Noakhali District

Noakhali District is bordered by the Comilla district to the north, the Meghna estuary and the Bay of Bengal to the south, Feni and Chittagong districts to the east and Lakshmipur and Bhola districts to the west. The district has an area of 4,202 km² (1,622 sq mi).[4] The district represents an extensive flat, coastal and delta land, located on the tidal floodplain of the Meghna River delta, characterised by flat land and low relief. The area is influenced by diurnal tidal cycles; the tidal fluctuations vary depending on seasons, and are most pronounced during the monsoon season. On three sides of Noakhali an alluvial plain that is inundated annually and fertilised by silt deposits from the Meghna estuary. The swift currents that course down from the Himalayas carry rich fertile silt. When it reaches the Bay of Bengal the silt settles along the coast gradually forming new land called the "chars". The district of Noakhali has actually gained more than 73 km² (28 sq mi) of land in the past fifty years.[5]

A seal of Bhullooah(Noakhali) Registrar Office sealed on 20 March 1874.

Noakhali's ancient name was Bhulua. It was part of Pundra Kingdom.

In the 1660s, the agricultural activities of the north-eastern region of Bhulua were seriously affected by floodwaters of the Dakatia River flowing from the Tripura hills. To salvage the situation, a canal was dug in 1660 that ran from the Dakatia through Ramganj, Sonaimuri and Chaumuhani to divert water flow to the junction of the Meghna River and Feni. After excavating this long canal, Bhulua began to be known as "Noakhali". The name "Noakhali" originated from the terms "Noa" (New) and "Khal" (Canal).

Two hundred years ago Noakhali district was known as Bhulua Pargana. South Shahbazpur(Bhola), Lakshmipur, the mainland of Noakhali district and a portion of the present Feni district were included in the Bhulua Pargana. In 1821 Mr. Plyden, a salt agent, was the additional position of collectorate (district judge) of Bhulua by the governor general. He proposed to the governor general to establish a new district when some administrative problems arose with other Bhulua salt-agents. On 29 March 1822 the Governor General passed an order in this regard and accordingly a new district was constituted with: South Shabajpur, Sudharam, Begumganj, Ramganj, Raipur, Lakshmipur, Feni, Parshuram, Elahabad Pargana of Tippera and Hatia, Sandwhip and Bamni of Chittagong district. The district was named Noakhali in 1868. In 1876 Noakhali district was divided into two sub-divisions. Feni Sub-division was constituted with: Chhagalnaiya thana of Tippera, Mirshari of Chittagong, Feni Pargana, Parshuram and Sonagazi. Sadar Sub-division was formed with the remaining areas. In the 1901 census its area was 1,644 sq mi (4,260 km²) and its population was about 1,141,728.[6] Regional violence in 1946 escalated communal tensions throughout British India just before the 1947 partition. One of the worst religious massacres and incidents of ethnic cleansing against the Hindu community took place in Noakhali during the 1946 riot known as the Noakhali genocide. A huge number of mass killing, raping, looting, and forcible conversions took place. The prime minister of Bengal, Huseyn Shaheed Suhrawardy, answering a question from Dhirendranath Datta in the assembly early in 1947 stated that there had been 9,895 cases of forcible conversion in Tipperah alone. He said the number in Noakhali "ran into thousands".[7] It was not a random incident and was quite well planned, organised and directed by a few local political leaders.

Noakhali town, the headquarters of Noakhali, vanished in the river-bed in 1951 as a result of erosion of the Meghna River. After that the headquarters of Noakhali was established at Maijdee. In 1964, Sadar Sub-division was divided into two sub-divisions namely Sadar and Lakshmipur.

Pakistani Eastern Command plan for the defence of East Pakistan from 1967 to 1971 (generic representation—some unit locations not shown.

