View source for Cox's Bazar

{{Short description|City in Bangladesh}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2021}}
{{EngvarB|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Cox's Bazar
| native_name        = কক্সবাজার
| settlement_type    = [[City]]
| total_type         = 
| nickname           = 
| motto              = 
| coordinates        = {{coord|21|25|38|N|92|00|18|E|region:BD|display=inline,title}}
| image_skyline      = {{multiple image
| border      = infobox
| total_width = 280
| image_style =
| perrow      = 1/2/2/2/2/1
| image1      = A dusk at Cox's Bazar sea beach.jpg
| caption1    = [[Cox's Bazar beach]]
| image2      = View of cox's bazar city.jpg
| caption2    = [[Hotel–Motel zone]]
| image3      = Coxs Bazar Rail Station (cropped).jpg
| caption3    = [[Cox's Bazar railway station]]
| image4      = Cox's Bazar Airport Shevelev-1.jpg
| caption4    = [[Cox's Bazar Airport]]
| image5      = Cox's Bazar–Tekhnaf Marine Drive (7).jpg
| caption5    = [[Cox's Bazar–Teknaf Marine Drive]]
| image6      = 
| caption6    = 
}}
| pushpin_map        = Bangladesh Chittagong division#Bangladesh
| pushpin_label_position = left
| pushpin_map_caption = 
| image_flag         = 
| flag_size          = 
| image_seal         = Cox's Bazar Municipality.png
| seal_size          = 100px
| image_shield       = 
| shield_size        = 
| image_map          = 
| map_caption        = Location of Cox's Bazar in Bangladesh
| subdivision_type   = [[Country]]
| subdivision_name   = {{Country|Bangladesh}}
| subdivision_type1  = [[Divisions of Bangladesh|Division]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Chittagong Division|Chittagong]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[Districts of Bangladesh|District]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Cox's Bazar District|Cox's Bazar]]
| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = [[Mayor–council government|Mayor–Council]]
| governing_body     = {{nowrap|Municipality}}
| leader_title       = [[Mayor|Administrator]]
| leader_name        = Rubaiya Afroz
| leader_title2      = 
| leader_name2       = 
| established_title  = Establishment
| established_date   = 
| unit_pref          = 
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 23.4
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| population_as_of   = 2022
| population_total   = 196374
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = 
| population_metro   = 
| population_density_metro_km2 = 
| population_demonym = 
| timezone           = [[Bangladesh Standard Time|BST]]
| utc_offset         = +6
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m         = 3
| elevation_ft        = 10
| postal_code_type    = [[List of postal codes in Bangladesh|Postal code]]
| postal_code         = 4700
| area_code_type      = [[Telephone numbers in Bangladesh|Calling code]]
| area_code           = +880 34
| demographics_type1  = [[Languages of Bangladesh|Languages]]
| demographics1_title1 = Official
| demographics1_info1 = [[Bengali language|Bengali]]{{*}}[[Bangladeshi English|English]]
| demographics1_title2 = Regional
| demographics1_info2 = [[Chittagonian language|Chittagonian]]
| demographics_type2  = 
| demographics2_footnotes = <ref name="BBS">{{cite web | url=https://bbs.portal.gov.bd/site/page/b432a7e5-8b4d-4dac-a76c-a9be4e85828c | title=বাংলাদেশ পরিসংখ্যান ব্যুরো }}</ref>
| demographics2_title1 = 
| demographics2_info1 = 
| blank_name_sec1     = [[UN/LOCODE]]
| blank_info_sec1     = BD CXB
| blank1_name_sec1    = {{nowrap|[[GDP]]}} (2022)
| blank1_info_sec1    = [[List of countries by GDP (PPP)|PPP]]<br />{{IncreasePositive}} $4.2 billion<br />[[List of countries by GDP (nominal)|Nominal]]<br /> {{IncreasePositive}} $1.5 billion
| blank3_name_sec1    = [[Human Development Index|HDI]] (2022)
| blank3_info_sec1    = 0.648<ref>{{cite web |url=https://globaldatalab.org/shdi/shdi/BGD/?interpolation=0&extrapolation=0&nearest_real=0 |title=Sub-national HDI – Area Database – Global Data Lab |website=hdi.globaldatalab.org |language=en |access-date=12 July 2025}}</ref><br />{{color|#FFCC33|medium-low}} · [[List of regions of Bangladesh by Human Development Index|9th of 20]]
| blank4_name_sec1    = [[Police]]
| blank4_info_sec1    =
| blank5_name_sec1    = [[Airport]]
| blank5_info_sec1    = [[Cox's Bazar International Airport]]
| blank6_name_sec1    = Planning Authority
| blank6_info_sec1    = [[Cox's Bazar Development Authority]]
| blank7_name_sec1    = Water Supply and Sewerage Authority
| blank7_info_sec1    = Cox's Bazar Paurashava Water Supply Dept.
| website             = [https://www.coxsbazar.gov.bd/ coxsbazar.gov.bd]
| blank_emblem_size   = 120px
| blank_emblem_type   = Cox's Bazar Municipal Seal
| seal_alt            = Official Seal of the Cox's Bazar Municipality
| leader_party        = 
}}
{{Contains special characters|Bengali}}

