Some Sky Line Images Of Chittagong,Bangladesh.

About Chittagong

Introduction:-

Chittagong (Chittagonian, Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, Chôţţogram) is the main seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh. Located on the banks of the River Karnaphuli, Chittagong has a population of over 5 million people.

A trading post since the 9th century, Chittagong has a multicultural heritage of Islamic, Hindu and Buddhist traditions. The modern city developed during British rule as a railway, oil and tea trading hub. The city also became a focal point for revolutionary activities against the British, notably the armed uprising led by Surya Sen in 1930. It was also an important military base and supply point for Allied forces during the Burma Campaign in World War II. After the partition of India in 1947, Chittagong became part of East Pakistan. In 1971, as East Pakistanis rebelled against West Pakistan’s refusal to accept results of democratic elections, the declaration of Bangladesh's independence was announced in Chittagong. The city went onto witness atrocities, war crimes and naval blockades during the liberation war that followed.[6]

Today, Chittagong is one of the fastest growing cities in the world.[5][7][8] A major commercial and industrial centre, the city also has a globally competitive special economic zone.[9] With the major infrastructure projects being undertaken for the city, including a deep sea port, regional neighbors of Bangladesh, including India and China, have eyed Chittagong as a future regional transit hub.[10][11][12] The port city is seen as crucial to the economic development of landlocked southern Asia, including Northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal and parts of Southern China.[13][14]



History:-

Chittagong has been a seaport since ancient times. Arabs traded with the port from the 9th century AD. The Chittagong region was under the Vesali kingdom of Arakan in the 6th to 7th century. An account by historian Lama Taranath has revealed a Buddhist king Gopichandra had his capital at Chittagong in the 10th century, and according to Tibetan tradition, Chittagong was the birthplace of 10th century Buddhist Tantric Tilayogi.[16] In the Fourteenth Century, explorer Ibn Battuta passed through Chittagong during his travels.

Sultan Fakruddin Mubarak Shah of Sonargaon conquered Chittagong in 1340. Sultan Giasuddin Mubarak Shah constructed a highway from Chittagong to Chandpur and ordered the construction of many lavish mosques and tombs. After the defeat of Mahmud Shah in the hands of Sher Shah in 1538, the Arakanese Kingdom of Mrauk U regained Chittagong. From this time onward, until its conquest by the Mughals, this region was under the control of the Portuguese and the Magh pirates (a notorious name for Arakanese) for 128 years.[16]

Ships moored off Chittagong in the late 1820s.

The Mughal commandar Shayestha Khan and his son Buzurg Umed Khan expelled the Arakanese from the area in 1666 and established Mughal rule there. After the Arakanese expulsion, Islamabad, as the area came to be known, made great strides in economic progress. This can mainly be attributed to an efficient system of land-grants to selected diwans or faujdars in order to clear massive areas of hinterland and start cultivation. The Mughals, similar to the Afghans who came earlier, also built mosques having a rich contribution to the architecture in the area. What is called Chittagong today also began to have improved connections with the rest of Mughal Bengal. The city was occupied by Burmese troops shortly in First Anglo-Burmese War in 1824 and the British increasingly grew active in the region and it fell under the British Empire. The people of Chittagong made several attempts to gain independence from the British, notably on November 18, 1857 when the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th companies of the 34th Bengal Infantry Regiment stationed at Chittagong rose in rebellion and released all the prisoners from jail but were suppressed by the Kuki scouts and the Sylhet Light Infantry (10th Gurkha Rifles).[16]

Chittaong grew at the beginning of the twentieth century after the partition of Bengal and the creation of the province of Eastern Bengal and Assam.[17] The construction of the Assam Bengal Railway to Chittagong facilitated further development of economic growth in the city. However, revolutionaries and opposition movements grew during this time. Many people in Chittagong supported Khilafat and Non-Cooperation movements.



World War II:-

US Navy sailors in Chittagong, 1944
During World War II, the British used Chittagong as an important military base. Frequent bombardment by the Japanese Air Force,[clarification needed] notably in April 1942 and again on 20 and 24 December 1942, resulted in military relocation to Comilla. Nevertheless the war had a major negative impact on the city, with the growth of refugees and uneveness in fortune, reflected in the Great Famine of 1943.[16]

[edit]Post-World War and Liberation of Bangladesh
After the war, rapid industrialisation and development saw the city grow beyond its previous municipal area, particularly in the southwest up to Patenga, where Chittagong International Airport is now located.[16] The former villages of Halishahar, Askarabad and Agrabad became integrated into the city. The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) was established by the government of East Pakistan in 1959 to manage this growth and drew up a master plan to be reviewed every five years to plan its urban development. By 1961 the CDA had drawn up a regional plan covering an area of 212 square miles (550 km2) and a master plan covering an area of 100 square miles (260 km2).[16] Over the decades, especially after the losses of 1971, the master plan developed into several specific areas of management, including the Multi-Sectoral Investment Plan for drainage and flood-protection of Chittagong City and a plan for easing the traffic congestion and making the system more efficient.[16]

In 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, Chittagong suffered massive losses in people and buildings given that they denied the occupation army access to the port. The first public announcement was made over the radio from the Swadhin Bangla Betar Kendra located at Kalurghat, Chittagong. Following the independence of Bangladesh, the city underwent a major rehabilitation and reconstruction programme and regained its status as an important port within a few years.[16]

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Geography and climate:-

Under the Köppen climate classification, Chittagong[20] has a tropical monsoon climate. Chittagong is located at 22°22′0″N 91°48′0″E on the banks of the Karnaphuli River. It has a total area of 157 square kilometres (61 sq mi). The city is known for its vast hilly terrain that stretches throughout the entire district and eventually into India. Chittagong does not contain any natural lakes, but it does have artificial lakes.
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