Chittagong Hill Tracts in the context of "Chakma language"

Burmese (မြန်မာဘာသာစကား (or) ဗမာဘာသာစကား) is a Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Myanmar, where it is the official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Bamar, the country's largest ethnic group. The Constitution of Myanmar officially refers to it as the Myanmar language in English, though most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese, after Burma—a name with co-official status until 1989 (see Names of Myanmar). Burmese is the most widely spoken language in the country, where it serves as the lingua franca. In 2019, Burmese was spoken by 42.9 million people globally, including by 32.9 million speakers as a first language and 10 million as a second language. A 2023 World Bank survey found that 80% of the country's population speaks Burmese. Burmese dialects are also spoken by some of the indigenous tribes in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, China's Yunnan province, and India's northeastern states, as well as by Burmese diaspora.

Burmese is a tonal, pitch-register, and syllable-timed language, largely monosyllabic and agglutinative with a subject–object–verb word order. Burmese is distinguished from other major Southeast Asian languages by its extensive case marking system and rich morphological inventory. It is a member of the Lolo-Burmese grouping of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Burmese alphabet ultimately descends from a Brahmic script, either the Kadamba or Pallava alphabet.

Bangladeshis (Bengali: বাংলাদেশী [ˈbaŋladeʃi]) are the citizens and nationals of Bangladesh, a South Asian country centred on the transnational historical region of Bengal along the eponymous bay.

Bangladeshi citizenship was formed in 1971, when the permanent residents of the former East Pakistan were transformed into citizens of a new republic. Bangladesh is the world's eighth most populous nation. The vast majority of Bangladeshis are ethnolinguistically Bengalis, an Indo-Aryan people. The population of Bangladesh is concentrated in the fertile Bengal delta, which has been the centre of urban and agrarian civilizations for millennia. The country's highlands, including the Chittagong Hill Tracts and parts of the Sylhet Division, are home to various tribal minorities.

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.

West Pakistan was the western province of Pakistan between 1955 and 1970, covering the territory of present-day Pakistan. Its land borders were with Afghanistan, India and Iran, with a maritime border with Oman in the Gulf of Oman in the Arabian Sea.

Following its independence from British rule, the new Dominion of Pakistan was physically separated into two exclaves, with the western and eastern wings geographically separated from each other by India. The western wing of Pakistan comprised three governor's provinces (the North-West Frontier, West Punjab and Sind), one chief commissioner's province (Baluchistan) along with the Baluchistan States Union, several independent princely states (notably Bahawalpur, Chitral, Dir, Hunza, Khairpur and Swat), the Karachi Federal Capital Territory, and the autonomous tribal areas adjoining the North-West Frontier Province. The eastern wing of the new country—known as East Pakistan—comprised the single province of East Bengal (which included the former Assamese district of Sylhet and the Chittagong Hill Tracts).

Chittagong Division (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম বিভাগ), officially Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative Divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the southeasternmost areas of the country, with a total area of 34,529.97 km (13,332.10 sq mi) and a population according to the 2022 census of 33,202,326, which made it the second most populous division of Bangladesh and the 45th most populous subnational entity in the world — more populous than all but 43 other countries. However, this changed in 2024 with the Division being split in two by the creation of a separate Cumilla Division, and the reduced administrative division includes mainland Chittagong District, neighbouring districts and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.

Chittagong Division is home to Cox's Bazar, the longest natural sea beach in the world; as well as St. Martin's Island, Bangladesh's sole coral reef.

Chittagong District (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম জেলা), (Chittagonian: Sitang/Chatga), officially Chattogram District, is a district located in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Division. Due to its geographical location, Chittagong is classified as a special district in Bangladesh. With its hills, sea, valleys, and forests, Chittagong is one of the most naturally beautiful regions in the country. Because of its natural beauty and diversity, it is often referred to as the "Queen of the East". The commercial capital of Bangladesh and the country's only two-dimensional city are both located in Chittagong District. In terms of establishment, this is the oldest district in Bangladesh, and by area, it is the second largest. The population of Chittagong District was 9,169,464 at the 2022 Census. The district has its own distinct language and culture. Due to its linguistic and cultural uniqueness, it is considered the most diverse district in Bangladesh. The language spoken by the people of this region is known as Chatgaiya. At present, over 15 million people speak this language. Not only in Chittagong, but also in Greater Chittagong – including Cox's Bazar and the Chittagong Hill Tracts – this is the principal language of communication. Chittagong District is bordered by Cox's Bazar to the south, the Chittagong Hill Tracts to the east, Feni District and the Indian state of Tripura to the north, and the Bay of Bengal to the west. The district is also home to the second-largest sea beach in Bangladesh after Cox's Bazar, known as Banshkhali Sea Beach. In addition, the longest hanging bridge in Bangladesh is located in this Chittagong district.

The Karnaphuli River (Bengali: কর্ণফুলি Kôrnophuli; also spelt Karnafuli and Khawthlangtuipui in Mizo, meaning "western river" and Borgang in Chakma, meaning "Big River") is the largest and most important river in Chittagong and the Chittagong Hill Tracts. It is a 667-metre (2,188 ft) wide river in the south-eastern part of Bangladesh. Originating from the Saithah village of Mamit district in Mizoram, India, it flows 270 kilometres (170 mi) southwest through Chattogram Hill Tracts and Chattogram into the Bay of Bengal. It is the fastest flowing river in Bangladesh, after the Padma.

The river is said to "represent the drainage system of the whole south-western part of Mizoram." Principal tributaries include the Kawrpui River or Thega River, Tuichawng River and Phairuang River. A large hydroelectric power plant was built on the Karnaphuli in the Kaptai region in the 1960s. The mouth of the river hosts the Port of Chattogram, the largest and busiest seaport of Bangladesh.