'''Cox's Bazar''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|k|ɒ|k|s|ɪ|z|_|b|ə|ˈ|z|ɑːr}}; {{langx|bn|কক্সবাজার|Kôksbājār}}; {{IPA|bn|kɔksbadʒaɾ|pron}}) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and the headquarters of the [[Cox's Bazar District]] and [[Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila]] in south-eastern [[Bangladesh]]. The city has a population of about 196,000 making it the [[List of cities and towns in Bangladesh|26th largest city]] in [[Bangladesh]]. [[Cox's Bazar Beach]], the longest uninterrupted naturally occurring sea beach in the world, is a major tourist attraction.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rongmei |first=Precious|title=Have you been to the longest beach in the world? |work=The Times of India |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/travel/destinations/have-you-been-to-the-longest-beach-in-the-world/articleshow/102904149.cms |access-date=2023-09-12 |issn=0971-8257}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|date=2012-12-26 |title=Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar: A paradise being lost? |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19340259 |access-date=2022-04-30}}</ref>

==Administration==
The city is administered by a [[List of municipal corporations in Bangladesh |Pourashava]] named Cox's Bazar Municipality. It covers an area of {{convert|23.4|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} with 58 [[mahalla]]s and 27 wards and as of 2022 had a population of nearly 200,000.<ref name="citypopulation">{{cite web |url=https://www.citypopulation.de/Bangladesh-UA.html?cityid=11835 |title=Area, Population of Cox's Bazar |website=citypopulation.de}}</ref> Cox's Bazar is connected by road and air with the city of [[Chattogram]].<ref>{{cite web|date=12 January 2015 |title=Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Coxs-Bazar |access-date=14 January 2008 |website=[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |script-title=bn:কক্সবাজার জেলা |trans-title=Cox's Bazar district |url=http://www.coxsbazar.gov.bd/ |access-date=4 December 2018 |website=coxsbazar.gov.bd |language=bn}}</ref>

==Etymology==
Cox's Bazar derives its name from Captain [[Hiram Cox]], an officer of the [[British East India Company]] and Superintendent of Palongkee outpost. To commemorate his role in refugee rehabilitation work, a market was established and named after him.

