Popular destinations in Bangladesh. Dhaka and Chittagong

 Dhaka

Dhaka, formerly known as Dhaka, is the capital and largest city of Bangladesh. It is the ninth largest and seventh most populated city in the world. Dhaka is a megacity and has a population of 10.2 million people in 2022, and Greater Dhaka has a population of more than 22.4 million people. It is widely considered to be the most densely populated urban area in the world. Dhaka is the most important cultural, economic and scientific center of eastern South Asia, as well as a major Muslim-majority city. In terms of GDP, Dhaka ranks third in South Asia and 39th in the world. Located in the Ganges delta, it is bounded by the Buriganga, Turag, Dhaleswari and Shitalakshya rivers. Dhaka is also the largest Bengali speaking city in the world.

The Dhaka area has been inhabited since the first millennium. An early modern city, it developed as the provincial capital and commercial center of the Mughal Empire from the 17th century onwards. Dhaka was the capital of a proto-industrialized Mughal Bengal for 75 years (1608–39 and 1660–1704). It was the center of the muslin trade of Bengal and one of the richest cities in the world. The Mughal city was named Jahangirnagar (City of Jahangir) after the then ruling Emperor Jahangir. The city's wealthy Mughal elite included princes and sons of Mughal emperors. The pre-colonial city's glory peaked in the 17th and 18th centuries, when it was home to merchants from all over Eurasia. Dhaka port was an important commercial center for both river and sea trade. The Mughals decorated the city with elaborate gardens, mausoleums, mosques, palaces and forts. The city was once called the Venice of the East. Under British rule, the city saw the introduction of electricity, railways, cinemas, Western-style universities and colleges and a modern water supply. After 1905 it became an important administrative and educational center of the British Raj as the capital of the provinces of East Bengal and Assam. In 1947, after the end of British rule, the city became the administrative capital of East Pakistan. It was declared the legislative capital of Pakistan in 1962. In 1971, after the liberation war, it became the capital of independent Bangladesh. In 2008, Dhaka celebrated 400 years as a municipal city.

Dhaka, a beta-global city, is the center of the political, economic and cultural life of Bangladesh. It is the headquarters of the Government of Bangladesh, many Bangladeshi companies and major educational, scientific, research and cultural organizations of Bangladesh. Since its establishment as a modern capital, Dhaka's population, area, and social and economic diversity have grown tremendously. The city is now one of the most densely industrialized areas in the country. The city accounts for 35% of Bangladesh's economy. There are more than 750 companies listed on the Dhaka Stock Exchange. Dhaka is home to more than 50 diplomatic missions as well as the headquarters of BIMSTEC, SIRDAP and the International Jute Study Group. Dhaka has a famous culinary tradition. The city's culture is known for rickshaws, biryani, art festivals and religious diversity. Dhaka's most prominent architectural landmark is the modernist Jatiya Sangsad Bhawan; It has a heritage of 2000 buildings from the Mughal and British periods. This city is associated with two Nobel Prize winners. Its annual Bengali New Year celebrations are widely known to be colorful and artistic, recognized by UNESCO for its importance as a World Heritage Site. Dhaka has produced many writers and poets in different languages, especially Bengali and English.

Chittagong

Chittagong, officially Chittagong (Chittagong (Chittagram:  Romanized: ), (Bengali:  Romanized: Coṭṭogram, Bangladesh: second city) after Dhaka and the third largest city in the Bengal region. It is the administrative seat of the eponymous division and district. It hosts the busiest seaport on the Bay of Bengal. The city is located on the banks of the Karnaphuli River between the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Bay of Bengal. The Greater Chittagong region had a population of over 5.2 million in 2022. 2020 In 2015, the population of the urban area was over 3.9 million.Even amid heightened global uncertainty, Bangladesh has consistently demonstrated a strong history of growth and progress.

One of the oldest ports in the world with a natural harbor functional for centuries, Chittagong appeared on ancient Greek and Roman maps, including Ptolemy's world map. It was located on the southern branch of the Silk Road. In the 9th century, merchants of the Abbasid Caliphate established a trading post in Chittagong. In the 14th century the port fell to the Muslim conquest of Bengal. It was the site of a royal mint under the Delhi Sultanate, the Bengal Sultanate and the Mughal Empire. Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Chittagong was also a center of administrative, literary, commercial and maritime activities in Arakan, a narrow strip of land along the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal that had been under strong Bengali influence for 350 years. In the 16th century, the port became a Portuguese trading post and was described by Joao de Barros as "the most famous and richest city in the kingdom of Bengal". In 1666, the Mughal Empire expelled the Portuguese and the Arakanese.

The British East India Company took control of the city in 1793, as did the rest of Bengal. The port of Chittagong was reorganized in 1887 and was its busiest shipping link with British Burma. In 1928, Chittagong was declared a "Chief Port" of British India. During World War II, Chittagong was a base for the Allied forces engaged in the Burma campaign. The port city began to expand and industrialize in the 1940s, especially after the partition of British India. The city was the historic terminus of the Assam Bengal Railway and the Pakistan Eastern Railway. During the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971, Chittagong was the venue for the declaration of independence of Bangladesh. The port city has benefited from the growth of heavy industry, logistics and manufacturing in Bangladesh. Trade unionism was strong in the 1990s.

Chittagong accounts for 12% of Bangladesh's GDP, including 40% of industrial output, 80% of international trade and 50% of tax revenue. The port city is home to some of the country's oldest and largest companies. Chittagong Port is one of the busiest ports in South Asia. The largest base of the Bangladesh Navy is located in Chittagong, along with an air base of the Bangladesh Air Force, a garrison of the Bangladesh Army and the main base of the Bangladesh Coast Guard. The eastern section of Bangladesh Railway is located in Chittagong. Chittagong Stock Exchange is one of the twin stock markets of Bangladesh with over 700 listed companies. Chittagong Tea Auction is a commodity exchange that deals with Bangladeshi tea. CEPZ and KEPZ are major industrial zones with foreign direct investment. The city is served by Shah Amanat International Airport for domestic and international flights. Despite having a large Bengali Muslim majority, Chittagong has the highest degree of religious and ethnic diversity among cities in Bangladesh. Minorities include Bengali Hindus, Bengali Christians, Bengali Buddhists, Chakmas, Marmas, Tripuris, Garos and others. 

Patenga 

Patenga  is a beach on the Bay of Bengal, located 14 kilometers  south of the port city of Chittagong in Bangladesh. It is near the mouth of Karnaphuli river. The beach is very close to Bangladesh Naval Academy of Bangladesh Navy and Shah Amanat International Airport.

Foy's Lake

Foy Lake is an artificial lake in Chittagong, Bangladesh. It was created in 1924 in the northern part of Chittagong by building a dam over the stream coming down from the hills. The purpose of creating an artificial lake was to provide water to the inhabitants of the railway colony. The project, named after railway engineer Mr Foy, was believed to become a reality. Pahartali was originally a railway town with a workshop, yard and shed. Today, a carriage workshop, a diesel workshop, a locomotive shed, a laboratory, a warehouse, an electrical workshop and a school (founded in 1924) are located here. A good number of railway employees live in nearby neighborhoods.

 

Foy's Lake

Jamboree Park

Jamboree Park

Jamburi Park (also spelled Jamburi Park) is an urban park in the Agrabad area of Chittagong, Bangladesh. The park has a 50,000-square-foot (4,600 m2) body of water, as well as an 8,000-foot (2,400 m) composite walkway and path, and an internal master drain.

It is located on SM Morshed Road and is the most visited urban park in the port city. The park was established in 2018 on 8.55 acres of land acquired by the city.