Cox's Bazar District

Cox's Bazar District has an area of {{convert|2491.86|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}. 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 {{convert|6.85|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}.

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.{{cite journal |author=G. P. Ramachandra |date=September 1981 |title=Captain Hiram Cox's Mission to Burma, 1796-1798: A Case of Irrational Behaviour in Diplomacy |journal=Journal of Southeast Asian Studies |publisher=Cambridge University Press |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=433–451 |jstor=20070440 |doi=10.1017/s0022463400009966|s2cid=162684044 }}{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4j6Euu_0YcAC&q=captain+hiram+cox&pg=PA512 |title=Literary Gazette and Journal of Belles Lettres, Arts, Sciences, Volume 8 |date= 1842-08-07|access-date=2013-09-07|last1=Jerdan |first1=William |last2=Workman |first2=William Ring |last3=Arnold |first3=Frederick |last4=Morley |first4=John |last5=Goodwin |first5=Charles Wycliffe }} 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.Kolstad, Kristine, [https://www.nrc.no/news/2018/august/coxs-bazar-the-worlds-largest-refugee-settlement/ "Cox's Bazar: The world's largest refugee settlement"], Norwegian Refugee Council, 24 August 2018. Retrieved 26 May 2019.

Image:inani beach.jpg

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{{Cite news |date=26 July 2021|script-title=bn:নতুন আরও তিনটি উপজেলা|url=https://www.banglatribune.com/692596/%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%A4%E0%A7%81%E0%A6%A8-%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A8%E0%A6%9F%E0%A6%BF-%E0%A6%89%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%9C%E0%A7%87%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BE-%E0%A6%B9%E0%A6%9A%E0%A7%8D%E0%A6%9B%E0%A7%87|access-date=26 July 2021|work=Bangla Tribune|language=bn}}
7. Ramu Upazila
8. Ukhia Upazila
9. Teknaf Upazila

• Cox's Bazar Medical College
• Cox's Bazar International University
• Cox's Bazar Polytechnic Institute
• Cox's Bazar Govt. 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

{{unreferenced section|date=February 2016}}

The annual average temperature in Cox's Bazar is {{convert|32.8|C|F}} and a minimum of {{convert|16.1|C|F}}. The climate remains hot and humid with some seasons of temperate weather. The average amount of rainfall is {{convert|4285|mm|in|abbr=on}}.

{{Historical populations

|align=center

|percentages=pagr

|1974 |809310

|1981 |1026172

|1991 |1419260

|2001 |1773709

|2011 |2289990

|2022 |2823268

|footnote= Sources:{{cite web |url=http://203.112.218.65:8008/WebTestApplication/userfiles/Image/PopCenZilz2011/Zila_CoxsBazar.pdf|title=Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Cox's Bazar|website=|publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics}}

}}

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 4.75 people per household. Among the population, 671,286 (23.78%) inhabitants were under 10 years of age. The population density was 1,133 people per km². 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.{{Cite book |url=https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/sites/default/files/files/bbs.portal.gov.bd/page/b343a8b4_956b_45ca_872f_4cf9b2f1a6e0/2023-11-20-05-20-e6676a7993679bfd72a663e39ef0cca7.pdf |title=Population and Housing Census 2022 National Report |date=November 2023 |publisher=Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics |isbn= |volume=1 |pages=}}

{{bar box

|title=Religions in Cox's Bazar District (2022)

|titlebar=#Fcd116

|left1=Religion

|right1=Percent

|float=left

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{{bar percent|Islam|green|94.57}}

{{bar percent|Hinduism|darkorange|3.83}}

{{bar percent|Buddhism|gold|1.50}}

{{bar percent|Other or not stated|black|0.10}}

}}

Muslims are the largest religious community. Prior to Partition, the southern upazilas of Ukhiya and Teknaf had a large ethnic Buddhist Rakhine population, but most have moved to the Rakhine state in Myanmar over the years. The local dialect is Chittagonian as well as presence of many Rohingya speakers due to the massive refugee camps.

The most significant livelihood of Cox's Bazar district is tourism. Millions of foreign and Bangladeshi natives visit this coastal city every year. A number of hotels, guest houses, and motels have been built in the city and coastal region and the hospitality industry is a major employer in the area.

A number of people are involved in the fishing and collection of seafoods, sea products and salt-farming. Oysters, snails, pearls and jewelry made from shells are popular with the tourists in the seaside and city stores. A number of people are also employed by the transportation business for tourists. Additionally, many people of the district are farmers.

