Chittagong

Chittagong is a large coastal metropolis and financial centre in southeastern Bangladesh that is home to over a million people. In 2017, the city has a population of more than 8.7 million people, making it the country's second-largest metropolis by population. It serves as the administrative centre for a District and Division with the same name, as well as the capital. Situated on the shores of the Karnaphuli River between both the Chittagong Hill Tracts and also the Bay of Bengal, the city is a popular tourist destination. Apart from the capital Dhaka, modern Chittagong is the country's second most important urban centre after that of Dhaka.

Chittagong is a significant contributor to the Bangladeshi economy. The Port of Chittagong, one of the world's oldest ports, whose shoreline was first shown on Ptolemy's globe map, serves as the country's primary marine entry point and gateway. The port is the busiest international seaport on the Bay of Bengal and the third busiest in South Asia, according to the International Maritime Organization. The Chittagong Stock Exchange is one of the country's two stock exchanges, the other being in Dhaka. There are some corporations situated in Chittagong that are among the most powerful industrial conglomerates and enterprises in Bangladesh. Besides being the major station for the Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard, the port city also serves as a base for the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Air Force, which both have facilities in the city and contribute to the city's economy. Chittagong is the administrative centre of the Eastern Zone of the Bangladesh Railway, having formerly served as the administrative centre of the Assam Bengal Railway of British India and the Pakistan Eastern Railway of East Pakistan. A contentious ship breaking business on the outskirts of the city provides local steel while also polluting the environment significantly. This has been brought to the attention of the world community.

Because of its natural harbour, Chittagong has been a seaport for thousands of years. As early as the first century AD, the Roman geographer Ptolemy referred to it as "one of the biggest eastern ports." For ages, the port has served as a transit point for travellers passing through southeastern Bengal in the Indian subcontinent. When Arab sailors and merchants discovered the Bay of Bengal in the 9th century, they established a trading post in the port to serve their customers. During the 14th century, the port was elevated to the rank of a "mint town" of the Sultanate of Bengal, with the authority to administer the region.

Despite having an overwhelming Bengali Muslim majority, Chittagong boasts one of the highest levels of religious and ethnic diversity of any of Bangladesh's major cities. Bengali Hindus, Bengali Christians, Bengali Buddhists, the Chakmas, the Marmas, the Tripuras, the Sawtals, the Garoos, and the Bohmong are among the ethnic minorities of Bengal.