Chattogram District Area

 district, wetland, second-level administrative division, draw only border

Chattogram District (Chattogram division) with an area of 5282.98 sq km, is bounded by feni district and Tripura (Indian state) on the north, cox's bazar district on the south, bandarban, rangamati and khagrachhari districts on the east and noakhali district and the bay of bengal on the west. Chattogram District is quite different from other districts for its unique natural beauty characterised by hills, rivers, sea, forests and valleys. Annual average temperature maximum 32.5°C, minimum 13.5°C, total annual rainfall 2687 mm. Main rivers are karnafuli, halda and sangu.

Chittagong (Town) consists of six thanas, 68 wards and 236 mahallas. It has an area of 209.66 sq km. The town has a population 3202710; male 54.36% and female 45.64%; population density per sq km 15276. The main seaport of Bangladesh is located at the estuary of the Karnafuli river. Chittagong is also called the commercial capital of Bangladesh. Interesting places of the city include Batali Hill (87.5 m in height), War Cemetery, Patenga Sea Beach, foy's lake, etc. The first Export Processing Zone (1983) of Bangladesh is situated here. Chittagong Municipal Committee was established in 1860. At present, it has been turned into Chittagong City Corporation.

Administration Chittagong district was established in 1666 including three hill districts. The district of Chittagong Hill Tracts was established in 1860 with the hill region of the district. Later, Chittagong district was further divided into Chittagong and Cox's Bazar districts. The district consists of one city corporation, seven municipalities, six thanas, 20 upazilas, 197 union parishads and 1,319 villages. The upazilas are anwara, banshkhali, boalkhali, chandanaish, fatikchhari, hathazari, lohagara, mirsharai, patiya, rangunia, raozan, sandwip, satkania and sitakunda. The thanas are chandgaon, Bandar thana (chittagong port) , double mooring, kotwali, pahartali and panchlaish.

Archaeological heritage and relics Bronze statues (8th and 9th centuries, in Anwara upazila), Fakira Mosque (Hathazari), Musa Khan Mosque (1658), Kura Katni Mosque (1806), Kala Mosque (16th century), Chhuti Khan Mosque (Mirsharai), Kadam Mobarak Mosque (1719), Andar Killah Mosque, Wali Khan Mosque (1790), Badar Awlia Dargah, Bakshi Hamid Mosque of Banshkhali (1568), Chittagong Court Building (1893), Collegiate School, Ethnological Museum (1974).

Historical events Chittagong had been a sea port since the ancient time. The Arab traders had business transactions with this port since 9th century AD. Chittagong region was under the kingdom of Arakan during sixth and seventh centuries. Before the Muslim rule Chittagong had been either under the control of the Arakans or under the kings of Burma. Sultan Fakruddin Mubarak Shah of Sonargaon conquered Chittagong in 1340. After the defeat of Sultan Giasuddin Mahmud Shah in the hands of Sher Shah in1538, the Arakanise again captured Chittagong. From this time onward until its conquest by the Mughals this region was under the control of the Portuguese and the Magh pirates. The Mughal Commandar Bujurg Umed Khan expelled the Portuguese from the area in 1666 and established Mughal rule there. The Mughals renamed Chittagong as Islamabad.

On 18th April 1930, the revolutionaries looted the Chittagong armoury under the leadership of Mastarda surya sen. During this time the leaders of the women revolutionaries were pritilata waddedar, Bina Das, Lila Ray, Kalpana Dutta etc. The Declaration of Independence of Bangladesh was announced from swadhin bangla betar kendra located at Kalurghat.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass graves and mass killing sites: Foy's Lake, Lalkhan Bazar, hilly area adjacent to Firoz Shah Colony, Kattoli Beach, CRB area, hills on the east of Sher Shah Colony, Patenga Air Port, hills around Nasirabad Residential Area and many other places.

Religious institutions Mosque 7140, tomb 220, temple 1,206, church 8 and sacred place 1 the most noted of which are Chuti Khan Mosque, Daulat Bibir Mosque, Mahadia Mosque, Noi Duari Mosque, Hamidullah Khan Mosque, tomb of Shah Jadeh (R), three domed Khan Mosque (Dohazari and Baghica Hat), tombs of Hazrat Shah Amanat (R), Hazrat Bayazid Bostami (R), Mohsen Awlia, Goribullah Shah (R), Hajrat Shah Pir Awlia, Baro Awlia (Sitakunda), Miskin (R), Akbaria Jami Mosque, Nasrat Shah Jami Mosque, Jagannath Mandir (Abu Torab Bazar), World Peace Pagoda (Hathazari), Sitakunda Shankar Math, Dharmo Chakro Buddho Vihara, Koriya Nagar and Sonakania Buddho Viharas, Chandranath Temple Hill, etc.

