Cox's Bazar District () is a district in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh.

It is named after the town of Cox's Bazar. It is located south of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the names Panowa ("yellow flower") and Palongkee. The modern Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain Hiram Cox (died 1799), an army officer who served in British India. It is one of the fishing ports of Bangladesh, and contains one of the world's longest natural sea beaches ( long including mud flats).

In 1984 during the Ershad regime, Cox's Bazar district was established by dividing Chittagong District. Today, Cox's Bazar is a major tourist destination within Bangladesh.

Geography

Cox's Bazar District has an area of . It is bounded by Chittagong District on the north, Bay of Bengal in the south, Bandarban District on the east, and the Bay of Bengal on the west. Major rivers include Matamuhuri, Bakkhali, Reju Khal, Naf River, Maheshkhali channel and Kutubdia channel. The area of the city of Cox's Bazar is .

History

The known history of Cox's Bazar begins in the Mughal period. On his way to Arakan, when the Mughal Prince Shah Shuja (1616–1660) passed through the hilly terrain of the present day Cox's Bazar, he was attracted to the scenic nature of the region. He commanded his forces to camp there. A place named Dulahazara, meaning "one thousand palanquins", still exists in the area.

Cox's Bazar is named after Captain Hiram Cox, an officer of the East India Company, who was assigned with the charges of the current day Cox's Bazar and its adjacent areas. The town of Cox's Bazar was established in 1799 as a market town to honour Captain Cox. In 1854, Cox's Bazar was made a Sub Divisional headquarter in Chittagong district under the Bengal Presidency of British India.

After the end of British rule in 1947, Cox's Bazar remained a part of East Pakistan under Pakistan till 1971. Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim was the first chairman after independence from the British of Cox's Bazar municipality. He established the Tamarisk Forest along the beach to draw tourism to the town and to protect the beach from the tide. He donated many of his father-in-law's and his own lands to establish a public library and town hall. In 1971, the wharf was used as a naval port by the Pakistan Navy's gunboats. This and the nearby airstrip of the Pakistan Air Force were the scene of intense shelling by the Indian Navy during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971.

In the year 1984, Cox's Bazar was upgraded into a District from a Sub Division under the Chittagong Division.

Starting in 2017, a "mass human exodus" of the Rohingya Muslim minority group from neighboring Myanmar's Rakhine State has led to Cox's Bazar housing the "world's largest refugee settlement" over the following years. In the first year, the UNHCR estimated that 725,000 refugees had sought safety in Bangladesh.

Upazila (Subdivisions)

thumb|Inani Beach

There are nine upazilas under this district, namely:

  1. Kutubdia Upazila
  2. Pekua Upazila
  3. Maheshkhali Upazila
  4. Chakaria Upazila
  5. Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila
  6. Eidgaon Upazila
  7. Ramu Upazila
  8. Ukhia Upazila
  9. Teknaf Upazila

Education

  • Cox's Bazar Medical College
  • Cox's Bazar International University
  • Cox's Bazar Polytechnic Institute
  • Cox's Bazar Government College
  • Cox's Bazar Govt. Women College
  • Cox's Bazar Government High School
  • Cox's Bazar Government Girls High School
  • Cox's Bazar City College
  • Cox's Bazar International University
  • Cox's Bazar Commerce College
  • Cox's Bazar Harvard College
  • Chakaria College
  • Dulahazara Degree College
  • Ramu College

Climate

The annual average temperature in Cox's Bazar is and a minimum of . The climate remains hot and humid with some seasons of temperate weather. The average amount of rainfall is .

Demographics

According to the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, Cox's Bazar District had 587,114 households and a population of 2,823,268 with an average of 4.75 people per household. Among the population, 671,286 (23.78%) of the inhabitants were under 10 years of age. The population density was 1,133 people per km<sup>2</sup>. Cox's Bazar District had a literacy rate (age 7 and over) of 71.58%, compared to the national average of 74.80%, and a sex ratio of 103.32 males per 100 females. Approximately 43.62% (1,231,639) of the population lived in urban areas. The ethnic population was 14,881 (0.64%), mainly Rakhine with some Chakma and Tanchangya.