Chittagong Division
Chittagong Division
চট্টগ্রাম বিভাগ | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates: 22°55′N 91°30′E / 22.917°N 91.500°E | |
| Country | |
| Established | 1829 |
| Capital and largest city | Chittagong |
| Government | |
| • Divisional Commissioner | Muhammad Ziauddin |
| • Parliamentary constituency | Jatiya Sangsad (58 seats) |
| Area | |
| 34,529.97 km2 (13,332.10 sq mi) | |
| Population | |
| 33,202,357 (Enumerated) | |
| • Density | 961.5519/km2 (2,490.408/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 11,180,333 |
| • Rural | 22,016,799 |
| • Metro | 3,670,740 |
| • Adjusted Population[1] | 34,178,612 |
| Languages | |
| • Official language | Bengali • English[2] |
| • Regional language | Chittagonian Noahkhailla |
| • Indigenous minority languages | |
| Religion (2022) | |
| • Religion | List
|
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BST) |
| ISO 3166 code | BD-B |
| Notable sport teams | Chattogram Challengers, Chittagong Division Cricket Team, Chittagong Abahani, Comilla Victorians, Noakhali Express |
| Districts | 11 |
| Sub-Districts | 103 |
| Union Councils | 949 |
| Website | www |
Chittagong Division (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম বিভাগ), officially Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative Divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the southeasternmost areas of the country, with a total area of 34,529.97 km2 (13,332.10 sq mi) and a population according to the 2022 census of 33,202,326, which made it the second most populous division of Bangladesh and the 45th most populous subnational entity in the world — more populous than all but 43 other countries. 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
[edit]Chittagong as an administrative 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.[8]
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 districts were moved from the Chittagong Division to create the newly established Sylhet Division in 1995.
Administration
[edit]Chittagong Division is presently subdivided into eleven districts (zilas) and thence into 100 sub-districts (upazilas).[9] The first six districts listed below comprise the north-western portion (with 37.6% of the area, but 58.3% of the population) of the present Chittagong Division, while the remaining five comprise the south-eastern portion (62.4% of the area, 41.7% of the population), 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. The six districts in the north-west will now form the new Cumilla Division.
| Name | Headquarters | Area (km2) | Population 1991 Census |
Population 2001 Census |
Population 2011 Census |
Population 2022 Census[21] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmanbaria District | Brahmanbaria | 1,881.20 | 2,141,745 | 2,398,254 | 2,840,498 | 3,306,563 |
| Cumilla District | Cumilla | 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
[edit]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.[21]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c d e National Report (PDF). Population and Housing Census 2022. Vol. 1. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. November 2023. p. 386. ISBN 978-9844752016.
- ^ "The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh". Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs. Archived from the original on 10 November 2019. Retrieved 1 February 2017.
- ^ "Bangladesh". Ethnologue. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ বাংলাদেশ পরিসংখ্যান ব্যুরো. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
- ^ Ethirajan, Anbarasan (26 December 2012). "Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar: A paradise being lost?". BBC World. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
- ^ The Europa World Year Book 2003. Taylor & Francis. 2003. p. 679. ISBN 978-1-85743-227-5.
- ^ Webster, John Edward (1911). "History: Divisional Commissioners". Eastern Bengal and Assam District Gazetteers: Noakhali. Allahabad: The Pioneer Press. p. 26.
- ^ "About Cumilla". District LGED. Retrieved 10 June 2019.
- ^ 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 14 February 2026.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Brahmanbaria" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Comilla" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 April 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Chandpur" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Lakshmipur" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Noakhali" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Feni" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Khagrachhari" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Rangamati" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Bandarban" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Chittagong" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ "District Statistics 2011: Cox's Bazar" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2014. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
- ^ a b c 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. Archived from the original on 14 January 2023. Retrieved 8 June 2023.