Population 6545078; male 52.16%, female 47.84%; Muslim 83.92%, Hindu 13.76%; Buddhist 2.01%, Christian 0.11% and others 0.2%.

Literacy and educational institutions Average literacy 43.2%; male 50.3%, female 35%. Educational institutions: university 3, medical college 2, Bangladesh institute of technology 1, 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, madrasa 217, college 103, high school 574, junior school 4 and primary school 2,240. Noted educational institutions: Chittagong University (1961), Dr. Khastagir Government Girls' School, Ispahani School and College, Nasirabad Government High School, Chittagong City College, Chittagong College, Chittagong Commerce College, Mohsin College, Chittagong Collegiate School, North Amirabad High School (1932), Patiya Ideal High School (1845), Abdus Sobhan Rahat Ali High School (1914), Shah Chand Awlia Alia Madrassa (1928), Fouzdarhat Cadet College (1958), Rangunia Ideal Multipurpose Pilot High School (1915), Satkania Ideal Pilot High School (1902), Garangia Islamia Kamil Madrassa (1920), Ramgati Ramdhan Abdul Bari Chowdhury High School (1898), Banigram Primary School (1881).

Locally published newspapers and periodicals Present: Daily Azadi, Daily Purbokon, Daily Life, Daily Karnafuli, Weekly Chattala; extinct: Monthly Sanshodhani, Purobi, Mukulika, Simanto; Weekly Jyoti, Weekly Sultan, Daily Jyoti, Daily Rashtrobarta, Daily East Pakistan and Daily Azan.

Main occupations Agriculture 18.71%, fishing 1.16%, agricultural labourer 12.13%, wage labourer 3.54%, industry 1.72%, commerce 16.58%, transport 4.52%, construction 1.43%, service 24.09% and others 16.12%.

Land use Total cultivable land 223782.40 hectares; fallow land (wetland) 115901.25 hectares; forest 162082.56 hectares; hilly area 172759.21 hectares; single crop 29%, double crop 54% and treble crop 17%; cultivable land under irrigation 34.18%.

Land control Among the peasants 25% are landless, 27% small, 15% intermediate, 3% rich and 30% marginal; cultivable land per head 0.04 hectare.

Value of land The market value of the land of the first grade is approximately Tk. 17000 per 0.01 hactare.

Main crops Paddy, betelleaf, potato, corn, turmeric, tea, peanut, mustard, patol (heap), brinjal, ginger, cucumber and vegetables.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Local varieties of rice.

Main fruits Mango, jackfruit, guava, coconut, betel nut, palm, litchi, banana, papaya, watermelon and lemon.

Fisheries, dairies, poultries Dairy 1637, poultry 3257, hatchery (fishery) 7; dry fish work in the coastal areas of Anwara, Patiya, Cornel hut and Banshkhali.

Communication facilities Roads: pucca 985.32 km, semi pucca 912.87 km, mud road 6534 km; railways 146 km; waterways 67 nautical mile; airport 1.

Traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage and bullock cart. These means of transport are either extinct or nearly extinct.

Manufactories Major manufactories include Eastern Refinery, Pahartali Railway Workshops, Fouzi Flour mill, Jamuna Oil Company, Glaxo Welcome, Lever Brothers, KDS Garments etc.

Main exports Tea, leather, dried fish and readymade garments.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are caritas, YMCA, brac, FPAB, NGO forum for DWSS, ucep, proshika, asa, nijera kari, CODEC, Mamta, Love the Children Foundation, Sheba Shango, IMAGE, Chittagong Anti-drug Abuse Society, CWFP, Bita, Prottashi, Palli Progati Sangstha, Grammen Projukti (technical) Kendra, Bangladesh Samaj Unnayan Sangstha, SDI, Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha, Gana Unnayan Prachesta.

Health centres Medical college hospital 1, general hospital 1, upazila health complex 15, family welfare centre 112, TB hospital 1, infectious disease hospital 1, diabetic hospital 1, mother and children hospital 4, police hospital 1, jail hospital 1 and Bandar (port) hospital 1.