Cox's Bazar District

Cox's Bazar is a major tourist destination within Bangladesh.

Cox's Bazar District has an area of 2,491.86 km² (962.11 sq mi). 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 6.85 km² (2.64 sq mi).

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.

After the Mughals, the district came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese, followed by the Portuguese and then the British.

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.^[4][5] 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 the Dominion of 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 Liberation War 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 led to the creation, in Cox's Bazar, of the "world's largest refugee settlement" over the following year. In the first year, the UNHCR estimated that 725,000 refugees had sought safety in Bangladesh.^[6]

 

There are nine upazilas under this district, namely:

1. Chakaria Upazila
2. Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila
3. Kutubdia Upazila
4. Maheshkhali Upazila
5. Ramu Upazila
6. Teknaf Upazila
7. Ukhia Upazila
8. Pekua Upazila
9. Eidgaon Upazila^[7]

• Cox’s Bazar University - UGC recommended public university
• Cox's Bazar Medical College
• Cox's Bazar Polytechnic Institute
• Cox's Bazar Govt. College
• Cox's Bazar Govt. Women College
• Cox's Bazar City College
• Cox's Bazar International University
• Cox's Bazar Commerce College
• Cox's Bazar Harvard College
• Ramu Govt. College
• Teknaf Govt. College

The annual average temperature in Cox's Bazar is 32.8 °C (91.0 °F) and a minimum of 16.1 °C (61.0 °F). The climate remains hot and humid with some seasons of temperate weather. The average amount of rainfall is 4,285 mm (168.7 in).

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.^[8]

Religion	1941[11]: 104–105		1981[9]		1991[9]		2001[9]		2011[9]		2022[10]
	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%	Pop.	%
Islam	342,378	86.22%	941,630	91.76%	1307467	92.13%	1,648,211	92.92%	2151958	93.97%	2,669,977	94.57%
Hinduism	26,907	6.78%	58,974	5.75%	79,499	5.60%	87,123	4.91%	97,648	4.26%	108,166	3.83%
Buddhism	—	—	24,011	2.34%	30,853	2.17%	35,737	2.01%	37,822	1.65%	42,305	1.50%
Others [a]	27,828	7.00%	1,557	0.15%	1,441	0.10%	2,638	0.16%	2,562	0.12%	2,820	0.10%
Total Population	397,113	100%	1,026,172	100%	1,419,260	100%	1,773,709	100%	2,289,990	100%	2,823,268	100%

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 Rakhine in Myanmar over the years. The local dialect is Chittagonian, although there are 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.^[12]

 

Cox's Bazar, mostly known for its beach and sunsets,^{[citation needed]} has several other attractions, including:

• Aggmeda Khyang, a large Buddhist monastery, and a place revered by around 400,000 Buddhist people of Cox's Bazar Hill Tracts.^[13]

 

• Himchori, located about 8 km (5 mi) 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.
• Inani Beach has interesting rocks and coral boulders. It is 32 km (20 mi) from the main beach.
• Cox's Bazar Circuit House, located 2 km (1.2 mi) from Laboni Point, has a viewpoint from which the ocean can be seen. There are also views of Cox's Bazar city.^[14]
• St. Martin's Island, the only coral island in Bangladesh, is situated at 9 km (5.6 mi) south of Teknaf. It is a tourist spot.
• 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.
• Ukhiya Central Ananda Bhavan Vihar, a renowned Buddhist temple dating from 1782 located at Patabari, Ukhia (3-minute distance from the Arakan highway) 33 km away from the main town of Cox's Bazar.^[15][16]

• Anisur Rahman Zico (born 1997), Bangladeshi footballer
• Obaidullah Hamzah (born 1972), Islamic scholar and economist
• Mohammad Nurul Huda (born 1949), poet and novelist awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2015^{[citation needed]}
• Aye Thein Rakhaine (born 1962), former MP^{[citation needed]}
• Shaimum Sarwar Kamal, the elected MP in Cox's Bazar
• Salimullah Khan, eminent thinker of Bangladesh
• Mominul Haque, Bangladeshi cricketer
• Major General Hamidul Haque, officer in Bangladesh Army
• Mominur Rashid Amin [ Secretary to the Government of Bangladesh ] Civil Bureaucrat.

• Official website
• New York Times Travel Article, December 2006