Savar, Ahsan Manzil, Curzon Hall of Dhaka University, Paharpur Monastery, Kantajew Temple of Dinajpur, Lalbagh Fort and Sona Masjid are available here.
Chittagong Ethnological Museum
The Chittagong Ethnological Museum is country’s lone ethnological museum. it offers the visitors the chance to acquaint with the lifestyles and heritage of various ethnic groups of the country. It was established in 1965. The museum authorities had collected rare elements used in everyday lives of different ethnic groups, of which some had already become extinct while some were on the verge of extinction. It includes diverse elements of 25 ethnic groups, including Chakma, Marma, Tongsinga, Khumi, Murang, Sautal, Garo, Chak, Monipuri, Palia, Tipra, Hajang, Lusai, Shimuji, and Bom also displays the lifestyles of some racial groups of India, Pakistan, and Australia.
World War II Cemetery
The War Cemetery on Badshah Mia Road is another place of historic interest in Chittagong. It contains the graves of 755 soldiers of the Allied Forces who laid down their lives on the Indo-Burmese front during World War II. Most of the soldiers buried there were from Australia, Britain, Canada, East and West Africa, British India and New Zealand. it is protected and maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Zia Memorial Museum
It is housed in the old circuit house building. President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated there on 30 May 1981. It was established in 1993
Architectural features
Architectural features can be found in mosques, shrines, dargah, buildings and other masonry. Chittagong is known as the land of saints, darwishes and fakirs. Several mosques and shrines bear testimony to their presence in the city which made it more attactive. The most revered place in Chittagong is the Dargah or Shrine of Bayazid Bostami, a celebrated saint born in Bostam, Iran. The dargah sharif of Hazrat Shah Sufi Amanat Khan is another one of the most renowned dargahs of Chittagong. e Andar Killa is a historical place stood on top of a mound in the city centre. The Shahi Jama-e-Masjid and Qadam Mubarak Mosque are two of the most impressive buildings in this city. Many Old Portuguese structures are seen in different parts of the city which reminds it’s multi-cultural and multi-ethnic heritage as a port town.
Chittagong Circuit house
It was built by the British in 1913. Later it was turned into a palatial building and used as a temporary residential accommodation for visiting Government high officials.
MA Aziz Stadium
It is the main stadium in Chittagong. Many international cricket match is occurred here.