The Chittagong Hill Tracts, often shortened to simply the Hill Tracts and abbreviated to CHT, refers to 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 a 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.
Chittagong Division officially Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the south-easternmost areas of the country, with a total area of 34,529.97 km2 (13,332.10 sq mi) and a population at the 2022 census of 33,202,326. The administrative division includes mainland Chittagong District, neighbouring districts and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
The Marma are the second-largest ethnic community in Bangladesh's Chittagong Hill Tracts, primarily residing in the Bandarban, Khagrachari and Rangamati Hill Districts. They belong to the same community as the Rakhine people.There are three endogamous groups within Magh Community which are known as i) The Thongtha, khyongtha, mrokpatha, ii) The Marma, Mayamma, Roang or Rakhaing Magh, iii). .
Bandarban District, officially Bandarban Hill District, is a district in South-Eastern Bangladesh, and a part of the Chittagong Division. It is one of the three hill districts of Bangladesh and a part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts, the others being Rangamati District and Khagrachhari District. Bandarban district (4,479 km2) is not only the most remote district of the country, but also the least populous. There is an army contingent at Bandarban Cantonment.
Chittagong District, officially Chattogram District, is a district located in south-eastern Bangladesh. It is a part of the Chittagong Division. The port city of Chittagong, which is the second largest city in Bangladesh, is located within this district.
Chittagong University of Engineering & Technology, commonly referred to as CUET, is a public engineering and technological research university located in Raozan in Chittagong, Bangladesh. Established in 1968 as the Chittagong Engineering College and gained University status in 1986, this university is a state funded institution, maintaining special emphasis on teaching and research of engineering, technology, architecture and planning under five faculties and seventeen academic departments.
Atish Dipankar University of Science & Technology, abbreviated as ADUST, is a private university in Uttara, Dhaka, Bangladesh. The university was named after Atish Dipankara Srijnana, the ancient Buddhist scholar.
BGC Trust University Bangladesh is a private university in Bangladesh, established in 2001. The university is 34 km from the port city Chittagong at a place popularly known as BGC Biddyanagar by the side of the Chittagong-Cox's Bazar highway. The main campus in Chandanaish, spread over 100 acres (0.40 km2) of land, consists of a private university, a private medical college, a 1,000-bed hospital, a nurses' institute, a dental college, a college of physiotherapy and an IT institute. The current vice-chancellor (VC) of the university is Dr. A.F.M. Aowrangazab.
Jatiya Kabi Kazi Nazrul Islam University is a government-financed public university of Bangladesh. It is also known as JKKNIU. It is located at Namapara-Battala, Trishal which is a suburb of Mymensingh, some 22 kilometres from Mymensingh urban center.The university was established in 2006. At present more than eight thousand students are studying in the university.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts Development Board is a government agency established in 1978 by the then President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman in response to the rise of the Shanti Bahini insurgency in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Eastern Bangladesh. As of 2021, Supradip Chakma is the chairman of this development board.
The insurgency in the Chittagong Hill Tracts, also known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts conflict, refers to a political and armed conflict that occurred in Bangladesh in two phases:
The Khumis are a community inhabiting in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh. The Khumis are one of smallest ethnic groups in Bangladesh with a population of only 1214 according to the 1991 census, though there are another 120,000 across the border in Burma.
Al-Jāmiʿah Al-Islāmiyyah Patiya, better known simply as Patiya Madrasa and formerly known as Al-Madrasah Aḍ-Ḍamīriyyah Qāsim al-ʿUlūm, is a Qawmi Madrasah located in Patiya Upazila of Chittagong District, Bangladesh. It was established in 1938 by Azizul Haq under the direction of Zamiruddin Ahmad. It is also known as an International Islamic University. It has a role in the promotion of Islam in Bangladesh, inclusion of Qawmi Madrasas under one syllabus, providing modern and higher education for scholars.
The Chittagong Hill Tracts is a region consisting three hilly districts of the south-eastern part of Bangladesh – Khagrachari, Bandarban, and Rangamati – adjoining international boundaries with Myanmar on the southeast, the Indian states of Tripura on the north and Mizoram on the east. It is a extensively hilly area and home to a variety of tribal peoples in the country, which makes up almost 49% of the total population of the region.
The Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs is the government ministry of Bangladesh responsible for Chittagong Hill Tracts. The Chittagong Hill Tracts have been inhabited by various ethnic groups and non-tribal people for ages. While the non-Bengali ethnic groups possess cultural distinctiveness, they are also an integral part of the original population. Since independence, the government of Bangladesh has been adopting and implementing various development projects for the overall development of the region. An agreement was executed on December 2, 1997 between the National Committee for Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Chittagong Hill Tracts People's Association. According to the terms of the agreement, the Ministry of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs was formed on July 15, 1998.
Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing is a Bangladesh Awami League politician. He is from Bandarban district and was elected as a member of parliament from Bandarban constituency for the 7th time in the 12th parliamentary election. He served as the minister of Chittagong Hill Tracts affairs from 2019 to 2024 and State Minister from 2014 to 2019.
Jamalpur Science & Technology University is a government financed public university of Bangladesh. It is established on 28 November 2017 vide act no 24 of 2017 as the 44th public university of Bangladesh.Later it renamed at 2024 as Jamalpur Science & Technology University. The President of Bangladesh appointed Mohammad Raknuzzaman as the 3rd vice chancellor. He joined as the vice chancellor of Jamalpur Science and Technology University on 22 October 2024. JSTU is the commonly used short name of Jamalpur Science & Technology University.
Maritime University Bangladesh was established in 2013, the 37th public university of the country. It is the first maritime university in Bangladesh, the 3rd maritime university in South Asia and the 12th maritime university in the world. It has issued its first calls for admission in December, 2016. The BSc in Oceanography program was started on 3 January 2017 at the university's temporary campus in Mirpur, as part of the first-ever launch of the Bachelor class in the university. Then in 2018, the first batch of BSc in Naval Architecture and Offshore Engineering classes started. Two more program classes started in 2019. LLB in Maritime Law and BBA in Port Management and Logistics. 2020 BSc in Maritime Fisheries first batch admission and classes start.
The Kuki-Chin National Front (KNF), also known as the Bom Party, is a banned ethno-nationalist armed militant political organization in Bangladesh based in the Chittagong Hill Tracts. Established by Nathan Bom in 2008, KNF aims to establish a separate autonomous or independent state for Bawm, Pangkhua, Lushai, Khumi, Mru & Khiang peoples with nine subdistricts (upazilas) of Rangamati and Bandarban districts. The Front has an armed wing called Kuki-Chin National Army. According to Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies, Kuki-Chin National Front has received weapons from Kachin State in Myanmar, and also has ties with Karen rebels.
