Chittagong Division

Chittagong Division, also called Chattogram Division, is the largest area in Bangladesh. It is in the southeast part of the country and covers a big space of 34,529.97 km². Many people live here—about 33 million, making it the second most crowded part of Bangladesh.

This division is very special because it has some amazing places. It is home to Cox's Bazar, which has the longest natural beach in the whole world. It also has St. Martin's Island, where you can find Bangladesh’s only coral reef. These places attract visitors from all over and are important for the area's natural beauty and tourism.

History

Main article: History of Chittagong

Chittagong became an administrative area in 1829, helping to manage five eastern districts of Bengal, with Chittagong District as its center. Later, in 1960, Tippera district was renamed Comilla District when Bangladesh was part of East Pakistan.

In 1984, the area was reorganized into fifteen districts. For example, Chittagong District was divided into Chittagong and Cox's Bazar District, and Comilla District became Comilla, Brahmanbaria, and Chandpur. Other districts were also split into smaller areas. In 1995, four districts were moved to form a new area called Sylhet Division.

Administration

Chittagong Division is divided into eleven districts, also called zilas, and these districts are further split into 100 smaller areas known as upazilas. The first six districts are in the north-western part of the division, while the other five are in the south-east. These two parts are separated by the Feni River. The districts of Khagrachhari, Rangamati, and Bandarban are located in the upland area once known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Soon, the six north-western districts will become a new division called Cumilla Division.

Districts
Name	Headquarters	Area (km²)	Population 1991 Census	Population 2001 Census	Population 2011 Census	Population 2022 Census
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

The Chittagong Division is home to many people. In 2022, it had over 33 million people living in about 7.5 million homes. Most of these people, about 90%, follow Islam. Smaller groups include Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and others. The area has many people living close together, with about 979 people for every square kilometer.