Chittagong
Chittagong | |
|---|---|
| Nickname: Chottala | |
 Location of Chittagong in Bangladesh | |
| Country | Bangladesh |
| Administrative District | Chittagong District |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Mohiuddin Ahmed |
| Population (2007 est.)[1] | |
| • Total | 3,920,222 |
| Time zone | UTC+6 (BST) |
Chittagong (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chôţţogram) is the major seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh. It is located in the Chittagong District of Chittagong Division, in the southeastern portion of the country near Myanmar (Burma). Its longitude is 91°49'30.65"E and latitude is 22°19'49.41"N. The city was built on the banks of the Karnaphuli River, which ends nearby, in the Bay of Bengal. Chittagong has a population of 3.9 million,[1] and is continuing to grow. It is known as one of the cleanest cities of Bangladesh.[citation needed]
The largest sea port in the country, Chittagong is the main route for almost all of Bangladesh's imports and exports, and generates a huge amount of revenue each year, attracting many investors internationally.[citation needed] Its harbour also contains extensively developed port facilities, and is particularly suitable for ocean steamers.
The city is Bangladesh's commercial and manufacturing centre, and home to the country's largest companies. Notably, two large eco-parks catering to ecologists and forestry-related genetic science have been opened recently in neighbouring Sitakunda and Bashkhali.
History
Chittagong has been a sea port since ancient times. Arabs traded with the port from the 9th century AD. The Chittagong region was under the kingdom of Arakan during sixth and seventh centuries. Before Muslim rule Chittagong had been either under the control of the Arakans or under the kings of Burma. Sultan Fakruddin Mubarak Shah of Sonargaon conquered Chittagong in 1340. After the defeat of Sultan Giasuddin Mahmud Shah in the hands of Sher Shah in1538, the Arakanise again captured Chittagong. From this time onward until its conquest by the Mughals this region was under the control of the Portuguese and the Magh pirates. The Mughal Commandar Bujurg Umed Khan expelled the Portuguese from the area in 1666 and established Mughal rule there. The Mughals renamed Chittagong as Islamabad.
On 18th April 1930, the revolutionaries looted the Chittagong armoury under the leadership of Mastarda Surya Sen. During this time the leaders of the women revolutionaries were pritilata waddedar, Bina Das, Lila Ray, Kalpana Dutta etc. In 1971, The Declaration of Independence of Bangladesh was announced from swadhin bangla betar kendra located at Kalurghat, Chittagong.
The explorer Ibn Battuta passed through Chittagong during his travels.
Administration
Chittagong is a Divisional Headquarter for the Chittagong Division. Divisional Commissioner is the Highest Ranking Government Official and he is the chief coordinator of the all 11 Districts. He is assisted with 3 Additional Divisional Commissioners. The Chittagong District has a District Commissioner. The city areas are divided into several wards and mahallas, under the jurisdiction of Chittagong City Corporation.
People and culture
The people of the city are diverse and multi-ethnic, and the native Bengali and Tibeto-Burman populations have had significant influence from Arab, Afghan, and Mughal traders and settlers, all of whom had travelled in the city after arriving on its shores many hundreds of years ago. The descendants of Portuguese settlers, known as the Firingi, also continue to live in Chittagong, as Catholic Christians, in the old Portuguese enclave of Paterghatta.
Chittagong is also home to several of the most renowned universities of Bangladesh, Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (CUET), the International Islamic University Chittagong, the Chittagong University, established in 1966, Southern University Bangladesh, Mehedibagh,Chittagong established in the year 1998, the Chittagong College being notable examples. It also contains many madrasas (Islamic educational centres) within its borders.
Economy and Development
The sea-borne exports consist chiefly of ready made garments, knitwear, frozen food, jute and jute goods, leather and leather goods, tea, and chemical products. There is also a large trade by country boats, bringing chiefly cotton, rice, spices, sugar and tobacco. Ship breaking was introduced to the area in 1969. This industry is concentrated at Fauzdarhat, a 16km long beach 20 km north-west of Chittagong. Poor environmental standards produce unsafe labour conditions for ship-breaking workers and release toxins such as asbestos and PCBs into the environment.[2] Chittagong is home to a large number of industries from small to heavy. It has automobile industries, refinery, pharmaceutical plants, chemical plants, export processing zones, steel meel etc. The privately owned Korean export processing zone is also located in Chittagong.
The city of Chittagong had been prolongued with neglect by the Bangladeshi government until the turn of the century when exports grew by 21.13% to an all time high of $8.02 billion.[3]. Chittagong is the site of Bangladesh's busiest port which handles 80% of all Bangladeshi imports and exports. The strategic location of the port has allowed for interest by investors to help improve the city.
