Chittagong Division is one of the six administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the most southern areas of the country and is also the second largest one. Overview: Area: 33,771 sq kilometers; Population: 23,999,345; Capital: Chittagong; Literacy Rate:. Important resources in the area include agricultural products, amenities, and labor. The chief agricultural products of the Chittagong region are paddy, betel leaf, potato, cotton, tea, peanut, mustard, patol (heap), brinjal, ginger, bean and other vegetables. The area also provides substantial amount of the nation's fruits including but not limited to mango, jackfruit, pineapple guava, coconut, betel nut, litchi, banana, papaya, water melon and lemon. Agriculture provides 57% of the division's revenues. Another important resource of the division is the production of hydroelectric power dams. These dams provide almost all of the country's power supply. The fast streams of the river Karnafuli is used to run the motors of the hydroelectric power dam. However, being a land of low elevation, the dams do not provide adequate power for the 131 million people of Bangladesh. 32.08%

History

The ancient name of Noakhali was Bhulua. Once the agricultural activities of the north-eastern region of Bhulua were seriously affected by floodwater of the Dakatia River flowing from the Tripura hills. To save the situation a canal was excavated in 1660 running from the Dakatia through Ramganj, Sonaimudi and Chaumuhani to divert water flow to the junction of the rivers Meghna and Feni. After excavating this long canal, Bhulua was renamed "Noakhali" after "Noa" (new) and "khal" (canal) in 1668.

The people of Noakhali actively took part in Jehad Movement in 1830 and Khilafat Movement in 1920. Mahatma Gandhi visited Noakhali (Begumganj upazila) in 1946 to ease communal riots.

Noakhali district was seriously affected many times by natural disasters like high tidal bore, tornado, flood, cyclone etc since 1790. In 1970, devastating tornado and tidal bore took lives of about 10 lakh people of the district. During the War of Liberation many direct and guerilla encounters were held between the Pak army and the freedom fighters. About 70 freedom fighters were killed in a direct encounter with the Pak army on 15 June 1971 in front of Sonapur Ahmadia School. Noakhali was liberated on 7 December 1971.

Geography

Noakhali District (part of Chittagong division) with an area of 3600.99 sq km, is bounded by Comilla district on the north, the Meghna estuary and the Bay of Bengal on the south, Feni and Chittagong districts on the east, Lakshmipur and Bhola districts on the west. Annual average temperature: maximum 34.3°C, minimum 14.4°C; annual rainfall 3302 mm. Main rivers are Bamni and meghna.

Noakhali (Town)

Noakhali Sadar upazila town (Maijdi) consists of 9 wards and 36 mahallas. It has an area of 12.61 sq km. The town has a population of 74585; male 51.50%, female 48.50%; population density per sq km 5915. Literacy rate among the town people is 60.7%. The ancient name of Noakhali Sadar was Sudharam. In 1948 when the upazila headquarters were extinct by the erosion of the Meghna River, it was shifted 8 km to the north to its present place at Maijdi.

Subdivisions

Noakhali district, whose earlier name was Bhulua, was established in 1660. It was named Noakhali in 1668. It consists of six upazilas, 5 municipalities, 45 wards, 90 mahallas, 83 union parishads, 909 mouzas and 978 villages. The upazilas are noakhali sadar, begumganj, chatkhil, companiganj, hatiya and senbagh; the municipalities are Begumganj (Chawmuhani), Companiganj (Bashurhat), Noakhali Sadar, Chatkhil, Kabirhat (Sadar).