During the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971 for the liberation of Bangladesh, when Pakistan Army created the 39th ad hoc Division in mid-November, from the 14th Division units deployed in those areas, to hold on to the Comilla and Noakhali districts, and the 14th Division was tasked to defend the Sylhet and Brahmanbaria areas only.[8] During the War of Liberation many direct and guerilla encounters took place between the Pakistani Armed Forces and the Liberation Forces (Mukti Bahini). During the 1971 Bangladesh genocide by the Pakistan, in which Pakistani Army and its supporting militias (Razakar) killed estimated between 300,000[9] to 3,000,000 people and raped 200,000–400,000 Bangladeshi women in a systematic campaign of genocidal rape,[10][11][12] about 75 Bengladeshi Freedom fighters (Mukti Joddha) were killed at Noakkhali in a direct encounter with the Pakistan army on 15 June 1971, in front of the Sonapur Ahmadia School. Noakhali was liberated on 7 December 1971. Pakistan Army's 93,000 troops unconditionally surrendered to the Indian Army and India's local ally Mukti Bahini on 16 December 1971.[13] This day and event is commemorated as the Bijoy Dibos (Bengali: বিজয় দিবস) in Bangladesh and Vijay Diwas in India.[14][15]

For administrative convenience, according to a Government, decision Noakhali district was divided into three districts, namely Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni in 1984.

District administration is headed by an accomplished professional called the Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate.

The basic unit of administration of the country is locally named Upazila, which is an integral component of the district. Field level functionaries of the development departments operate here at the grass-root level under guidance from the respective functional heads stationed in the districts as coordinated by the Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). All decisions are discussed and finalised in a forum called the Upazila Parishad which is presided over by an elected chairman and assisted by the UNO.

An area covering several square kilometres having a population of several thousand populations is called a Union, administered by an elected chairman. These chairmen are the dominant and voting members of the Parishad (counseling body) apart from various Upazila-level functionaries representing respective district counterparts.

Deputy Commissioner (DC): Tanmaya Das [16]

Administrator of Zila Parishad: ABM Zaforullah[17]

Noakhali District consists of: nine upazilas, eight municipalities, 72 wards, 153 mahallas, 91 unions, 882 mouzas and 967 villages.

Unions

Mr. Syed Nur Alam Chowdhury with British high commissioner at Rajganj Union Council.

Upazila	Union	Upazila	Union	Upazila	Union
Noakhali Sadar	Ander char Ashwadia Binodpur Char Matua Dadpur Dharmapur Ewazbalia Kadir Hanif Kaladaraf Niazpur Noakhali Noannai Purba Char Matua	Begumganj	Alyerpur Amanullapur Begumganj Chhayani Durgapur Eklashpur Gopalpur Narottampur Hazipur Jirtali Kadirpur Kutubpur Mir Warishpur Rajganj Rasulpur Sharifpur	Chatkhil	Sahapur Hatpukuria Ghattabag Khilpara Mohammadpur Noakhola Panchgaon Parkote Ramnarayanpur Badalkot
Companiganj	Char Elahi Char Fakira Char Hazari Char Kakra Char Parbati Musapur Rampur Sirajpur	Senbagh	Arjuntala Bizbagh Chatarpaia Dumuria Kabilpur Kadra Kesharpar Mohammadpur Nabipur	Hatiya	Burir Char Chandnandi Char Ishwar Char King Harni Jahajmara Nalchira Nijhum Dwip Sonadia Suk Char Tamaruddin
Sonaimuri	Ambarnagr Amishapara Baragaon Bazra Chashirhat Deoti Jayag Nadana Nateshwar Sonapur	Kabirhat	Batiaya Chaprashirhat Dhanshalik Dhan Siri Ghoshbagh Narottampur Sundalpur	Subarnochar	Char Amanullah Char Bata Char Clerk Char Jabbar Char Wapda Mohammadpur Purba Char Bata

There are six National Parliament (Bengali: জাতীয় সংসদ) constituencies in Noakhali district. These constituencies and the current members of parliament are:[18]

According to the 2011 census the total population of Noakhali district is 3,318,083 (Male- 1,685,169 and Female- 1,622,914). The male to female ratio is 92:100; Population Density is 897/km² (557/mi²); annual growth rate is 1.86%. The urbanisation rate of the district is 18.98%.[19] The main town Maijdee has a population of 84,585 (male 51.50%, female 48.50%) with a population density of 5,915/km² (3,675/mi²).

