Cox's Bazar facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Cox's Bazar কক্সবাজার
City
Cox's Bazar beach Hotel–Motel zone Cox's Bazar railway station Cox's Bazar Airport Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive
Seal
Nickname(s):  City of Tourism
Cox's Bazar Location in Chittagong division Show map of Chittagong division Cox's Bazar Location in Bangladesh Show map of Bangladesh
Country	Bangladesh
Division	Chittagong
District	Cox's Bazar
Named for	Hiram Cox
Government
• Type	Mayor–Council
• Body	Municipality
Area
• Total	23.4 km2 (9.0 sq mi)
Population  (2011)
• Total	196,374
• Density	8,392/km2 (21,740/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+6 (BST)
Postal code	4700
Airport	Cox's Bazar International Airport

Cox's Bazar (pronounced Koks-bah-zar) is a lively city in southeastern Bangladesh. It's a busy fishing port and a popular place for tourists. The city is famous for Cox's Bazar Beach, which is known as the longest natural beach in the world! It stretches for a very long way without any breaks.

Cox's Bazar is about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of the city of Chittagong. It's also called Panowa, which means "yellow flower." Another old name for the area was "Palongkee". The city covers about 23.4 square kilometers (9.0 square miles) and has nearly 200,000 people living there. You can reach Cox's Bazar by road or by air from Chittagong.

The city got its modern name from Captain Hiram Cox. He was an officer from the British East India Company who worked in the area a long time ago. He helped many people who had to move from their homes. To remember his good work, a market was started and named after him, which eventually gave the city its name.

Discovering Cox's Bazar's Past

How the City Began

Long ago, in the early 9th century, the area where Cox's Bazar is now was ruled by kings from a place called Arakan. Later, in 1666, the Mughals took control. A Mughal prince named Shah Shuja once traveled through these hills. He loved the beautiful scenery so much that he told his army to set up camp there. A place nearby is still called Dulahazara, which means "one thousand palanquins" (a type of covered seat carried by people), because his group of a thousand palanquins stopped there.

After the Mughals, different groups ruled the area, including the Arakanese, the Portuguese, and then the British.

The Story of Captain Cox

The name Cox's Bazar comes from a British officer named Hiram Cox. He was in charge of an outpost called Palonki, which is now Cox's Bazar. Captain Cox worked hard to help refugees settle in the area. He helped many families find new homes. Sadly, he passed away in 1799 before he could finish his work. To honor him, a market was created and named Cox's Bazar. The town of Cox's Bazar was officially started in 1854 and became a municipality (a self-governing town) in 1869.

After British rule in India changed in 1857, Cox's Bazar became a district under the British Crown.

Important Changes in the 20th Century

Cox's Bazar Map from 1955

After India became independent in 1947, Cox's Bazar became part of East Pakistan. A man named Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim was the first chairman of Cox's Bazar Municipality after independence. He planted many tamarisk trees along the beach. He wanted to make the beach beautiful for tourists and also protect it from big waves like tsunamis. He was inspired by beaches in other cities to make Cox's Bazar a great tourist spot. He also helped build a hospital, a stadium, and a drainage system for the town.

In 1959, the municipality became a town committee. In 1961, scientists started looking for special minerals like monazite near the Cox's Bazar beach.

During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, the Cox's Bazar wharf (a place where ships dock) and the nearby airstrip were important. After Bangladesh became independent, Cox's Bazar received more attention. In 1972, it became a municipality again. In 1984, Cox's Bazar was made a full district.

Where is Cox's Bazar?

Cox's Bazar is located about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Chittagong. The town itself covers about 6.85 square kilometers (2.64 square miles). It is surrounded by the Bakkhali River to the north and east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and Jhilwanj Union to the south.

The famous beach in Cox's Bazar has a gentle slope and is about 155 kilometers (96 miles) long. This makes it known as the "longest natural unbroken sea beach" in the world.

Cox's Bazar is on a flat coastal area in southeastern Bangladesh. The land here was formed after the sea level settled about 6,500 years ago. Much of the city is built on a floodplain, which is a flat area that can sometimes flood.

Weather in Cox's Bazar

The weather in Bangladesh is mostly a tropical monsoon climate. This means it has high temperatures, lots of rain, and high humidity. Cox's Bazar has a similar climate, but with even more rain during the southwest monsoon season because it's right by the sea.

The average temperature in Cox's Bazar is around 30.1°C (86.2°F) at its highest and 22.0°C (71.6°F) at its lowest. The city gets about 3,524 millimeters (138.7 inches) of rain each year.

People of Cox's Bazar

In 2022, the city of Cox's Bazar had a population of 196,374 people. Most people in Cox's Bazar follow the religion of Islam. There are also communities of Hindus and Buddhists living in the city.

Learning in Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar has many schools and colleges for students.

