Bandarban

Bandarban is a hill district of Chattogram Division known for mountains, waterfalls, tribal cultures, and borderland landscapes. It covers 4,479.03 km² and had a population of 481,106 in the 2022 census. Bandarban town is the district headquarters and the main administrative and tourism center of the hill district.

Bandarban is part of the Chittagong Hill Tracts and has long been shaped by indigenous communities, hill governance, and frontier history. It became a district on 18 April 1981. Its history is deeply connected to Marma, Mro, Tripura, and other hill peoples, as well as later road, security, and tourism expansion.

Location: Southeastern hill frontier of Bangladesh near Myanmar. Major features include Sangu and Matamuhuri river valleys, hill ridges, waterfalls, forests, and upland settlements.

District established: 18 April 1981

Headquarters: Bandarban

Subdivisions: 7 upazilas

Current upazilas in this database are linked separately through the upazilas table.

Population (2022): 481,106. Indigenous peoples form a very large share of the district population, alongside Bengali communities. Literacy rate (7+) was 63.74%, and about 40.41% of the population lived in urban areas.

Bandarban's education network is centered on district colleges, hill schools, and regional access to Chattogram's higher education institutions. Local education is also tied to ethnic community development and missionary schooling traditions.

Economy and culture: tourism, horticulture, hill agriculture, forestry-linked livelihoods, and ethnic craft traditions are central. Notable places include Nilgiri, Boga Lake, Amiakhum, Buddha Dhatu Jadi, and indigenous cultural settlements.