History of Education System

The quality of the education system in this district is commendable. But it is necessary to look back at what the education system was like before. At the beginning of the Mughal and British rule, the education system was generally dependent on ‘tol’ schools and maktabs. These taught Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit. However, the education system gradually improved and the Minor School was established. There was only one English high school in the year of 1857. There were 69 students. In the next four years, the number of students stood at 71. But in the year 1871, the students' number reach number at 596, as well as the number of government and aided schools reached 26. In the survey of 1872, there were 74.66% of the Muslim population but their literacy rate was only 20% of the total population at that time. However, the literacy rate of Muslims increased very significantly in the next decade. The total number of schools was 2775 in the year 1895. At that time, some changes in education policy closed many schools, so the number of schools dropped to 1330 in the year of 1898. The number of students in this district was more than 12,000 in the year. Let's talk about high schools. In Noakhali, there were only five English high schools in 1905. Among them were Noakhali Zilla School, which was established in 1850 and was included as a Zilla School in 1853, Feni High School ( now Feni Government Pilot High School) which was established in 1886, Lakshmipur High School(now Lakshmipur Adarsha Samad Government High School) which was established in 1889, Sandwip Kargil High School now Kargil Government High School (1902). Since then, educational institutes have increased a lot until 1950. In the year of 1914, there were 5 more high schools were established in this district. They are Arun Chandra High School which was founded by the Bhulua Zamindar called Arun Chandra Singh Bahadur, Rajganj Union High School which was founded by Syed Sultan Alam Chowdhury and Rajgonj Banik family, Noakhali Ahmadiya High School, Begumganj High School and Khilpara High School which was situated at Ramganj Police Station. Noakhali Government Girls' High School was established in 1934 by Uma Devi. The number of high schools reached around 60 in the middle of the twentieth century. However, there was no other college besides Feni Government College, which was founded in 1922. So Chowmuhani College was established in 1943, laying the foundation by Dr. Magnad Saha. This college is now known as Chowmuhani Government S.A College. SA College was named after the heroic freedom fighter, Saleh Ahmed. On the other hand, Noakhali Government College was established in 1963, Noakhali Government Women's College in 1970, Noakhali Science and Technology University in 2005 and Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College, Noakhali was established in 2008. From then till today the education system of this district has reached the threshold of improvement.[21] [22]

Prominent educational institutions of Noakhali

Nstu

Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College

University

• Noakhali Science and Technology University

College

• Abdul Malek Ukil Medical College, Noakhali, Chowmuhani
• Begumgonj Textile Engineering College, Noakhali, Chowmuhani
• Chowmuhani Govt. S. A College, Chowmuhani
• Noakhali Government College, Maijdee
• Noakhali Govt. Women's College, Maijdee
• Government Mujib College [23], Companigonj

Campus of BTEC

School

• Arun Chandra High School, Maijdee
• Basurhat A. H. C. Government High School, Companigonj
• Begumganj Govt. Pilot High School, Chowmuhani
• Chatkhil Govt. Girls' High School, Chatkhil
• Chatkhil P.G. Govt. High School, Chatkhil
• Chilonia Union High School, Senbagh
• Noakhali Medical Assistant Training School, Maijdee
• Noakhali Govt. Girls' High School, Maijdee
• Noakhali Zilla School, Maijdee
• Sonaimuri Model High School, Sonaimuri

The people of Noakhali plays a vital role in Bangladesh's economy specially in the remittance sector. Agriculture plays a vital role in the regional economy. 30% of the regional GDP comes from agriculture with 45% of the population employed in the sector . Employment in the fishing industry is also dominant in the poorer sectors of the population. Annually, 15%–20% of labour is involved in this sector (boating, fishing, drying, net and boat making and repairing, transporting fish from one location to other). Poorer communities are involved in crop production during the winter but in other periods they are involved in fishing, either working for themselves or selling their labour to the mohajan. Around 40% of the population works abroad playing a vital role in the national economy. The main sources of income dependent on non-agricultural labour 3.43%, industry 0.84%, commerce 14.74%, transport and communication 3.83%, service 16.11%, construction 1.49%, religious service 0.39%, rent and remittance 7.97% and others 10.58%.

