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 33,909.00 km2 (13,092.34 sq mi) and a population at the 2011 census of 28,423,019.^ 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; as well as St. Martin’s Island, Bangladesh’s sole coral reef.
History
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. During the East Pakistan period, the division’s Tippera district was renamed to 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:
- The Chittagong District was divided into two districts; Chittagong and Cox’s Bazar District
- The Comilla District was split into three districts; Comilla, Brahmanbaria and Chandpur
- The Hill Tracts District was split into three districts; Bandarban, Khagrachhari and Rangamati
- The Noakhali District was divided into three districts; Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni
- The Sylhet District was split into four districts; Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj.
Sylhet, Habiganj, Moulvibazar and Sunamganj district ceded from the Chittagong Division to join a newly-established Sylhet Divisionin 1995.
Administration
Chittagong Division is presently subdivided into eleven districts (zilas) and thence into 99 sub-districts (upazilas). 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 | Capital | Area (km2) | Population 1991 Census |
Population 2001 Census |
Population 2011 Census |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brahmanbaria District | Brahmanbaria | 1,881.20 | 2,141,745 | 2,398,254 | 2,840,498 |
| Comilla District | Comilla | 3,146.30 | 4,032,666 | 4,595,539 | 5,387,288 |
| Chandpur District | Chandpur | 1,645.32 | 2,032,449 | 2,271,229 | 2,416,018 |
| Lakshmipur District | Lakshmipur | 1,440.39 | 1,312,337 | 1,489,901 | 1,729,188 |
| Noakhali District | Maijdee | 3,685.87 | 2,217,134 | 2,577,244 | 3,108,083 |
| Feni District | Feni | 990.36 | 1,096,745 | 1,240,384 | 1,437,371 |
| North of the Feni River (proposed new Comilla Division) |
Comilla | 12,789.50 | 12,863,076 | 14,572,569 | 16,918,446 |
| Khagrachhari District | Khagrachhari | 2,749.16 | 342,488 | 525,664 | 613,917 |
| Rangamati District | Rangamati | 6,116.11 | 401,388 | 508,182 | 595,979 |
| Bandarban District | Bandarban | 4,479.01 | 230,569 | 298,120 | 388,335 |
| Chittagong District | Chittagong | 5,282.92 | 5,296,127 | 6,612,140 | 7,616,352 |
| Cox’s Bazar District | Cox’s Bazar | 2,491.85 | 1,419,260 | 1,773,709 | 2,289,990 |
| South of the Feni River (proposed reduced Chittagong Division) |
Chittagong | 21,119.05 | 7,689,832 | 9,717,815 | 11,504,546 |
| Total Districts | 11 | 33,908.55 | 20,552,908 | 24,290,384 | 28,423,019 |