Sister cities of Chittagong

Chittagong /tʃɪtəɡɒŋ/ (Bengali: চট্টগ্রাম Côṭṭogram; historical names include: Samandar, Chatgaon, Porto Grande De Bengala and Islamabad) is a major port city and metropolitan area in Bangladesh. It is located in the southeastern region of the country, straddling the hills at the estuary of the Karnaphuli River. With a population of over 6.5 million, it is the second most populous city in Bangladesh, the country's principal seaport and an important industrial, financial and commercial hub. It serves as the administrative capital of Chittagong Division.

Chittagong's natural harbour flourished as a gateway of Bengal since antiquity. It was described by the Roman geographer Ptolemy as one of the great ports of Asia and was visited by numerous historic world explorers, including Ibn Battuta, Niccolò de' Conti and Admiral Zheng He. The port was a base for ships trading with Southeast Asia, the Middle East, China, Europe and Africa. It was a hub for Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu and Christian merchants. In the 16th-century Portuguese Empire, it was known as the Grand Port of Bengal, and hosted a thriving Portuguese merchant settlement. The British East India Company took control of the port in 1760, after the fall of the last independent Nawab of Bengal.

Chittagong emerged as an important trading hub of British India with the development of the Port of Chittagong and the Bengal and Assam Railway in the 19th-century. The port city was also a focal point of the anti-colonial movement and the site of the Chittagong armoury raid in 1930. It was a key base for Allied Forces during the Burma Campaign in World War II. Following the Partition of India in 1947, it became part of East Pakistan. In 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War, the declaration of Bangladesh’s independence was proclaimed from Chittagong.

Modern Chittagong is one of the command centres of the Bangladeshi economy, and regarded as the commercial capital of the country. The Port of Chittagong handles over 80 percent of the country's international trade. The city is home to many of Bangladesh's largest and oldest companies, and generates more national revenue than any other Bangladeshi city. Its industrial zones, particularly the Chittagong EPZ and the Karnaphuli EPZ, are among the world's most competitive manufacturing hubs. However, Chittagong continues to face numerous challenges, notably a chronic deficit in infrastructure, shortages in energy and power, bureaucracy in Bangladesh and threats to its natural environment. Its port has been described by the The Economist as a bottleneck.

Chittagong is one of the fastest growing cities in the world. It has been eyed as a future regional gateway and transit hub by many neighbouring countries, including India and China, as well as international investors. The port city is seen as crucial to the economic development of landlocked southern Asia, including Northeast India, Nepal, Bhutan, Southwest China, and parts of Burma. Chittagong intends to emerge as a regional and global economic hub. The city has planned various infrastructure development schemes, including the construction of a deep water port on Sonadia Island, special economic zones, and road and rail networks with cities in neighbouring countries.