Noakhali district is connected by road, railway and waterway.

Airport

The Bangladesh government has declared the constitution of an airport in Noakhali Sadar Upazila which is Maijdee

Road

Noakhali is well connected with the Bangladeshi capital city of Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong. By road the distance between Dhaka and Noakhali is 151 km (94 mi). The distances from Chittagong and Comilla are 134 km (83 mi) and 95 km (59 mi) respectively. Buses are the most common form of transport and run to a wide range of destinations within and outside the district. A number of independent transport companies operate buses, trucks and other vehicles from different parts of Noakhali to Feni, Chandpur, Comilla, Dhaka and Chittagong. Trucks carry the majority of goods transported in the district.

Rail

Inter-City train the "Upakul Express" and Mail train "Noakhali Express" operate between Noakhali station and Kamalapur Railway Station in Dhaka. The local train that operates between Noakhali station and Laksam Railway Junction of Comilla stops at seven railway stations in Noakhali District—Noakhali (Sonapur), Harinarayanpur, Maijdee Court, Maijdee, Chowmuhani, Bazra and Sonaimuri.

Water transport

The Southern part of the Noakhali District and Hatiya Upazila is well connected by water transport. Hatiya island is isolated from the mainland but is accessible from Noakhali by sea-truck, from Chittagong by steamer, and from Dhaka by launch.

Flora

Noakhali is one of the coastal districts at the fringe of the Bay of Bengal with vast char land of recent origin in the south. Plant life is confined generally to variations belonging to the lower gangetic plane and of other districts in the southern region of the country. Except for the Government sponsored afforestation programme for the coastal belt, there is no organised forestry in the district.

However, all homesteads are usually covered by dense and lush green foliage of a wide variety of trees. Most of the trees grown in homestead forests are fruitbearing. Mangoes, although poor in quality, grow in abundance. Almond or badam (Arachis hypogea) are unusual. Other common trees are jack fruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus), black berry (Syzygium cumini), tamarind (Tamarindus indica), jalpai (Elaeocarpus tectorius), bel (Aegle marmelos), chalta (Dillenia indica), boroi, guava (Psidiumguagava), etc. Banana (Banana musa sapientum) is seen almost everywhere but the fruit quality is rather poor.

Litchi (Litchi chinensis), kamranga (Averrho karmbola), ata, haritaki (Terminalia chebula), amloki (Phyllanthus emblica), gaab (Dioaspyros precatorius), etc. grow abundantly. The juice of the gaab fruit mixed with charcoal is used in colouring boats and stiffening fishing nets. Coconut (Cocos nucifera) is abundantly produced in Noakhali.

Indigenous timber trees include Koroi, sheel koroi (Albizia procera), garjan (Dipterocarpus turbinatus), jarul (Iegerstroemia speciosa), shimul (Bombax ceiba), etc. However, various exotic trees like teak, mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), sissu (Dalbergia sissoo), etc. have been produced as wayside trees as well as in farm forestry.

Mandar (Erythrina variegata), a thorny tree mostly used as fuel and fencing, is seen in almost every household forest. Kadom (Anthocephalus cadamba) are very common and are preferred for manufacturing matchsticks. The fruit of shimul or karpas is used for stuffing mattresses and pillows and has a silky appearance. Newly introduced trees include eucalyptus and pine.

Mango wood is not good as a timber, but owing to its abundance, it is much used. The wood of the tamarind and the kul is hard-grained and of good quality. The amaltas is used for house and rough furniture construction. Jarul is used for boat building and pillars of houses.

The luxuriant growth of palms is the most characteristic feature of the vegetation. Betel nut palm or supari (Areca catechu) plantations are more and more abundant towards the north and the west of the district and grow almost lie forests. Coconut are grown abundantly throughout the district. Toddy palms or tal (Borassus flabellifer) and date palms or khejur are also very common. Date palm is a valuable tree. The juice is extracted and made into gurr, the leaves are made into mat. Tal wood is used for posts of houses and other building purposes. Its leaves are used for making handmade mats and large hand fans. Betel nut and coconut are a good source of household income.

