Noakhali (District)

Noakhali District
Basic data
Country	Bangladesh
division	Chittagong
Seat	Noakhali
surface	3,685.9 km²
Residents	3,108,083 (2011)
density	843 inhabitants per km²
ISO 3166-2	BD-47
Website	www.noakhali.gov.bd

Coordinates: 22 ° 42 '  N , 91 ° 6'  E

The Noakhali District ( Bengali : নোয়াখালী জেলা , Noẏākhālī jelā ) is an administrative unit in southeastern Bangladesh , which lies within the Chittagong Division . The district has 3,108,083 inhabitants (2011 census). The administrative seat is the city of the same name Noakhali.

geography

The 3685.87 km² large district borders in the north on the neighboring districts Kumilla and Chandpur , in the east on the districts Chittagong and Feni , in the south on the estuary of the Meghna and the Bay of Bengal and in the west on the districts Lakshmipur and Bhola .

The two main rivers are the Bamni 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 14.4 ° C and 34.3 ° Celsius. The average annual rainfall is 3302 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

Until the 8th century, the region belonged to the Kingdom of Pundra (Pundravardhana). In 1279 the Sultanate of Delhi attacked the area and in 1353 the area was conquered by the Sultanate of Bengal . The majority of the population converted from the previously dominant Buddhism to (Sufi) Islam during the time of the Sultanate. This sultanate and the subsequent Mughal Empire fought with the Arakan Empire for supremacy for centuries. Despite the support of Portuguese mercenaries, the Arakanese never managed to hold the area longer. From 1666 to 1760 it was firmly in the hands of the Mughal Empire. After that it belonged to British India until 1947 . The district emerged from parts of Bakerganj, Chittagong and Comilla on March 29, 1822 and was first named Bhulua. It has been called Noakhali since 1868. Two uprisings against the British failed in 1830 and 1920. At the end of British rule, violent unrest broke out. The massacres of Hindus in October and November 1946 - the Noakahli Riots - cost several thousands of lives. Numerous Hindu minority women were raped and tens of thousands of Hindus were forcibly Islamized. Tens of thousands more Hindus were displaced and ended up in refugee camps. The British intervened and the massacres stopped. Since the area was awarded to Pakistan, many Hindus emigrated to Assam and West Bengal. 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 7, 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 town within the district is Begumganj. The district capital Noakhali follows with only a little lag. Other towns are Bashurhat , Chatkhil , Hatia , Kabirhat , Senbagh and Sonaimuri . The urban population makes up only 15.59 percent of the total population.

administration

The Noakhali district is currently divided into nine so-called Upazilas : Begumganj, Chatkhil, Companiganj, Hatiya, Senbagh, Kabirhat, Noakhali Sadar, Sonaimuri and Suborno Char. Within this administrative division there are eight self-governing cities ( municipalities ), 91 Union Parishads (village councils) and 967 villages.

economy

In total there are (2011) 2,261,843 people older than 10 years. Of these, 767,021 people are in school, 42,918 people are looking for work and 800,030 people work in a household. 651,874 people are gainfully employed. Of these, 296,653 (= 45.5 percent) people work in agriculture and fishing, 54,736 in industry and 300,485 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

In the whole district there is only one railway line, the Noakhali-Dhaka railway line. Therefore, the regional traffic is mostly handled with auto rickshaws and minibuses and the supraregional traffic with buses. Because of its location by the sea and numerous rivers, water transport is also important in the south of the district.

Web links

• Article on Noakhali District by Jahanara Akhter Lipi at Banglapedia
• Noakhali at the 2011 census
• Zila Noakhali at the 2011 census
• Article Noakhali with history up to 1900 in the Imperial Gazeteer of India