Cox's Bazar is also known by the name '''''Panowa''''', which translates literally as "yellow flower." An old name was "'''Palongkee'''".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/mar/06/rohingya-refugee-camp-fire-bangladesh-coxs-bazar |title=Huge fire at Rohingya refugee camp leaves thousands without shelter &#124; Bangladesh &#124; the Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://refugees.org/a-glimpse-at-camp-life-in-coxs-bazar-examining-aid-response-and-distilling-solutions/ |title=A Glimpse at Camp Life in Cox's Bazar: Examining Aid Response |date=13 April 2023}}</ref>

==History==
During the early 9th century, the greater Chittagong area, including Cox's Bazar, was under the rule of [[Rakhine State|Arakan]] kings until its conquest by the [[Mughal Empire|Mughals]] in 1666.<ref name=Banglapedia-District/> When the Mughal Prince [[Shah Shuja (Mughal)|Shah Shuja]] was passing through the hilly terrain of the present-day Cox's Bazar on his way to Arakan, he was attracted to its scenic and captivating beauty. He commanded his forces to camp there. His retinue of one thousand [[palanquin]]s stopped there for some time. A place named ''[[Dulahazara Union|Dulahazara]],'' meaning "one thousand palanquins," still exists in the area. After the Mughals, the place came under the control of the Tipras and the Arakanese, followed by the Portuguese and then the [[British Empire|British]].

The name Cox's Bazar originated from British [[East India Company]] (EIC) official [[Hiram Cox]], who was appointed as the Superintendent of Palonki (today's Cox's Bazar) outpost. He succeeded [[Warren Hastings]], who became the [[Governor of Bengal]] following the passage of the [[Regulating Act 1773]]. Cox embarked upon the task of rehabilitation and settlement for the [[Arakanese people|Arakanese]] refugees in the area.<ref name="Haksar2009">{{cite book |author=Nandita Haksar |title=Rogue Agent: How India's Military Intelligence Betrayed the Burmese Resistance |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vkXJveQavMEC&pg=PT55 |year=2009 |publisher=Penguin Books India |isbn=978-0-14-306489-3 |pages=55–56}}</ref> He rehabilitated many refugees in the area, but died in 1799 before finishing his work. To commemorate him, a market was established and named after him, called Cox's Bazar. Cox's Bazar was first established in 1854 and became a municipality in 1869.<ref name=Banglapedia-District>{{cite book |last=Siddiqi |first=Mohammad Mahibbullah |year=2012 |chapter=Cox's Bazar District |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Cox%E2%80%99s_Bazar_District |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

After the [[Indian Rebellion of 1857]], [[Company rule in India]] came to an end and was replaced by the [[The Crown|British Crown]]. As a result, Cox's Bazar was declared a district of the [[Eastern Bengal and Assam|Bengal Province]] under the British Crown.

===20th century===
[[File:Cox's Bazar Map.jpg|thumb|270px|right|Cox's Bazar Map from Series U542, US Army Map Service, 1955]]
Just after the end of British rule in India in 1947, Cox's Bazar became part of [[East Pakistan]]. [[Fazlul Karim (lawyer)|Captain Advocate Fazlul Karim]], the first post-independence chairman of Cox's Bazar Municipality, established the Tamarisk Forest along the beach. He wanted to attract tourists as well as to protect the beach from [[tsunami]]s. He donated much of his father-in-law's and his own lands as sites for constructing a public library and a town hall. Karim was inspired to build Cox's Bazar as a tourist spot after seeing beaches of Bombay and Karachi, and was a resort pioneer in developing Cox's Bazar as a destination. Karim established a maternity hospital, the stadium and the drainage system by procuring grants from the [[Ford Foundation]] and [[Rockefeller Foundation]] through correspondence. T. H. Matthews, the principal of the Dacca Engineering College (1[[Rockefeller Foundation|–]]49~1954), was a friend who had helped him in these fundraising efforts. Engineer Chandi Charan Das was the government civil engineer who worked on all these projects.