Shade trees include banyan or bot (Ficus benghalensis), pipal (Ficus religiosa) and nim (Azadirachta indica) and are seen commonly.

There are several varieties of cane, a good deal of bamboo of different varieties, and thatching grass or chhan although their plantations are gradually but steadliy decreasing. Use of bamboo is widespread for posts and fencing for houses, basket making and producing trays of various kinds. Bet is used for making baskets, binding and thatching. In the marshes are found sola (Aeschynomene aspera) and murta or mostak (Schumannianthus dichotomus ) which is extensively used for making various types of mats famously known as shital pati and baskets.

The forest department of the government of Bangladesh created mangrove forests in Nijhum Dwip. The most common type of planted tree species on the island is keora, also known as kerfa, which has fast growing roots holding the sandy land. The tree occurs on newly accreted soil in moderately to strongly saline areas and is considered as a pioneer species in ecological succession.

Fauna

Owing to the absence of organised forest and other natural conditions, no large or medium-sized carnivores are seen in the district. However, the following mammals are still seen the district although their number is gradually decreasing: jackal (Canis aureus), fox (Vulpes bengalensis), large Indian civet or bagdas (Viverra zibetha), otter or uud (Lutra lutra), lrrawaddy, kath biral (Callosciuruspy gerythrus), Bengal mongoose or beji (Herpestes edwards), different kinds of rats and several species of bats.

Buffalo is found in char and on Hatia island. The vast offshore areas and the emerging islands of the Noakhali district have become potential places for raising buffalo.

Almost all varieties of birds that are seen throughout Bangladesh are also commonly seen in Noakhali. Raptors include: white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis), lanner falcon or baj (Falco biarmicus), marsh harrier or gochila (Circus aeruginesus), pariah cheel (Milvus migyans lineatas), several species of stork like pond heron or kani boga (Ardeola greyii), cattle egret or go boga (Babulcus ibis) and black bittern or kala boga (Dupeter plovicollis), crows (Corvus splendens) and kingfisher (Alcedo atthis), etc.

Ducks are represented by a number of species including winter migrants like: greenleg goose (Anser anser), rajhans (Anser indicus), the pintail (Anas acuta) and some other domestic species. Water birds include: the little cormorant or pankawri (Phalacrocorax niger), waterhen or dahuk (Amaurornis phonicurus), kora (Gallicrex cinarea).

Cuckoo or kokil (Cuculus micropterus), black-hooded oriole or halde pakhi (Oriolus xanthornus), kingcrow or finge (Dicrurus adsimilis), moyna (Sturnus malabarica), shalik (Acridotheres tristis), redvented bulbuli (Pycnotus cafer), tuntuni (Orthotomus sutorious), shayma (Copsyehus malabaricus), sparrow (Passer domesticus), flowerpecker (Dicacum erythrochynchos), babui (Plocus phillippinus) famous for their artistic nest building, and several species of pheasant quails (Eudynamis scolopscea), pigeons and doves are also present.

Reptiles include snakes, lizards and tortoises. The snakes include varieties of cobra, urgabora, dughadabora, kuchiabora and jinlabora, all poisonous. The lizards include gecko, calotis, wall lizard and monitor lizard. There are amphibnians like toads, frogs and tree frogs.

There are many species of sea and fresh water fish available in the district. The list of the varieties is too long to include here. Although Noakhali is coastal district, most of the fish supply comes from ponds and tanks, canals and low-lying areas inundated by rain water, popular varieties include: the carp tribe (Cyprinidoes), Ruhi (Labeo rohita), Katla (Catla catla), Mrigel (Cirrhinus mrigala) and Kalabaush (labeo calbasu), Airh (Sperata aor), Pangas (Pangasius pangasius), Tengra (Mystus vittatus) of several types, Magur (Clarias batrschus), Singi (Saccobranchus fossilis) and Koi(Mystus vittatus) are considered to be delicious, Shoul (Channa striatus), Boal (Wallago attu), Gozar (Channa marulius), Chitol (Chitala chitala), Foli (Notopterus notopterus) and Pabda (Ompok pabda) are available in abundance.

