Chittagong Division
চট্টগ্রাম বিভাগ | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 22°55′N 91°30′E / 22.917°N 91.500°E | |
Country | Bangladesh |
Established | 1829 |
Capital and largest city | Chittagong |
Government | |
• Divisional Commissioner | Md. Tofayel Islam[1] |
• Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) | Md. Ahsan Habib Palash |
• Parliamentary constituency | Jatiya Sangsad (58 seats) |
Area | |
34,529.97 km2 (13,332.10 sq mi) | |
Population | |
33,202,357 (Enumerated) | |
• Urban | 11,180,333 |
• Rural | 22,016,799 |
• Metro | 3,670,740 |
• Adjusted Population[2] | 34,178,612 |
Languages | |
• Official language | Bengali[3] |
• Regional language | Chittagonian Noahkhailla |
• Indigenous minority languages | |
Time zone | UTC+6 (BST) |
ISO 3166 code | BD-B |
Notable sport teams | Chattogram Challengers, Chittagong Division, Chittagong Abahani |
Districts | 11 |
Sub-Districts | 103 |
Union Councils | 949 |
Website | www |
Chittagong Division, officially known as Chattogram Division (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম বিভাগ), is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the south-easternmost areas of the country, with a total area of 34,529.97 km2 (13,332.10 sq mi) and a population at the 2022 census of 33,202,326. The administrative division includes mainland Chittagong District, neighbouring districts and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
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.
The Chittagong 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.[citation needed]
In 1984, fifteen districts were created by separating and reducing the original five districts of Chittagong, Comilla, Hill Tracts, Noakhali and Sylhet:[citation needed]
Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj district ceded from the Chittagong Division to join a newly established Sylhet Division in 1995.[citation needed]
Chittagong Division is presently subdivided into eleven districts (zilas) and thence into 100 sub-districts (upazilas).[8] The first six districts listed below comprise the north-western portion (37.6%) of the division, while the remaining five comprise the south-eastern portion (62.4%), 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.
Name | Headquarters | Area (km2) | Population 1991 Census |
Population 2001 Census |
Population 2011 Census |
Population 2022 Census[20] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Brahmanbaria District | Brahmanbaria | 1,881.20 | 2,141,745 | 2,398,254 | 2,840,498 | 3,306,563 |
Comilla District | Comilla | 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 |
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. 85.11% were Muslims, 11.61% Hindus, 2.92% Buddhists, 0.22% Christians and 0.14% others.[20]