Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar is a vital city and fishing port in southeastern Bangladesh.

It serves as the headquarters for the Cox's Bazar District and the Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila. The city is a major tourism center located on a coastal plain. This plain bulges out into the Bay of Bengal. Most of the city is built on a floodplain. This area is lower in elevation than the nearby sand dunes. Because of this, the city can be susceptible to flooding from cyclones or storm surges. The city is connected to the larger city of Chattogram by both road and air.

The geography of the region was shaped by long-term natural processes. About 6,500 years ago, the sea reached its current level. The Bakkhali River and several small streams from the hills flowed into the area. These waters carried sediment that filled in a large sink. This process created the flat coastal plain seen today. The climate follows a tropical monsoon pattern. This means there are high temperatures and heavy rainfall. The southwest monsoon season is especially wet due to the coastal location. The average annual rainfall is quite high.

The history of the area involves many different ruling powers. In the early 9th century, Arakan kings ruled the greater Chittagong area. The Mughals conquered the region in 1666. A Mughal Prince named Shah Shuja once traveled through this hilly terrain. He was so captivated by the beauty of the land that he camped there. His retinue included one thousand palanquins. This event led to the name Dulahazara, which means "one thousand palanquins." Later, the area was controlled by the Tipras, the Arakanese, the Portuguese, and the British.

The city's name comes from a British East India Company official named Captain Hiram Cox. He was the Superintendent of the Palongkee outpost. Cox succeeded Warren Hastings, who became the Governor of Bengal. Captain Cox worked to rehabilitate and settle Arakanese refugees in the area. He died in 1799 before his work was finished. To honor him, a market was established and named Cox's Bazar. The city was first established in 1854. It became a municipality in 1869. After the Indian Rebellion of 1857, the British Crown took control of the region.

In the 20th century, Cox's Bazar saw significant changes. After British rule ended in 1947, it became part of East Pakistan. Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim became the first post-independence chairman of the municipality. He was a pioneer in developing the area as a tourist destination. Karim established the Tamarisk Forest along the beach to protect it from tsunamis. He also helped build a public library, a town hall, a maternity hospital, and a stadium. He raised funds for these projects through the Ford and Rockefeller Foundations. In 1971, the area saw intense shelling during the Bangladesh Liberation War. The Cox's Bazar wharf was used as a naval port by the Pakistan Navy.

Today, tourism is the primary economic driver for the city. The main attraction is Cox's Bazar Beach. It is an unbroken stretch of sand that is 120 kilometers long. This is considered one of the longest natural unbroken sea beaches in the world.

Visitors can also explore Himchari National Park. This park features tropical rainforests, grasslands, and waterfalls. It was established in 1980 as a conservation area. The Dulhazara Safari Park is another major site. It covers about 2,224 acres and is the first safari park in Bangladesh. It provides a habitat for animals like lions, Bengal tigers, and bears. The city also hosts the only aquarium in the country.

The region has also been a site of significant human movement and challenges. In 2017, hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees arrived from Myanmar. By October 2018, the number reached 725,000. This led to the creation of the Kutupalong refugee camp, the largest in the world. The area has faced natural disasters, such as Cyclone Mocha in 2023. During that event, the government evacuated over 50,000 people to safe shelters. The government continues to build infrastructure, including 268 kilometers of roads and 40 new cyclone shelters. These projects aim to improve connectivity and disaster resilience for the local population.