Hilsa (Tenualosa ilisha), Baila (Awaous guamensis), Bhetki (Lates calcarifer), Bata (Labeo bata), loitta etc. fish are also available in abundance.

Prawn, crayfish (icha) and crabs are also found. Tilapia, Muralla, Punti, Khoksha, Kajuli, Kakila, Khailsha, Bain and Chela are small fish like Mola, Kachki are found all over the district in abundance.

Created mangrove forests in Nijhum Dwip are the habitat of about 5,000 cheetral or spotted deer. This island has been declared as a unique eco-tourist spot for its ideal natural setup with rich bio-diversification factors and its perennial mangrove forest with wild animals like spotted deer, wild boar and rhesus macaque and for the ideal habitat for fish resources.

• Moudud Ahmed, former prime minister of Bangladesh, was member of 8th Parliament for the Noakhali-5 constituency.
• Moeen U Ahmed, was the thirteenth chief of army staff of the Bangladesh Army from 15 June 2005 to 15 June 2009. He was born in Alipur village, Begumganj, Noakhali.
• Muzaffar Ahmed, popularly known as "Kakababu", one of the founders of the Communist Party of India, was educated at Noakhali Zilla School.
• Kamrul Ahsan, Currently serving as Bangladesh Ambassador to Russia, Secretary to the Government and former Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada and Singapore.
• Harunur Rashid,Chairman of "Globe Group of Companies"
• Mohammad Ruhul Amin, Bangladesh Navy engine room artificer posthumously awarded the nation's highest bravery award for service during the Bangladesh Liberation War
• Jharna Dhara Chowdhury, social activist and Secretary of the Gandhi Ashram Trust in Noakhali. Awarded the Ekushey Padak for social service (2015) and Padma Shri award (2013).
• Kabir Chowdhury, was an academic, essayist, materialist, translator, cultural worker, civil society activist in Bangladesh.
• Motaher Hussain Chowdhury, a Bengali writer, was born in Noakhali. Special work: Songskriti Kotha.
• Mufazzal Haider Chaudhury, educator and a martyr of the Bangladesh War of Independence, was born in Khalishpur village in what is now Begumganj Upazila.
• Munier Choudhury, Bangladeshi educator, playwright, literary critic and political dissident. He was a victim of the mass killing of Bengali intellectuals in 1971
• Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury-Current & First lady speaker of the Bangladesh parliament.
• Zahurul Haq, a sergeant in the Pakistan Air Force, whose arrest in the Agartala Conspiracy Case and 1969 death in custody led to mass protests, graduated from Noakhali Zilla School.[28]
• MA Hashem, is the founder and chairman of Partex Group.
• Belal Shafiul Huq, was a four-star rank army general and the Former (17th) chief of army staff of the Bangladesh Army, in office since 25 June 2015 to 2019.
• Annisul Huq, was an entrepreneur, TV show host and the former mayor of Dhaka North City Corporation. He was born in Kabirhat, Noakhali.
• Tabarak Husain, career foreign service officer, former foreign secretary of Bangladesh and former Bangladesh ambassador to United States.
• Muhammad Ishaq, Bangladeshi historian.
• Abul Kashem,Chairman of "Abul Khair Group".
• Serajul Alam Khan, is a political theorist and founder of "Sadhin Bangla Nucleus" a secret organisation, which theorised the creation of Bangladesh.
• A. B. M. Musa, awarded the Ekushey Padak for journalism in 1999, attended Noakhali Zilla School.[29]
• Obaidul Quader, Present general secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, was born in Bara Rajapur village
• Abdus Salam, (1910-1977) former editor of the Pakistan Observer, later the Bangladesh Observer. Ekushey Padak winning journalist
• Abdus Shakur, was a former Secretary to the Government and a leading litterateur and musicologist.
• Abdul Malek Ukil, a drafter of the Constitution of Bangladesh, member of parliament, Minister of Health, and Minister of Home Affairs, was born in Rajarampur village, Noakhali Sadar Upazila.