Raozan Upazila

Raozan Upazila (chittagong district) area 246.59 sq km, located in between 22°25' and 22°40' north latitudes and in between 91°51' and 91°59' east longitudes. It is bounded by fatikchhari upazila on the north, boalkhali upazila and river karnafuli on the south, rangunia and kawkhali (rangamati) upazilas on the east, hathazari and Fatikchhari upazilas on the west.

Population Total 322840; male 156255, female 166585; Muslim 247248, Hindu 54408, Buddhist 21095, Christian 32 and others 57. Indigenous communities such as marma, tripura and Magh belong to this upazila.

Water bodies Main rivers: Karnafuli, halda.

Administration Raozan Thana was formed in 1947 and it was turned into an upazila in 1984.

Upazila
Municipality	Union	Mouza	Village	Population		Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
				Urban	Rural		Urban	Rural
1	14	56	66	59148	263692	1309	63.3	62.1

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
27.15	9	17	59148	2179	63.3

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Urkirchar 88	3275	11223	11409	64.2
Kadalpur 50	2558	8462	9724	59.9
Gahira 37	1309	4387	5245	60.5
Chikdair 18	2077	6444	6994	57.1
Dabua 25	5584	10285	10557	57.2
Noajispur 56	1620	5470	6425	59.4
Noa Para 63	3548	16190	17053	63.2
Paschim Guzara 94	3295	10647	11043	67.4
Pahartali 69	3815	8397	9161	69.5
Purba Guzara 31	3842	10496	12179	65.1
Bagoan 11	2724	9499	10149	64.8
Binajuri 12	2519	4458	4835	70.1
Raozan 75	4451	10537	10795	60.5
Haladia 44	11648	10214	11414	50.7

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.

Archaeological heritage and relics Jagannath Debaloy and the Gateway at Dabua, Koileswra Shiva Mandir and Shiva Statue at Dabua (19th century), Mohamuni Buddhist Temple at Pahartali, Chulamoni Buddhist Vihara at Lathichhari, Aburkhil Buddhist Vihara, Aryan Moitra Buddhist Vihara (sleeping statue), Isa Khan Dighi at Noajispur, Laskar Uzir Dighi at Kadalpur, Nabin Chandra Sen's residenceand Memorial Monument at Guzara and Noa Para, Jagatpur Asrama.

War of Liberation On 13 April 1971 the Pak army killed 48 innocent people at village Unsattarpara. They also conducted heavy plundering and set many houses of this village on fire. On the same day Saifuddin Khalid Chowdhury, Professor Dilip Kumar Chowdhury, Sheikh Muzzafar Ahmed, Abdur Rab and Younus were killed in a direct encounter with the Pak army at a place in front of the Chittagong Engineering College (presently CUET). In honour of the martyrs a memorial plaque has been installed at this spot. On 23 April the Pak army and the razakars brutally killed Principal Natun Chandra Singh in the premises of his Kundeshwari Aushadalaya. Besides, the Pak army indiscriminately shot 35 persons dead at Jagatmalla Para, Ward no. 4 of Raozan Paurasava. Mass killing sites have been discovered at three places (Unsattarpara, Jagatmallapara, Gahira-Shilapara) of the upazila; a memorial monument (with name plates of martyred freedom fighters) has been built at the municipality premises).

For details: see রাউজান উপজেলা, বাংলাদেশ মুক্তিযুদ্ধ জ্ঞানকোষ (Encyclopedia of Bangladesh War of Liberation), বাংলাদেশ এশিয়াটিক সোসাইটি, ঢাকা ২০২০, খণ্ড ৯।

Religious institutions Mosque 333, temple 118, tomb 5, sacred place 1. Noted religious institutions: Hazrat Yasin Shah Mazar, Hazrat Sikander Shah Mazar, Akbar Shah Mazar, Hazrat Abdul Aziz Naksh Bandi Mazar, Kaileshsar Shiva Mandir, Dabua Jagannath Mandir, Lathichhari Buddha Mandir, Mohamuni Buddha Mandir, Dabua Gita Ghan Mandir, Sultanpur Kali Mandir.

