Chittagong - Bangladesh

Chittagong, or Chottogram or even Chantga, as the city is known locally is the second largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka, the capital city. Chittagong is believed to mean the 'mouth of the Ganges'. It can be called as the commercial capital of Bangladesh. Chittagong is one amongst the six administrative divisions that Bangladesh is divided into. It is a very clean and picturesque city, on the foothills of the Chittagong Hill-Tracts. The River Karnafuli, flows through it and joins the Bay of Bengal here.

Chittagong district is located in the Chittagong division of Bangladesh, bordering the country of Myanmar or Burma. Chittagong is the largest seaport in the country and has access to ocean liners. Chittagong Port is one of the most developed in the region, and has state of the art facilities. It is regarded as the main entry and exit point of the major volume of trade in Bangladesh, and generates huge revenues from it. Owing to this facility, most of the important industries of Bangladesh are located here. In addition to that, the charming amalgamation of the sea, the river and the hill-tracts make it a perfect holiday gateway. It is a very sought-after vacation destination of the country.

Going back to history, Chittagong has always been a very important seaport of South Asia. Chittagong has mainly been under the kingdom of Arakan and after this it was under the Muslim rule, under the Portuguese, the Maghs the Mughals and finally under the British, till India gained independence in 1947. One important landmark in history, by which, Chittagong is referred to is the raid of the British armoury, on the 18th of April, 1930, which was masterminded by Surya Sen, a noted revolutionary, popularly known as Masterda.

The people of Chittagong speak a dialect called Chittagonian or Chatgaia. This language is of the Eastern Indic Group. Many people are of the view that it is a dialect of the Bengali language, which, is the national language of Bangladesh.

The fertile fields of Chittagong produce agricultural products like betel leaf, cotton, tea, peanut, paddy etc. In addition to these, a lot of fruits are also grown over here like coconut, guava, jackfruit, pineapple banana, litchi etc. Chittagong is also important for its hydroelectric projects, which is acquired from the Karnafuli River. Most of Bangladesh's power supply comes from Chittagong division.

The places worth visiting, while in Chittagong are, the Foy's lake, the Patenga beach, Mt. Sitakunda, the highest point in the Chittagong Hill tracts, which, is about 40 kms from the main city, the Chandanpura Mosque, and Cox's Bazaar, the longest beach in the world, situated about 150 kms southeast of Chittagong, near to the border with Myanmar.

By road, Chittagong is connected to all the main cities of the country. Intra city travel is usually accomplished in buses, CNG taxis or rickshaws. Chittagong is connected to Dhaka by a narrow gauge railway line. By air Chittagong is connected to Dhaka, Kolkata, Dubai, Yangon and Bankok.

Two hotels worth staying in Chittagong are the Agrabad Hotel, and the Hotel Saint Martin Limited.