Kumilla (District)

Kumilla District
Basic data
Country	Bangladesh
division	Chittagong
Seat	Kumilla
surface	3,146.3 km²
Residents	5,387,288 (2011)
density	1712 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	BD-08
Website	www.comilla.gov.bd

Coordinates: 23 ° 16 '  N , 91 ° 7'  E

The Kumilla District ( Bengali : কুমিল্লা জেলা , Kumillā jelā ; English : Comilla ) is an administrative unit of the Chittagong Division in Bangladesh . Their capital is Kumilla . It is located about 100 kilometers southeast of the capital Dhaka .

geography

The 3146.30 km² district borders in the north on the districts Brahmanbaria and Narayanganj . The Indian state of Tripura lies to the east, to the south the Noakhali and Feni districts and the two administrative districts Munsiganj and Chandpur to the west .

The main rivers are the Dakatia , the Gumti and the Meghna .

Nature and wildlife

The vegetation corresponds to that of the entire lower course of the Ganges with numerous evergreen trees. There are also fruit trees, palms and banana trees.

Wildlife includes jackals, foxes, the Bengal mongoose , civets , squirrels and bats. There are also numerous species of birds, fish, reptiles, numerous species of snakes and amphibians.

climate

The climate is subtropical and the temperatures fluctuate between 12.7 ° C and 34.3 ° Celsius. The average annual rainfall is 2551 mm. The average humidity is usually more than 70%. There is little rain in the months from November to March. June, July and August are the months with the most rain.

Due to its location, the area is repeatedly hit by cyclones, floods and tidal waves.

history

For centuries the region belonged to the Gupta Empire . After its fall, various regional Buddhist dynasties ruled. The last Buddhist empire was Pala . But Hinduism arrived in the late Pala Empire. However, by the time the Sultanate of Delhi conquered it in 1230, both Buddhism and Hinduism were widespread. Under the various Islamic dynasties - after the Sultanate of Delhi, the Sultanate of Bengal and the Mughal Empire - Buddhism completely disappeared. While Muslims slowly became the majority since the 13th century, parts of the population remained loyal to Hinduism. The current area of ​​the district was fought for centuries between the Sultanate of Bengal and his successor Mughal Empire on the one hand and the Kingdom of Twipra (English Tippera). From 1733 to 1765 it belonged to the Mughal Empire and from 1765 to 1947 to British India as part of the Chittagong Division. The district was named Tippera until 1960. From 1947 to 1971, the Noakhali District was part of East Pakistan in the Republic of Pakistan. During the War of Independence in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh), the area was liberated by Bengali troops on December 12, 1971.

population

Population development

As everywhere in Bangladesh, the population in the district has been growing rapidly for decades. The following table illustrates this:

Significant places

The most populous place within the district is the district capital Kumilla. Other towns are Barura , Chandina , Chauddagram , Daudkandi , Debidwar , Homna , Laksham , Muradnagar and Nangalkot . The urban population makes up only 15.60 percent of the total population. The following localities have more than 10,000 inhabitants:

administration

The Kumilla district is currently divided into 17 so-called Upazilas : Barura, Brahmanpara, Burichong, Comilla Sadar, Comilla Sadar Dakshin, Chandina, Chauddagram, Daudkandi, Debidwar, Homna, Laksam, Lalmai, Meghna, Monohorgonj, Muradnagar, Nangalkot and Titas. Within this administrative subdivision there are ten self-governing towns ( municipalities ), 185 Union Parishads (village councils) and 3532 villages. At the time of the last census in 2011, there were only 16 Upazilas. The Lalmai district was only created in 2017.

economy

There are a total of 4,006,011 people (2011) who are older than 10 years. Of these, 1,337,332 people are at school, 50,233 people are looking for work and 1,385,318 people work in a household. 1,233,128 people are gainfully employed. Of these, 570,172 (= 41.2 percent) people work in agriculture and fishing, 128,044 in industry and 534,912 in services.

Main agricultural products are potatoes, rice, onions, legumes , wheat, sugar cane, various vegetables and spices. The most common types of fruit are papayas, bananas, peaches, jackfruit , mangoes, litchis , coconuts and limes.

health

There is a single hospital and a health center in each subdistrict. There are also smaller health centers and family planning centers at the local level.

traffic

There are several railway lines throughout the district. Nevertheless, the regional traffic is mostly handled with auto rickshaws and minibuses and the national traffic with buses. Because of the location by the sea and numerous rivers, water transport is also important in parts of the district.

Attractions

The medieval Buddhist monasteries of Mainamati , near Kotbari, are a magnet for those interested.

The district is also known for its graveyard for those killed in the Second World War . Kumilla was an important military site during the clashes between British India and Japan , whose army was occupying Burma . The British government continues to fund some of the soldiers from the British forces who fell during the battle with the Imperial Japanese Army in the cemetery.

Web links

• Article on Kumilla District at Banglapedia
• Kumilla in the 2011 census
• Zila Kumilla at the 2011 census
• Article Tippera with history up to 1900 in the Imperial Gazeteer of India