In 1959 the municipality was turned into a town committee.<ref name=Banglapedia-District/> In 1961 the [[Geological Survey of Pakistan]] initiated investigation of radioactive minerals like [[monazite]] around the Cox's Bazar sea-beach area.<ref name="Bpedia BSHM">{{cite book |last=Chowdhury |first=Sifatul Quader |year=2012 |chapter=Beach Sand Heavy Mineral |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Beach_Sand_Heavy_Mineral |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

In 1971, Cox's Bazar [[wharf]] was used as a naval port by the [[Pakistan Navy]]'s [[gunboats]]. This and the nearby [[airstrip]] of the [[Pakistan Air Force]] were the scene of intense shelling by the [[Indian Navy]] during the [[Bangladesh Liberation War]]. During the war, Pakistani soldiers killed many people in the town, including eminent lawyer Jnanendralal Chowdhury. The killing of two freedom fighters named Farhad and Subhash at Badar Mokam is also recorded in history.<ref name=Banglapedia-Upazila>{{cite book |last=Alam |first=Badiul |year=2012 |chapter=Cox's Bazar Sadar Upazila |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Cox%E2%80%99s_Bazar_Sadar_Upazila |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=[[Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh]] |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

After Bangladesh's independence, Cox's Bazar started to receive administrative attention. In 1972 the town committee of Cox's Bazar was once again turned into a municipality. In 1975, The government of Bangladesh established a pilot plant at Kalatali.<ref name="Bpedia BSHM"/> In 1984, Cox's Bazar subdivision was promoted to a district, and five years later (in 1989) the Cox's Bazar municipality was elevated to B-grade.<ref name=Banglapedia-District/> In 1994 (jobs) the Marine Fisheries and Technology Station (MFTS) was established at Cox's Bazar. MFTS is a research station of [[Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute]] (BFRI) headquartered in [[Mymensingh District|Mymensingh]]. The station covers a land area of four hectares and contains five laboratories.<ref>{{cite book |last=Kabir |first=SM Humayun |year=2012 |chapter=Bangladesh Fisheries Research Institute |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangladesh_Fisheries_Research_Institute |editor1-last=Islam |editor1-first=Sirajul |editor1-link=Sirajul Islam |editor2-last=Jamal |editor2-first=Ahmed A. |title=Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh |edition=Second |publisher=[[Asiatic Society of Bangladesh]]}}</ref>

===21st century===
In September 2012 the municipality was the site of the [[2012 Ramu violence|Cox's Bazar and Ramu riots]], where local Muslims attacked the Buddhist community over an alleged [[Quran desecration]] posted to Facebook.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bangladesh rampage over Facebook Koran image |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-19780692 |work=BBC News |date=30 September 2012 |access-date=8 December 2019}}</ref>

In 2017, hundreds of thousands of [[Rohingya]] refugees from Myanmar arrived in [[Cox's Bazar District]], amounting to 725,000 in October 2018; the resulting [[Kutupalong refugee camp]] became the largest refugee camp in the world.<ref name="nrc">{{Cite web |title=Cox's Bazar: The world's biggest refugee settlement |url=https://www.nrc.no/news/2018/august/coxs-bazar-the-worlds-largest-refugee-settlement/ |date=21 May 2020 |website=Norwegian Refugee Council |access-date=24 August 2018}}</ref>

On 14 May 2020, the first confirmed case of [[Coronavirus disease 2019|COVID-19]] was detected among the 860,000 refugees who lived in Cox's Bazar district.<ref name="unhcr">{{Cite web |title=Public health response in Rohingya refugee settlements on alert as first coronavirus case confirmed |url=https://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing/2020/5/5ebe42044/public-health-response-rohingya-refugee-settlements-alert-first-coronavirus.html |last=Refugees |first=United Nations High Commissioner for |date=15 May 2020 |website=UNHCR |language=en |access-date=21 May 2020}}</ref>

In March 2021, a fire at the refugee camp left 15 dead and some 400 missing and displaced more than 45,000 mostly Rohingya refugees.<ref>Ramy Inocencio: [https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rohingya-refugee-camp-fire-bangladesh-coxs-bazar-myanmar-deaths-missing/ At least 15 killed by huge fire at Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh] 23 March 2021 ''www.cbsnews.com'' accessed 23 March 2021</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-03-25|title=UN emergency fund allocates $14 million for Rohingya refugees left homeless by massive fire|url=https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/03/1088222|access-date=2021-03-28|website=UN News|language=en}}</ref>