• 1962: Cox's Bazar Government College was the first college offering secondary and bachelor's degrees.
• 1985: Cox's Bazar Law College was the first college for law studies.
• 1991: Cox's Bazar Govt. Women's College was the first college just for women.
• 2006: Cox's Bazar Commerce College was the first college focused on business studies.
• 2008: Cox's Bazar Medical College was the first medical college in the district.
• 2013: Cox's Bazar International University was the first private university, with the motto "Enlightening Tomorrow."

Other important educational places include:

• Cox's Bazar Polytechnic Institute
• Cox's Bazar Technical School and College
• Nursing & Midwifery College, Cox's Bazar
• Ramu Cantonment Public School & College

Some high schools in the area are:

• Cox's Bazar Govt. High School
• Cox's Bazar Govt. Girl's High School
• Ramu Khizari Govt. High School

Economy and Growth

A beautiful morning view of Cox's Bazar.

The main way people earn money in Cox's Bazar is through tourism. Many hotels, guest houses, and motels have been built. Lots of people work in the service industry, helping tourists. Things like oysters, snails, pearls, and jewelry made from them are very popular with visitors. People also work in transportation, helping tourists get around.

Fishing is another big part of the economy. Many people catch seafood and collect sea products to make a living. Cox's Bazar is also a major place for aquaculture (farming seafood) in Bangladesh. This helps bring in money from other countries. Besides tourism and fishing, people also do small-scale agriculture, and produce salt. These activities are important for the country's economy.

In 2007, Cox's Bazar became a special point for a submarine cable network. This cable helps connect Bangladesh to the internet and communication systems around the world.

Getting Around Cox's Bazar

The Submarine Cable Landing Station in Cox's Bazar.

Roads

National Highway N1 at Cox's Bazar.

The N110 is a main highway that connects Cox's Bazar to Dhaka, the capital city, and other parts of Bangladesh. Traveling by bus from Dhaka to Cox's Bazar usually takes about 9 to 12 hours.

In January 2024, special open-top buses were launched for tourists. These buses travel along the Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive, which is a beautiful road with the sea on one side and hills on the other.

Airport

The terminal building at Cox's Bazar Airport.

Cox's Bazar has its own airport, Cox's Bazar Airport, located northwest of the city. It's one of the busiest domestic airports in Bangladesh. Major airlines like Biman Bangladesh Airlines and US-Bangla Airlines fly here. The airport is being upgraded to an international airport to welcome even more tourists from around the world. This will make it the fourth international airport in Bangladesh.

Trains

The modern Cox's Bazar railway station.

The Cox's Bazar railway station is the main train station for the district. It offers train services on the Chittagong–Cox's Bazar line, run by Bangladesh Railway. You can also take trains like the Cox's Bazar Express directly from Dhaka. The railway station was officially opened in November 2023.

Sea Travel

Nuniarchara has a jetty port, which is a pier where boats can dock for sea transport.

Fun Things to Do in Cox's Bazar

Cox's Bazar (Kolatoli Sea Beach) after sunset.

• Cox's Bazar Beach: This is the main attraction! It's an amazing 150-kilometer (93-mile) long beach, known as the longest natural unbroken sea beach in the world. Many hotels offer private beach areas. Visitors can also go to Laboni beach, which is closest to the town.
• Himchari National Park: Located just south of Cox's Bazar, this park has beautiful tropical rainforests, grasslands, and waterfalls. The biggest waterfall flows down towards the sandy beach. It's a protected area for research, education, and fun. You might even spot some Asian elephants here!
• Aggmeda Khyang: This is a large and important Buddhist monastery. It has a prayer room and a hall with many Buddha statues made of bronze and other metals, along with old writings.
• Ramu: About 10 kilometers (6 miles) from Cox's Bazar, Ramu is a village with a large Buddhist community. You can find handicrafts and homemade cigars here. There are also monasteries and pagodas with beautiful Buddha images. One temple has a huge bronze Buddha statue, 13 feet tall!
• Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Safari Park: This is the first safari park in Bangladesh! It's a huge area where animals live in a natural environment. You can see animals like lions, Bengal tigers, crocodiles, bears, and many types of birds and monkeys from a bus or jeep. You can even ride domesticated elephants!

Cox's Bazar also has the only aquarium in Bangladesh, called Radiant Fish World. Other fun activities include parasailing, water biking, beach biking, and horse riding. You can also visit Daria Nagar Ecopark and enjoy various architectural sights.

The Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive is a must-see road that goes from Cox's Bazar to Teknaf, with the sea on one side and hills on the other.

To keep tourists safe and protect nature, the Bangladesh Government created a special Tourist Police unit in 2013.

Images for kids

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  Cox's Bazar bus terminal

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  Town view at Sugondha point

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  Beach area

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  Cox's Bazar in daylight

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  Cox's Bazar Sea Beach