Agrabad is the cheif downtown of Chittagong along with a few other minor areas. Many companies like HSBC have their offices stationed in the city. Numerous investments have allowed for a construction boom similar to Dhaka. Over the years, scores of hotels, shopping centers, and other modern buildings have sprang up to change the face of the city. Some in particular include the 2 star Asian SR Hotel and 4 star Penninsula Chittagong.[4]. Ongoing developments include an 18 story shopping cum commercial complex named Akhtaruzzaman Centre[5] and a Chittagong World Trade Centre[6].
Chittagonian
Many Chittagong natives speak Chittagonian (চাটগাঁইয়া Chaţgaiã), an Indo-European language of the Eastern Indic group. Many speakers consider their language to be a dialect of standard Bengali, the official language of Bangladesh. However, the two languages are not mutually intelligible, meaning that those who only know how to speak Standard Bengali will not understand Chittagonian speakers, and vice versa - normally the metric for languagehood among linguists. There is, however, a dialect continuum between Chittagonian and neighboring dialects of Bengali, meaning that speakers of each neighboring dialect can largely understand each other, while speakers of more distant dialects cannot. Chittagonian has approximately 14 million speakers.[7]
Main sights
The main attraction of Chittagong are:
Court Building: Situated on the Fairy Hill, this building commands a magnificent bird's eye view of Chittagong city, particularly at night. This gigantic Judge Court building was built immediately after the East India Company conquered and declared Chittagong as a separate administrative area in 1773. The building is huge, over 250 thousand square feet and has hundreds of rooms.
Shrine of Baizid Bostami: This holy shrine attracts a large number of visitors and pilgrims. At its base there is a large pond with several hundred tortoises floating in the water. According to tradition, these turtles are descendants of evil spirits (djinn) who were cast into this shape because they incurred the wrath of the great saint who visited the place about 1100 years ago.
Chandanpura Mosque: Situated in the old city, the multi domed mosque is an architectural sight to behold.
Chittagong College: Situated in the old city, is is one of the oldest colleges in Bangladesh (estd 1869) and also one of the prestigious academy.
World war II Cemetery: In this well-preserved cemetery at quiet and picturesque place lie buried over 700 soldiers from commonwealth countries and Japan. The War Cemetery is located in a hillside sloping place, in the south-western corner of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, beside the Badshah Mia Road of the city. The total area of this cemetery is eight acres, which is protected and supervised by the Common wealth Graves Commission.
Foy's Lake: Set amidst panoramic surroundings, this ideal spot for outings and picnics is thronged by thousands of visitors. This Lake has been created in the natural environment in 1924 by the initiative of the then Asam-Bengal Railway. This lake has been created by building a dam based on a plan by an English engineer Mr. Foy. Now an amusement park is established there.
Ethnological Museum: A unique treasure house of variety of tribal culture and heritage of Bangladesh. The Ethnological Museum of Chittagong was established in the first half of nineteen sixties. The museum contains four galleries and a small hall.
Patenga Beach: Sandy beach at the meeting place of the roaring sea and the river Karnaphuli.
Transportation
Ground
Transportation in Chittagong is similar to that of the country's capital Dhaka. There are various bus systems, taxis, and as well as smaller 'Baby' or 'CNG' taxis which are basically tricycle-structured motor vehicles. Also, there are the traditional manual rickshaws which are very common.
Railway
Chittagong has a station on the narrow gauge eastern section of the Bangladesh Railway. The headquarters of this railway are located here.
Air
Shah Amanat International Airport serves as Chittagong's international airport. It is the 2nd busiest in Bangladesh. It has international services to destinations such as Dubai, Kolkata, Yangon, Muscat and Bangkok. It was formerly known as MA Hannan International Airport, but was renamed on April 2, 2005 by the Government of Bangladesh.
See also
- Chittagong Hill Tracts
- Chittagong Division
- 1970 Bhola Cyclone
- 1991 Bangladesh Cyclone
- Chittagonian language
- A google video from Chittagong city
References
- ^ a b "Population of Chittagong". World Gazetteer. 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-12.
- ^ Aage Bjørn Andersen, Erik Bjørnbom, Terje Sverud (2000-05-12). "Technical Report DNV RN 590, Decommissioning of Ships, Bangladesh - Chittagong, Report No. 2000-3158, Revision No. 01" (PDF). Retrieved 2007-12-02.
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Exports grow 21.13pc in eight months". thedailystar.ws. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
- ^ "Peninsula Chittagong hotel opens". independent-bangladesh.com. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
- ^ "djuice duniya' fair starts in Ctg". independent-bangladesh.com. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
- ^ "PM opens World Trade Centre project in Chittagong today". bangladeshobserveronline.com. Retrieved 2007-05-19.
- ^ Ethnologue (2005). "Chittagonian, a language of Bangladesh".
{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires|journal=(help)
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
22°22′N 91°48′E / 22.367°N 91.800°E
