[15] Between the 15th and 17th centuries, Chittagong was also a centre of administrative, literary, commercial and maritime activities in Arakan, a narrow strip of land along the eastern coast of the Bay of Bengal which was under strong Bengali influence for 350 years.

[17] The port city has been known by various names in history, including Chatigaon, Chatigam, Chattagrama, Islamabad, Chattala, Chaityabhumi and Porto Grande De Bengala.

In April 2018, the Cabinet Division of the Government of Bangladesh decided to change the city's name to Chattogram,[8][19] based on its Bengali spelling and pronunciation; the move was criticized in the Bangladeshi media.

[17][21][22] The Arakanese chronicle that a king named Tsu-la-taing Tsandaya (Sula Taing Chandra), after conquering Bengal, set up a stone pillar as a trophy/memorial at the place since called Tst-ta-gaung as the limit of conquest.

During the 13th and 16th centuries, Arabs and Persians heavily colonized the port city of Chittagong, initially arriving for trade and to spread Islam.

Two years later, the company's Court of Directors decided to make Chittagong the headquarters of their Bengal trade and sent out a fleet of ten or eleven ships to seize it under Captain Heath.

Remembrance Day services are held each year at the cemetery, with diplomats from Commonwealth countries like the UK, Bangladesh, Australia, India and Pakistan, as well as the United States and Japan, usually in attendance.

[58] The Chittagong Development Authority (CDA) was created by the government to promote urban planning; while wealthy families like the Ispahanis contributed to social welfare by setting up schools and hospitals.

[59] During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, which was waged under the leadership of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Chittagong witnessed heavy fighting between rebel Bengali military regiments and the Pakistan Army.

The Bangladeshi Declaration of Independence was broadcast from Kalurghat Radio Station and transmitted internationally through foreign ships in Chittagong Port.

The Ispahani family had to write only one letter in order to get back all their properties from the Awami League government of Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

[54] In free market reforms launched by President Ziaur Rahman in the late 1970s, the city became home to the first export processing zones in Bangladesh.

The port city has been the pivot of Bangladesh's emerging economy in recent years, with the country's rising GDP growth rate.

[9][98] The port is part of the Maritime Silk Road that runs from the Chinese coast via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean and on to the Upper Adriatic region of Trieste with rail connections to Central and Eastern Europe.

The city's key industrial sectors include petroleum, steel, shipbuilding, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, textiles, jute, leather goods, vegetable oil refineries, glass manufacturing, electronics and motor vehicles.

[104] The Karnaphuli Paper Mills were established in 1953. International banks operating in Chittagong include HSBC, Standard Chartered and Citibank NA.

The port city has ambitions to develop as a global financial centre and regional transshipment hub, given its proximity to North East India, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan and Southwest China.

[105][106] By 2024, the Chittagong-based S Alam Group emerged as one of Bangladesh's most powerful conglomerates, with interests in energy, commodities, infrastructure, economic zones, healthcare, textiles and fintech.

A surviving remnant of the 17th century Portuguese presence is Darul Adalat in the premises of Government Hazi Mohammad Mohsin College, Chittagong.

[112] During British rule, colonial officials lived in hilltop bungalows, which would feature a spacious balcony or verandah, chimneys, fireplaces and big gardens.

[119] Another dish named kala-bhuna of Chittagong, made with traditional spices, mustard oil, and beef through a special cooking style, is also renowned all over Bangladesh.

The Bastami shrine hosts a pond of black softshell turtles, a critically endangered species of freshwater turtle.During the medieval period, many poets thrived in the region when it was part of the Bengal Sultanate and the Kingdom of Mrauk U.

Under the patronage of Sultan Alauddin Husain Shah's governor in Chittagong, Kabindra Parameshvar wrote his Pandabbijay, a Bengali adaptation of the Mahabharata.

The city also has many ethnic minorities, especially members of indigenous groups from the frontier hills of Chittagong Division, including Chakmas, Rakhines and Tripuris; as well as Rohingya refugees.

[132][133] Like other major urban centres in South Asia, Chittagong has experienced steady growth in its informal settlements as a result of the increasing economic activities in the city and emigration from rural areas.

[149] Chittagong has extensive GSM and CDMA coverage, served by all the major mobile operators of the country, including Grameenphone, Banglalink, Citycell, Robi, TeleTalk and Airtel Bangladesh.

[151] The Chattogram is divided into 16 thanas: Akbarshah, Bakoliya, Bandar, Bayazid, Chandgaon, Double Mooring, Halishahar, Khulshi, Kotwali, Pahartali, Panchlaish, Patenga, Chawkbazar, Sadarghat, EPZ, and Karnaphuli.

[168][169][need quotation to verify][170][171][172] The authority has also began the construction of a 9.3 kilometres (5.8 mi) underwater expressway tunnel through the Karnaphuli river to ensure better connectivity between the northern and southern parts of Chittagong.

The Chittagong Circular Railway was introduced in 2013 to ease traffic congestion and to ensure better public transport service for commuters within the city.

The city hosted two group matches of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup, both taking place in Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.