Chittagong Division (), officially Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative Divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the southeasternmost areas of the country, with a total area of and a population according to the 2022 census of 33,202,326, which made it the second most populous division of Bangladesh and the 45th most populous subnational entity in the world — more populous than all but 43 other countries.

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

Chittagong as an administrative 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. 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:

  • 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 districts were moved from the Chittagong Division to create the newly established Sylhet Division in 1995.

Administration

Chittagong Division is presently subdivided into eleven districts (zilas) and thence into 100 sub-districts (upazilas). The first six districts listed below comprise the north-western portion (with 37.6% of the area, but 58.3% of the population) of the present Chittagong Division, while the remaining five comprise the south-eastern portion (62.4% of the area, 41.7% of the population), 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. The six districts in the north-west will now form the new Cumilla Division.

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|+ style="text-align: center;" | Districts

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! Name !! Headquarters !! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) !! Population <br /> 1991 Census !! Population <br /> 2001 Census !! Population <br /> 2011 Census !! Population <br /> 2022 Census

See also

  • Divisions of Bangladesh

References

  • Government of Chittagong Division website

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