Literacy rate and educational institutions Average literacy 62.3%; male 62.8%, female 61.9%. Educational institutions: university 1, college 9, secondary school 59, primary school 168, community school 6, kindergarten 11, madrasa 21 maktab 355. Noted educational institutions: Chittagong University of Science and Technology (CUET, former Chittagong Engineering College established in 1968, renamed as Bangladesh Institute of Technology BIT in 1986), Ramgati Ramdhan Abdul Bari Chowdhury High School (1898), Raozan RRAC Model Pilot High School (1898), Koyepara Jagat Chandra Sen Agriculture and Industrial High School, Mohamuni Anglo Palli High School (1902), Noa Para High School (1904), Uttar Guzara Biswas Government Primary School (1811), Keotia Government Primary School (1820), Kadalpur Government Primary School (1850), Raozan Aryan Moittro Government Primary School (1851), Uttar Nabatara Government Primary School (1868),' Raozan Aryan Moittro Institution (1931), Kagtia Ashatul Ulam Fazil Madrasa (1932).

Newspapers and periodicals Monthly: Suprobhat Raozan; annul: Compus, Santaparna, Sambhaba; defunct monthly: Angikar, Shuktara; fortnightly: Raozan, Raozan Barta, Lumbini, Naba Samatat, Kallan, Bodhon, Agrasar Barta, Bodhi; quaterly: Abirbhab.

Cultural organisations Library 2, club 104, women organisation 29, playground 51.

Tourist spots Masterda Surja Sen's Bastuvita and Memorial Monument, Mohamuni Buddhist Temple, Jagatpur Ashrama, Nabin Chandra Sen's Bastuvita and Memorial Monument.

Main sources of income Agriculture 21.02%, non-agricultural labourer 3.23%, industry 0.40%, commerce 15.71%, transport and communication 3.39%, service 18.82%, construction 1.15%, religious service 0.49%, rent and remittance 12.83% and others 22.96%.

Ownership of agricultural land Landowner 46.86%, landless 53.14%; agricultural landowner: urban 44.06% and rural 47.40%.'

Main crops Paddy, wheat, potato, sugarcane, chilli, ground-nut, vegetables, mustard, sesame, pulse.

Extinct or nearly extinct crops Kaun, linseed, khesari.

Main fruits Mango, blackberry, jackfruit, papaya, litchi, banana, coconut, melon, guava, hog-plum, palm.

Fisheries, dairies and poultries Fishery 2652,' dairy 35, poultry 98, hatchery 4, fisheries breeding centre 1.

Communication facilities Pucca road 47 km, semi-pucca road 76 km, mud road 391 km; waterway 10 km.

Extinct or nearly extinct traditional transport Palanquin, horse carriage, bullock cart.

Noted manufactories Power station centre, rubber production centre, pharmaceutical industry.

Cottage industries Goldsmith, blacksmith, potteries, weaving, wood work, bamboo work.

Hats, bazars and fairs Hats and bazars are 26, fairs 8, most noted of which are Fakir Hat, Amir Hat, Jagannath Hat, Kagtia Hat, Gauri Shankar Hat, Natun Chowdhury Hat, Lambur Hat, Ramgati Hat, PK Sen Hat, Kala Chand Hat, Chaitra Samkranti Mela, Maghi Purnima Mela, Mahamuni Mela at Pahartali, Baruni Snan Mela at Raozan, Rath Mela, Gobinda Thakur Mela at Idilpur and Maha Porinirban Mela at Raozan.

Main exports Rubber, medicine.

Access to electricity All the wards and unions of the upazila are under rural electrification net-work. However 90.3% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 91.0%, tap 5.5% and others 3.5%.

Sanitation 83.9% of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 14.5% of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 1.6% of households do not have latrine facilities.

Health centres Upazila health complex 1, family planning centre 8, satellite clinic 3.

NGO activities Operationally important NGOs are brac, proshika, asa. [Partho Protim Dhar]

References Bangladesh Population Census 2001 and 2011, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Raozan Upazila 2007.