Noakhali (Bengali: নোয়াখালী জেলা) is a district in South-eastern Bangladesh. It is located in the Chittagong Division. Noakhali district, whose earlier name was Bhulua, was established in 1821. It was named Noakhali in 1868. Noakhali District is bordered by 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 district to the west. The district has an area of 4,202 km2. 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 and the tidal fluctuations vary depending on seasons, being pronounced during the monsoon season. Around Noakhali on three sides is an alluvial plain that is annually inundated and fertilised by silt deposits from the Meghna estuary. The swift currents that course down from the Himalayas bring a rich bath of fertile silt, when it reaches the Bay of Bengal, settles along the coast, gradually forming new land called the "chars". The district of Noakhali has actually gained more than 28 square miles (73 km2) of land in the past fifty years and so on.
Noakhali has tropical climate and it has significant rainfall most months, with a short dry season. In Noakhali, the average annual temperature is 25.6 °C and the average annual rain fall is about 3,302 mm. With an average of 45.6 °C, May is the warmest month. At 19.5 °C on average, January is the coldest month of the year. The driest month is January with 8 mm of precipitation. In July, the rainfall reaches its peak, with an average of 671 mm.
Rivers and canals:
Two hundred years ago Noakhali district was known as ‘Bhulua Pargana’. South Shahbazpur(Bhola), Lakshmipur, mainland of Noakhali district and a portion of present Feni district were included in the Bhulua Pargana. In 1821 Mr. Plyden, the then salt agent, got the additional charge of collectorate of Bhulua from the Governor General. He proposed to the Governor General to establish a new district when some administrative problems arose with other salt-agents of Bhulua. On 29 March 1822 the Governor General passed an order in this regards and accordingly a new district was constituated with south Shabajpur, Sudharam, Begumganj, Ramganj, Raipur, Lakshmipur, Feni, Parshuram, Elahabad pargana of Tippera and Hatia, Sandwhip & 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 & Sonagazi. Sadar Sub-division was formed with the remaining areas. At the census of 1901 its area was 1,644 square miles and its population was about 1,141,728.
Regional violence in 1946 escalated communal tensions throughout British India just before the 1947 partition. One of the worst religious massacre and incidents of ethnic cleansing against Hindu community took place in Noakhali during 1946 riot known as Noakhali Genocide. A huge number of mass killing, raping, looting, forcible conversion took place. 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". It was not a random incident and was quite well planned, organised and directed from a few local political leaders.
Noakhali town, the headquarters of Noakhali, got vanished in the river-bed in 1951, as a result of erosion of mighty Meghna. 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.
During the War of Liberation many direct and guerilla encounters took place between the Pakistani Armed Forces and the Liberation Forces (Mukti Bahine). About 75 Freedom fighters (Mukti Joddha) were killed 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.
For administrative convenience, according to Government's decision Noakhali district was divided into three districts, namely Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni in 1984.
District administration is headed by an accomplished professional having long and laudable experience called Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate.
The basic unit of administration of the country is locally named as 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 UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer). All decisions are discussed and finalised in a forum called Upazila Parishad which is presided over by an elected chairman and assisted by UNO.
An area covering several square kilometres having several thousand populations is named as Union that is 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.
Noakhali District consists of 9 upazilas, 8 municipalities, 72 wards, 153 mahallas, 91 unions, 882 mouzas and 967 villages.
Noakhali District is divided into the following Sub-districts (Upazilas):
- Meghna
- Choto Feni
- Bamni
- Noakhali Khal
- Mohendro Khal
- Dakatia Khal
- Chandraganj Khal
- Noa khal
Two hundred years ago Noakhali district was known as ‘Bhulua Pargana’. South Shahbazpur(Bhola), Lakshmipur, mainland of Noakhali district and a portion of present Feni district were included in the Bhulua Pargana. In 1821 Mr. Plyden, the then salt agent, got the additional charge of collectorate of Bhulua from the Governor General. He proposed to the Governor General to establish a new district when some administrative problems arose with other salt-agents of Bhulua. On 29 March 1822 the Governor General passed an order in this regards and accordingly a new district was constituated with south Shabajpur, Sudharam, Begumganj, Ramganj, Raipur, Lakshmipur, Feni, Parshuram, Elahabad pargana of Tippera and Hatia, Sandwhip & 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 & Sonagazi. Sadar Sub-division was formed with the remaining areas. At the census of 1901 its area was 1,644 square miles and its population was about 1,141,728.
Regional violence in 1946 escalated communal tensions throughout British India just before the 1947 partition. One of the worst religious massacre and incidents of ethnic cleansing against Hindu community took place in Noakhali during 1946 riot known as Noakhali Genocide. A huge number of mass killing, raping, looting, forcible conversion took place. 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". It was not a random incident and was quite well planned, organised and directed from a few local political leaders.
Noakhali town, the headquarters of Noakhali, got vanished in the river-bed in 1951, as a result of erosion of mighty Meghna. 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.
During the War of Liberation many direct and guerilla encounters took place between the Pakistani Armed Forces and the Liberation Forces (Mukti Bahine). About 75 Freedom fighters (Mukti Joddha) were killed 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.
For administrative convenience, according to Government's decision Noakhali district was divided into three districts, namely Noakhali, Lakshmipur and Feni in 1984.
District administration is headed by an accomplished professional having long and laudable experience called Deputy Commissioner/District Magistrate.
The basic unit of administration of the country is locally named as 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 UNO (Upazila Nirbahi Officer). All decisions are discussed and finalised in a forum called Upazila Parishad which is presided over by an elected chairman and assisted by UNO.
An area covering several square kilometres having several thousand populations is named as Union that is 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.
Noakhali District consists of 9 upazilas, 8 municipalities, 72 wards, 153 mahallas, 91 unions, 882 mouzas and 967 villages.
Noakhali District is divided into the following Sub-districts (Upazilas):
- Noakhali Sadar Upazila
- Begumganj Upazila
- Chatkhil Upazila
- Companiganj Upazila
- Senbagh Upazila
- Hatiya Upazila
- Kabirhat Upazila
- Sonaimuri Upazila
- Suborno Char Upazila
- 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, Secretary to the Government and former Bangladesh High Commissioner to Canada and Singapore.
- 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 Bangladesh War of Independence, was born in Khalishpur village in what is now Begumganj Upazila.
- Munier Choudhury, Bangladeshi educationist, playwright, literary critic and political dissident. He was a victim of the mass killing of Bengali intellectuals in 1971
- Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury- speaker of Bangladesh parliament.
- Zahurul Haq, a sergeant of 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.[16]
- Belal Shafiul Huq, is a four-star rank army general and the current (17th) Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army, in office since 25 June 2015.
- 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.[citation needed]
- 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.[17]
- Obaidul Quader, Present General Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League and Minister of Road Transport and Bridges Ministry, was born in Bara Rajapur village in Companiganj Upazila.
- Abdus Shakur, was a Bangladeshi 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 Rajapur village, Noakhali Sadar Upazila.
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