Chittagong Division | |
Native Name: | চট্টগ্রাম বিভাগ |
Official Name: | Chattogram Division |
Settlement Type: | Division |
Coordinates: | 22.9167°N 121°W |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Bangladesh |
Established Title: | Established |
Established Date: | 1829 |
Seat Type: | Capital |
Seat: | Chittagong |
Leader Title: | Divisional Commissioner |
Leader Name: | Md. Tofayel Islam[1] |
Unit Pref: | Metric |
Leader Title1: | Parliamentary constituency |
Leader Name1: | Jatiya Sangsad (58 seats) |
Area Total Km2: | 34,529.97 |
Population Total: | 33202326 |
Population As Of: | 2022 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Demographics Type1: | Languages |
Demographics1 Title1: | Official language |
Demographics1 Info1: | Bengali[2] |
Demographics1 Title2: | Regional language |
Demographics1 Info2: | Chittagonian Noahkhailla |
Timezone1: | BST |
Utc Offset1: | +6 |
Iso Code: | BD-B |
Blank Name Sec1: | Notable sport teams |
Blank Info Sec1: | Chattogram Challengers, Chittagong Division, Chittagong Abahani |
Chittagong Division, officially known as Chattogram Division, 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 34529.97km2 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;[3] [4] 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.[5] In East Pakistan, the division's Tippera district was renamed as Comilla District in 1960.
In 1984, fifteen districts were created by separating and reducing the original five districts of Chittagong, Comilla, Hill Tracts, Noakhali and Sylhet:
Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj district ceded from the Chittagong Division to join a newly established Sylhet Division in 1995.
Chittagong Division is presently subdivided into eleven districts (zilas) and thence into 100 sub-districts (upazilas).[6] 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 | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Khagrachhari District | Khagrachhari | ||||||
Rangamati District | Rangamati | ||||||
Bandarban District | Bandarban | ||||||
Chittagong District | Chittagong | ||||||
Cox's Bazar District | Cox's Bazar | ||||||
Total Districts | 34,529.97 |
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. 88.11% were Muslims, 8.61% Hindus, 2.92% Buddhists, 0.22% Christians and 0.14% others.[18]