Raozan Upazila

Raozan Upazila (chittagong district) area 246.58 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 325389; male 163963, female 161426; Muslim 241250, Hindu 59498, Buddhist 226, Christian 24188 and others 227. 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	64	66	55874	269515	1320	68.1	63.3

Municipality
Area (sq km)	Ward	Mahalla	Population	Density (per sq km)	Literacy rate (%)
27.15	09	17	55874	2058	68.1

Union
Name of union and GO code	Area (acre)	Population		Literacy rate (%)
		Male	Female
Urkirchar 88	1395	11305	10980	67.59
Kadalpur 50	3760	8840	9775	57.83
Gahira 37	3496	4844	5123	62.35
Chikdair 18	2078	7368	7381	59.06
Dabua 25	5584	10012	9644	55.43
Noajispur 56	1620	6395	6336	70.75
Noa Para 63	3549	17547	17083	61.82
Paschim Guzara 94	2496	9407	9730	68.18
Pahartali 69	3815	12040	10303	69.92
Purba Guzara 31	6714	10726	11256	70.29
Bagoan 11	2723	11086	10802	62.04
Binajuri 12	2519	4746	5003	68.29
Raozan 75	6156	10577	10739	62.78
Haladia 44	11648	10024	10443	52.06

Source Bangladesh Population Census 2001, 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.

History of the 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 Kundeswari Aushadhalaya. Besides, the Pak army indiscriminately shot 35 persons dead at Jagatmalla Para, Ward no. 4 of Raozan Paurasabha.

Marks of the War of Liberation Mass killing site 3 (Unsattarpara, Jagatmallapara, Gahira-Shilapara); memorial monument 1 (Name plates of martyr freedom fighters at the municipality premises).

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 64.1%; male 67%, female 61.3%. 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 42 km, semi-pucca road 65 km, mud road 391 km; waterway 5.40 nautical miles.

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 72.85% of the dwelling households have access to electricity.

Sources of drinking water Tube-well 90.3%, tap 0.95%, pond 3.19% and others 5.57%.

Sanitation 49.40% (rural 46.92% and urban 62.21%) of dwelling households of the upazila use sanitary latrines and 40.57% (rural 42.68% and urban 29.67%) of dwelling households use non-sanitary latrines; 10.03% 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, Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics; Cultural survey report of Raozan Upazila 2007.