Chittagong:Chittagong is the main
seaport and second largest city of Bangladesh,
and the administrative capital of the greater Chittagong Division. It is located on the
northern banks of the Karnaphuli River in southeastern Bangladesh,
along the coast the Bay of Bengal. The Chittagong Metropolitan Area
is home to an estimated population exceeding 5.5 million people. It is one of
the fastest growing cities in the world. An ancient and historic gateway to
Bengal, Chittagong was a major port in Indian Ocean trade and attracted merchants from
Arabia, Persia, China and Southeast Asia, as well as numerous historic
travellers, including Admiral Zheng He, Ibn Battuta,
Wang Dayuan
and Niccolò de' Conti.The Portuguese
arrived in the 16th century and established the settlement of Porto Grande De Bengala. Chittagong also
became a trading post of the Dutch VOC and the French East India Company. After the collapse
of the Principality of Bengal, the British East India Company gained control
of the port in the late-18th century.
The modern city
of Chittagong emerged during the British Raj
as key transportation hub of Bengal, Assam and Burma. It
underwent rapid urban and commercial expansion from the early-20th century as
the chief port of eastern Bengal and Assam. It was the site of the Chittagong armoury raid of Surya Sen
in 1930. During World War II, it served as a major base for Allied Forces
engaged in the Burma Campaign, and witnessed several Japanese
air raids. After the Partition of British India in 1947,
Chittagong became part of East Pakistan. In 1971, at the onset of the Bangladesh Liberation War, the declaration
of Bangladesh’s independence was proclaimed from Chittagong by Bengali
political and military leaders on behalf of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Chittagong is a
major commercial and industrial center, generating more than 40% of
Bangladesh's industrial output and 80% of international trade. The city is home
to many of the oldest and largest companies in Bangladesh, as well as many of
Bangladesh's leading business families. In recent years, neighboring countries
and international investors have looked to the port city as a future regional
gateway to the eastern subcontinent and landlocked southern Asia
(including northeast India, southwest
China, Burma,
Nepal
and Bhutan).Due
to its strategic position at the crossroads of the two burgeoning economic
communities of SAARC
and ASEAN,
Chittagong intends to emerge as a regional economic hub in South
and East
Asia. Bangladesh is undertaking various megaprojects and infrastructure
development schemes in the city, including the construction of a deep sea port.