In 2002, a surfing club was initiated at Cox's Bazar by a local Bangladeshi. It has now extended to holding an annual competition including locals and foreign tourists. This is the first surfing initiative in Bangladesh's history.{{cite web | url=https://mapballadventures.com/coxs-bazar-surf-report-and-the-father-of-surfing-in-bangladesh/ | title=Cox's Bazar Surf Report and the Father of Surfing in Bangladesh | date=28 March 2020 }}

File:Cox's Bazaar After Sunset Sep2019.jpg

• Cox's Bazar Beach
• Inani Beach
• Teknaf Beach

File:Sunset at Saint Martin.jpg

• St. Martin's Island, the only coral island in Bangladesh, is situated at {{convert|9|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of Teknaf. It is a tourist spot.
• Chhera Island
• Sonadia Island
• Shapuree Island
• Dulhazra Safari Park, a safari park in Bangladesh which is situated at Chakaria Upazila. It has a range of exotic animals such as birds, snakes, and water beasts.

File:Himchori Mountain Sep2019.jpg

• Himchori, located about {{convert|8|km|mi|sigfig=1|abbr=on}} south of Cox's Bazar, is a picnic spot with waterfalls and hill top from where views of the sea can be seen. Birds and terrestrial animals roam near the road.
• Medhakachhapia National Park
• Sheikh Jamal Inani National Park
• Fasiakhali Wildlife Sanctuary
• Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary
• Adinath Temple, Maheshkhali
• Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive
• Sheikh Kamal International Stadium, Cox's Bazar
• Cox's Bazar International Airport
• Cox's Bazar railway station

1. Abdur Rahman Bodi
2. Abdul Gani (Cox's Bazar politician)
3. A. H. M. Hamidur Rahman Azad
4. A. H. Salahuddin Mahmud
5. A. T. M. Nurul Bashar Chowdhury
6. AHA Gafur Chowdhury
7. AMM Nasir Uddin
8. ATM Zafar Alam
9. Anisur Rahman Zico
10. Alamgir Mohammad Mahfuzullah Farid
11. Asheq Ullah Rafiq
12. Aye Thein Rakhaine
13. Badiul Alam
14. Didarul Alam Chowdhury
15. Enamul Haq Manju
16. Farid Ahmad
17. Fazlul Karim (lawyer)
18. Hamidul Haque
19. Hasan Murad
20. Hasan Murad Tipu
21. Helal Uddin Ahmed
22. Ilias Kobra
23. Jafar Alam
24. Jahirul Islam
25. Jalaluddin Ahmad
26. Jinnat Ali
27. Kaniz Fatema Ahmed
28. Khorshed Ara Haque
29. Lutfur Rahman Kajal
30. Mahmudul Karim Chowdhury
31. Md. Ishak
32. Mominul Haque
33. Mongsen Ching Monsin
34. Mostaq Ahmad Chowdhury
35. Mohammad Ali (Bangladeshi politician)
36. Mohammad Ali (judge)
37. Mohammad Ibrahim (footballer, born 1997)
38. Mohammad Khalequzzaman
39. Mohammad Nurul Huda
40. Mohammad Shafiul Alam
41. Mohammad Sahiduzzaman
42. Mohammad Ziauddin
43. Mohammad Zoynal Abedin
44. Mohammed Ellias
45. Nurul Mustafa
46. Obaidullah Hamzah
47. Osman Sarwar Alam Chowdhury
48. Rashiduddin Ahmad
49. Rima Sultana Rimu
50. Salahuddin Ahmed (Cox's Bazar politician)
51. Salimullah Khan
52. Shamsuddin Ahmad Chowdhury
53. Satya Priya Mahathero
54. Shahin Akhtar
55. Shaimum Sarwar Kamal
56. Shahid Saber
57. Shahjahan Chowdhury
58. Shireen Akhter
59. Sushanto Tripura
60. Shyamal Kanti Biswas
61. Sultan Zauq Nadvi
62. Sunil Krishna Dey Chowdhury
63. Tawhidul Alam Sabuz

{{reflist|group=lower-alpha}}

{{Commons category}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{URL|http://www.coxsbazar.gov.bd/|Official website}}
• [http://travel.nytimes.com/2006/12/24/travel/24next.html?ref=travel New York Times Travel Article, December 2006]

{{Cox's Bazar District}}

{{Divisions and districts of Bangladesh}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Cox's Bazar District

Category:Districts of Chittagong Division

Category:Districts of Bangladesh

Category:1984 establishments in Bangladesh

Category:Rohingya diaspora