Chittagong (Beng. চট্টগ্রাম) is a city in southeastern Bangladesh; the administrative center of the eponymous district and region of the country. The second largest city in the country and the most important port of Bangladesh.

History
The city has been known since the 1st century AD. The Arabic author Idrisi describes an active maritime trade between Basra and Chittagong in the 12th century. In 1338, Fakhruddin Mubarak Shah captured Chittagong. He built a road from Chandpur to Chittagong. In 1538, the Arakanese restored their rule. The Mughals captured Chittagong in 1666. From 1538 to 1666, the Portuguese raided Chittagong and practically ruled it. Since 1760, the city has been owned by the East India Company. During the Second World War, it was the target of attacks for the Japanese, but they were unable to capture the city, as well as British India. In 1947-1971 it belonged to Pakistan, since 1971 after the war of independence belongs to Bangladesh. From here, the news about the declaration of independence of the country spread throughout the country.

Demining the port after the Revolutionary War
As a result of the war, the berths and the water area of ​​the port were mined, and the fairways and places at the berths were blocked by flooded ships. Food delivery was blocked, and a threat of starvation loomed over the newly independent country.
The Bengali leader Mujibur Rahman appealed to the leadership of the USSR with a request to help free the ports of his country from sunken ships and clear minefields. The command of the Pacific Fleet received a directive to prepare an expedition to mine the Bay of Bengal and raise sunken ships. A group of experts was sent to Chittagong, which included Navy miners, employees of the 40th State Institute of Rescue and Deep-Sea Diving, as well as representatives of the civilian organization Sovsudopodyom of the USSR Ministry of the Navy. Work began on April 2, 1972 and was completed on June 24, 1974. They were carried out in extremely unfavorable climatic conditions, in conditions of heavy vessel traffic, muddy water, shallow depths, lack of maps and documents on minefields and types of mines used; the bottom of the water area was littered with sunken ships of various sizes. Sunken ships deeply – from 3 to 10 meters – plunged into silt. International experts predicted the return of the port to normal activity only after 2-3 years.
The captain of the port Kamal in those years said:
“Rescue work is being carried out in a very difficult situation that Soviet sailors have encountered here in Chittagong. We are experienced sailors, and even then it is difficult for us in these conditions. And yet I am pleasantly surprised how amicably they work, everyone – from the admiral to the sailor. I swam a lot, saw a lot, but this has never happened before. Soviet sailors work wonders. According to many experts, it took years to restore the port, but the years turned into months. Isn’t it a miracle? If you asked me what is the most popular country in Chittagong, I would answer – the Soviet Union.
On May 30, 1981, President Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in Chittagong during an unsuccessful coup.

Climate
Chittagong has a monsoonal climate. The average daily temperatures in January are in the range from 12° to 25° C. The summer is hot and rainy, the average temperature of the hottest month (April) is 23-34° C. The maximum temperature is +38, the minimum is +5. The average annual rainfall is 2000-3000 mm.

Population
The population of the city is about 4 million people, of which 54.36% are men and 45.64% are women. The population density is about 15,280 people / km². Approximately 83.92% of the city’s population is Muslim; 13.76% – Hinduism; 2.01% – Buddhism; 0.11% – Christianity and 0.2% – other religions. The main language of the population is Chittagong Bengali, which is sometimes considered a separate language.

Economy
Chittagong is a major industrial center. Up to 40% of the entire heavy industry of Bangladesh is located in the city and adjacent areas, including oil refining, steel, automotive, chemical and other industries. In addition, the production of cement, fertilizers and cables, the pharmaceutical and knitwear industries, the processing of agricultural products, etc. are developed.
The largest port in the country, which accounts for up to 80% of all exports and imports of Bangladesh. Exports by sea include clothing, jute and jute products, leather, tea, and chemicals. Such an advantageous position of the city attracts investors. There are a large number of banks in Chittagong.

Transport
Shah Amanat International Airport is located 20 km from the business part of the city and 18.5 km from railway station. It is the second busiest airport in Bangladesh. Flights include major destinations such as Kolkata, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Dhaka, Bangkok, Doha, Kuwait, Muscat and more.

Chittagong Ship Graveyard
Bangladesh has weak enforcement of environmental regulations and a lot of cheap labor available, resulting in Chittagong scrapping nearly half of the world’s decommissioned ships.