Additionally, the government is constructing 268 kilometers of roads to enhance rural connectivity in the region. This initiative includes building 40 new cyclone shelters, a relief administration and distribution center, and other facilities to bolster disaster resilience and support local populations.{{citation needed|date=March 2025}}

In 2023 Bangladesh evacuated over 50,000 people in Cox's Bazar to safe shelters as [[Cyclone Mocha]] approached.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-05-13 |title=50,000 people evacuated in Cox's Bazar as cyclone Mocha approaches |url=https://www.dhakatribune.com/nation/2023/05/13/cyclone-mocha-coxs-bazar-coastal-residents-being-shifted-to-shelters |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=Dhaka Tribune}}</ref> 

During the [[July Revolution (Bangladesh)|protest of 2024]], around 10,000 tourists were stuck in Cox's Bazar, who were later transported by plane and army patrol.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-07-27 |title=Cox's Bazar, fear of job loss of 20,000 workers without tourists |url=https://www.barta24.com/details/national-en/236918/cox-s-bazar--fear-of-job-loss-of-20-000-workers-without-tourists |access-date=2025-03-04 |website=Barta24 |language=en}}</ref>

==Geography and climate==
Cox's Bazar is located {{convert|150|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of the divisional headquarter city of [[Chittagong]]. Cox's Bazar town has an area of {{convert|6.85|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}}, and is bounded by Bakkhali River on the north and East, [[Bay of Bengal]] in the West, and Jhilwanj Union in the south.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.coxsbazar.gov.bd/site/page/9314edbb-2144-11e7-8f57-286ed488c766/%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%8C%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%20%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF |script-title=bn:ভৌগলিক পরিচিতি – কক্সবাজার জেলা |trans-title=Geographical Introduction - Cox's Bazar District |website=coxsbazar.gov.bd |language=bn |access-date=4 December 2018 |archive-date=7 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181207135141/http://coxsbazar.gov.bd/site/page/9314edbb-2144-11e7-8f57-286ed488c766/%E0%A6%AD%E0%A7%8C%E0%A6%97%E0%A6%B2%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%95%20%E0%A6%AA%E0%A6%B0%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%9A%E0%A6%BF%E0%A6%A4%E0%A6%BF }}</ref>

The [[beach in Cox's Bazar]] has a gentle slope and with a length of {{convert|120|km|mi|abbr=on}} and is one of the longest natural sea beaches in the world.

Cox's Bazar lies on a coastal plain in the southeastern corner of Bangladesh. From above, the plain appears to bulge out into the Bay of Bengal. Along the shore is an extensive area of beach and [[dune]]s. Most of the city is built on a [[floodplain]] that is lower in elevation than the dunes, making it more susceptible to flooding due to [[cyclone]]s and [[storm surge]]s. The Cox's Bazar coastal plain was formed after the sea reached its present level around 6,500 years ago, with the area of the current floodplain originally forming a sediment sink that has since been gradually filled in by the Bakkhali river as well as smaller streams coming down from the hills.<ref name="Alam et al">{{cite journal |last1=Alam |first1=M.S. |last2=Huq |first2=N.E. |last3=Rashid |first3=M.S. |title=Morphology and Sediments of the Cox's Bazar Coastal Plain, South-East Bangladesh |journal=Journal of Coastal Research |date=1999 |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=902–908 |jstor=4299010 }}</ref>

The climate of Bangladesh is mostly determined by its location in the [[tropical monsoon climate]] region: high temperatures, heavy rainfall, and generally excessive humidity, with distinct seasonal variations.<ref>{{cite book |last=Ahmed |first=Rafique |year=2012 |chapter=Climate |chapter-url=http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Climate |editor1-last=Islam |