Chittagong Division in the context of "Bangladesh-India border"

Chittagong (/ˈtʃɪtəɡɒŋ/ CHIT-ə-gong), officially Chattogram (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম, romanized: Côṭṭôgrām, IPA: [ˈt͡ʃɔʈːoɡram] , traditionally Bengali: চাটগাঁও, romanized: Cāṭgão; Chittagonian: চিটাং/সিটাং, romanized: Sitang), is the second-largest city in Bangladesh. Home to the Port of Chittagong, it is the busiest port in Bangladesh and the Bay of Bengal. The city is also the business capital of Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of an eponymous division and district. The city is located on the banks of the Karnaphuli River between the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Bay of Bengal. In 2022, the Chittagong District had a population of approximately 9.2 million according to a census conducted by the government of Bangladesh. In 2022, the city area had a population of more than 5.6 million. The city is home to many large local businesses and plays an important role in the Bangladeshi economy.

One of the world's oldest ports with a functional natural harbor for centuries, Chittagong appeared on ancient Greek and Roman maps, including on Ptolemy's world map. It was located on the southern branch of the Silk Road. In the 9th century, merchants from the Abbasid Caliphate established a trading post in Chittagong. The port fell to the Muslim conquest of Bengal during the 14th century. It was the site of a royal mint under the Delhi Sultanate, Bengal Sultanate and Mughal Empire. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Chittagong was also a centre of administrative, literary, commercial and maritime activities in Arakan, a narrow strip of land along the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal which was under strong Bengali influence for 350 years. During the 16th century, the port became a Portuguese trading post and João de Barros described it as "the most famous and wealthy city of the Kingdom of Bengal". The Mughal Empire expelled the Portuguese and Arakanese in 1666.

Dhaka Division (Bengali: ঢাকা বিভাগ, romanized: Ḍhaka Bibhag) is an administrative division of Bangladesh. Dhaka serves as the capital city of Dhaka Division, the Dhaka District and Bangladesh. The division remains a population magnet, and covers an area of 20,508.8 km with a population in excess of 44 million, it is one of the fastest growing populous administrative divisions of the world, growing at a rate of 1.94% since prior count, compared with the national average of 1.22%. However, national figures may include data skewing expatriation of male labor force as gender ratio is skewed towards females.

Dhaka Division borders every other division in the country except Rangpur Division. It is bounded by Mymensingh Division to the north, Barisal Division to the south, Chittagong Division to the east and south-east, Sylhet Division to the north-east, and Rajshahi Division to the west and Khulna Divisions to the south-west.

Samataṭa (Brahmi script: sa-ma-ta-ṭa) was an ancient geopolitical division of Bengal in the eastern Indian subcontinent. The Greco-Roman account of Sounagoura is linked to the kingdom of Samatata. Its territory corresponded to much of present-day eastern and southern Bangladesh (particularly Dhaka division, Barisal division, Sylhet Division, Khulna Division and Chittagong Division) and the undivided 24 Parganas district in southern West Bengal. The area covers the trans-Meghna part of the Bengal delta. It was a center of Buddhist civilisation before the resurgence of Hinduism, and Muslim conquest in the region.

Archaeological evidence in the Wari-Bateshwar ruins, particularly punch-marked coins, indicate that Vanga-Samataṭa region was probably a province of the Mauryan Empire. The region attained a distinct Buddhist identity following the collapse of Mauryan rule. The Allahabad pillar inscriptions of the Indian emperor Samudragupta is the earliest reference of Samataṭa in which it is described as a tributary state.

Rakhine State (/rəˈkaɪn/ rə-KYN; Burmese: ရခိုင်ပြည်နယ်, MLCTS: ra.hkuing pranynai, pronounced [jəkʰàiɰ̃ pjìnɛ̀]; Rakhine pronunciation: [ɹəkʰàiɰ̃ pɹènè]), formerly known as Arakan State, is a state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region to the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west and the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. The north–south Arakan Mountains or Rakhine Yoma separate Rakhine State from central Myanmar. Off the coast of Rakhine State there are some fairly large islands such as Ramree, Cheduba and Myingun. Rakhine State has an area of 36,762 square kilometres (14,194 sq mi) and its capital is Sittwe (formerly known as Akyab).

As of November 2025, the Arakan Army which is the armed wing of the ethnic Rakhine, maintains de facto control over approximately 90 percent of the state, including 14 of its 17 townships.

The Chittagong Hill Tracts (Bengali: পার্বত্য চট্টগ্রাম, romanized: Pārbôtyô Côṭṭôgrām), often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, includes the three hilly districts within the Chittagong Division in southeastern Bangladesh, bordering India and Myanmar (Burma) in the east: Khagrachhari, Rangamati, and Bandarban. Covering 13,295 square kilometres (5,133 sq mi), CHT is an extensively hilly area and home to a variety of tribal peoples in Bangladesh. The CHT were divided by the British in the 19th century into three tribal chieftaincies, the Chakma Circle, the Mong Circle and the Bohmong Circle. They formed a single district until 1984, when they were divided into three separate districts.

Chin State (Burmese: ချင်းပြည်နယ်, MLCTS: hkyang: pranynai, pronounced [tɕʰɪ́ɰ̃ pjìnɛ̀]) is a state in western Myanmar. Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh to the west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to the west and Manipur to the north. The population of Chin State is about 488,801 according to the 2014 census, and its capital city is Hakha.

The state is named after the Chin people, an ethnic group native to Chin State and neighboring Rakhine State. Much of the state is mountainous and sparsely populated, with few transportation links and low levels of economic development. It also has Myanmar's highest poverty rate, at 58%, according to a 2017 report.

Sylhet Division (Sylheti: ꠍꠤꠟꠐ ꠛꠤꠜꠣꠉ, pronounced [sílɔʈ bibáɡ]; Bengali: সিলেট বিভাগ, pronounced [sileʈ bibʱaɡ] ) is a northeastern division of Bangladesh, renowned for its lush tea gardens, rolling hills and vibrant cultural heritage. Covering an area of approximately 12,298 square kilometres, it is bordered by the Indian states of Meghalaya, Assam and Tripura to the north, east and south respectively, while domestically it adjoins Chattogram to the southwest and Dhaka and Mymensingh to the west.

Prior to Partition in 1947, it included Karimganj subdivision (presently in Barak Valley, Assam, India). However, Karimganj (including the thanas of Badarpur, Patharkandi and Ratabari) was inexplicably severed from Sylhet by the Radcliffe Boundary Commission. According to Niharranjan Ray, it was partly due to a plea from a delegation led by Abdul Matlib Mazumdar.