Chittagong

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Chittagong
চট্টগ্রাম
চাটগাঁও, চিটাগং
Chattogram
Chittagong Skyline
Patenga
Ethnological Museum of Chittagong
Port of Chittagong & Karnaphuli River
Nickname: 
Queen of the East[1]
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Coordinates: 22°20′06″N 91°49′57″E / 22.33500°N 91.83250°E / 22.33500; 91.83250Coordinates: 22°20′06″N 91°49′57″E / 22.33500°N 91.83250°E / 22.33500; 91.83250
Country Bangladesh
DivisionChittagong Division
DistrictChittagong District
Establishment1340
Granted city status1863[3]
Government
 • TypeMayor–Council
 • BodyChattogram City Corporation
 • MayorRezaul Karim Chowdhury
 • Police CommissionerSaleh Mohammed Tanvir, ppm
Area
 • Metropolis168.07 km2 (64.89 sq mi)
 • Urban
2,054.90 km2 (793.40 sq mi)
 • Metro
2,510 km2 (980.2 sq mi)
Elevation
29 m (95 ft)
Population
 (2016)
 • Metropolis8,440,000[2]
 • Density19,800/km2 (51,000/sq mi)
 • Urban
6,025,985
 • Urban density19,800/km2 (51,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
9,453,496
 • Population growth rate
2.8%
DemonymChittagonian
Time zoneUTC+6 (BST)
Postal code
4000, 4100, 42xx
HDI (2019)0.654[5]
medium
PoliceChittagong Metropolitan Police
Metro GDP/PPP (2020)Increase $116 billion[6]
International airportShah Amanat International
WebsiteChittagong City Corporation

Chittagong (/ˈtʃɪt əˌɡɒŋ/[7] chit-uh-gong;[7] Bengali: চাটগাঁও, romanized: Cāṭgāon), officially Chattogram (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম),[8] is a major coastal city and financial centre in southeastern Bangladesh. The city had a population of more than 8.7 million[9] in 2017, making it the second-largest city in the country. It is the capital and administrative seat of an eponymous District and Division. The city is located on the banks of the Karnaphuli River between the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Bay of Bengal. Modern Chittagong is Bangladesh's second most significant urban centre after Dhaka.

Chittagong plays a vital role in the Bangladeshi economy. The Port of Chittagong, one of the world's oldest ports,[10] whose coast appeared on Ptolemy's world map, is the principal maritime gateway to the country. The port is the busiest international seaport on the Bay of Bengal and the third busiest in South Asia.[11] The Chittagong Stock Exchange is one of the country's two stock markets. Several Chittagong-based companies are among the largest industrial conglomerates and enterprises in Bangladesh. The port city is the largest base of the Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard; while the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Air Force also maintains bases and contributes to the city's economy. Chittagong is the headquarters of the Eastern Zone of the Bangladesh Railway, has historically been the headquarters of British India's Assam Bengal Railway and East Pakistan's Pakistan Eastern Railway. A ship breaking industry on the outskirts of the city supplies local steel.

Chittagong is an ancient seaport due to its natural harbor. It was noted as one of the largest Eastern ports by the Roman geographer Ptolemy in the 1st century. The harbor has been a gateway through southeastern Bengal in the Indian subcontinent for centuries. Arab sailors and traders, who once explored the Bay of Bengal, set up a mercantile station in the harbor during the 9th century.[12] During the 14th century, the port became a "mint town" of the Sultanate of Bengal,with the status of an administrative centre.

During the 16th century, Portuguese historian João de Barros described Chittagong as "the most famous and wealthy city of the Kingdom of Bengal".[13] Portuguese Chittagong was the first European colonial settlement in Bengal. A naval battle in 1666 between the Mughal Empire and Arakan resulted in the expulsion of Portuguese pirates. British colonisation began in 1760 when the Nawab of Bengal ceded Chittagong to the East India Company. During World War II, Chittagong was a base for Allied Forces engaged in the Burma Campaign. The port city began to expand and industrialise during the 1940s, particularly after the Partition of British India. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, Chittagong was the site of the country's declaration of independence. Major Ziaur Rahman declared the independence of Bangladesh on behalf of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman from the Kalurghat radio station.

Chittagong has a high degree of religious and ethnic diversity among Bangladeshi cities, despite having an overwhelming Bengali Muslim majority. Minorities include Bengali Hindus, Bengali Christians, Bengali Buddhists, Chakmas, Marmas, the Tripuras, Saontals, Garos, Bohmong and others.

  1. "Protect the Queen of the East". The Daily Star. 10 July 2017. Retrieved 3 September 2021.
  2. "Population & Housing Census-2011: Union Statistics" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. p. 39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 December 2015. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
  3. "History of Chittagong City Corporation". Chittagong City Corporation. Retrieved 26 May 2013.
  4. "Area, Population and Literacy Rate by Paurashava –2001" (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 June 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  5. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab". hdi.globaldatalab.org. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  6. "Economics Landscape of Chittagong". chittagongchamber.com. Chittagong Chamber. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
  7. 7.0 7.1 "Definition of Chittagong | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Retrieved 1 August 2021.
  8. Mahadi Al Hasnat (2 April 2018). "Mixed reactions as govt changes English spellings of 5 district names". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  9. population.city/bangladesh/chittagong/
  10. Ring, Trudy; Watson, Noelle; Schellinger, Paul (12 November 2012). Asia and Oceania: International Dictionary of Historic Places - Google Books. p. 186. ISBN 9781136639791. Retrieved 24 July 2017.
  11. "Pangaon container terminal to get a boost". The Daily Star. 3 January 2016.
  12. "Arabs, the - Banglapedia".
  13. "Chittagong | Bangladesh".