Chittagong (/tʃɪtəɡɒŋ/), officially known as Chattogram, is a major coastal city and financial centre in southeastern Bangladesh. The city has a population of more than 2.5 million while the metropolitan area had a population of 4,009,423 in 2011, making it the second-largest city in the country. It is the capital of an eponymous District and Division. The city is located on the banks of the Karnaphuli River between the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the Bay of Bengal.

Chittagong plays a vital role in the Bangladeshi economy. The Port of Chittagong is the principal maritime gateway to the country. The port is the busiest international seaport on the Bay of Bengal and the third busiest in South Asia. The Chittagong Stock Exchange is one of the country’s two stock markets. Several Chittagong-based companies are among the largest industrial conglomerates and enterprises in Bangladesh. The port city is the largest base of the Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard; while the Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Air Force also maintain bases and contribute to the city’s economy. Chittagong is the headquarters of the Eastern Zone of the Bangladesh Railway, having historically been the headquarters of British India’s Assam Bengal Railway and East Pakistan’s Pakistan Eastern Railway. A controversial ship breaking industry on the outskirts of the city, which supplies local steel but causes pollution, has come under international scrutiny.

Chittagong is an ancient seaport due to its natural harbor. It was noted as one of the largest Eastern ports by the Roman geographer Ptolemy in the 1st century. The harbor has been a gateway through southeastern Bengal in the Indian subcontinent for centuries. Arab sailors and traders, who once explored the Bay of Bengal, set up a mercantile station in the harbor during the 9th century. During the 14th century, the port became a “mint town” of the Sultanate of Bengal, with the status of an administrative center.

During the 16th century, Portuguese historian João de Barros described Chittagong as “the most famous and wealthy city of the Kingdom of Bengal”. Portuguese Chittagong was the first European colonial settlement in Bengal. A naval battle in 1666 between the Mughal Empire and Arakan resulted in the expulsion of Portuguese pirates. British colonization began in 1760 when the Nawab of Bengal ceded Chittagong to the East India Company. During World War II, Chittagong was a base for Allied Forces engaged in the Burma Campaign. The port city began to expand and industrialize during the 1940s, particularly after the Partition of British India. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, Chittagong was site of the country’s declaration of independence.

Cox’s Bazar (Bengali: কক্সবাজার, pronounced [kɔksbadʒaɾ]) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre and district headquarters in southeastern Bangladesh. The beach in Cox’s Bazar is sandy and has a gentle slope; with an unbroken length of 120 km (75 mi),.[2][3][4] It is located 150 km (93 mi) south of the divisional headquarter of Chittagong. Cox’s Bazar is also known by the name Panowa, which translates literally as “yellow flower”. Another old name was “Palongkee”.

The modern Cox’s Bazar derives its name from Captain Hiram Cox, an officer of the British East India Company. Cox was appointed Superintendent of Palongkee outpost after Warren Hastings became Governor of Bengal. He embarked upon the task of rehabilitation and settlement of the Arakanese refugees in the area.[5] Captain Cox died in 1799 before he could finish his work. To commemorate his role in rehabilitation work, a market was established and named Cox’s Bazar after him. Unlike many locations in the Indian Subcontinent where place names dating from the colonial period have been changed, Cox’s name is still retained in the city he founded.

Today, Cox’s Bazar is one of the most visited tourist destinations in Bangladesh, although not a major international tourist destination. In 2013, the Bangladesh Government formed the Tourist Police unit to protect local and foreign tourists better, as well as to look after the nature and wildlife in the tourist spots of Cox’s Bazar.

Sylhet (Bengali: সিলেট), is a metropolitan city in northeastern Bangladesh. It is the administrative seat of Sylhet Division. The city is located on the right bank of the Surma River in northeastern Bengal. It has a subtropical climate and lush highland terrain. The city has a population of more than half a million. Sylhet is one of Bangladesh’s most important spiritual and cultural centres. It is one of the most important cities of Bangladesh, after Dhaka and Chittagong due to its importance to the country’s economy.

The name of Sylhet is the anglicized form of the ancient Indo-Aryan term Srihatta. In 1303, the Sultan of Bengal Shamsuddin Firoz Shah conquered Sylhet by defeating the local Hindu Raja. Ibn Battuta visited Sylhet in the 14th century and saw Bengali Muslims transforming the region into an agricultural basket. Sylhet was a mint town of the Bengal Sultanate. In the 16th-century, Sylhet was controlled by the Baro-Bhuyan zamindars and became a district of the Mughal Empire. British rule began in the 18th century under the administration of the East India Company. With its ancient seafaring tradition, Sylhet became a key source of lascars in the British Empire. The Sylhet municipal board was established in 1867.[8] Originally part of the Bengal Presidency and later Eastern Bengal and Assam; the town was part of Colonial Assam between 1874 and 1947, when following a referendum and the partition of British India, it became part of East Bengal. The Sylhet City Corporation was constituted in 2001. The Government of Bangladesh designated Sylhet a metropolitan area in 2009.

The hinterland of the Sylhet valley is the largest oil and gas-producing region in Bangladesh. It is also the largest hub of tea production in Bangladesh. It is notable for its high-quality cane and agarwood.[4][10] The city is served by the Osmani International Airport which is named after General M A G Osmani, the Commander of the Bangladesh Liberation Forces. People from Sylhet form a significant portion of the Bangladeshi diaspora, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as other countries in the Middle East.

Khulna (Bengali: খুলনা [ˈkʰulna]) is the third-largest city of Bangladesh.[5] It is the administrative seat of Khulna District and Khulna Division. As of the 2011 census, the city has a population of 663,342. The encompassing Khulna metro area had an estimated population of 1.022 million as of 2014.

Khulna is an old river port located on the Rupsha and Bhoirob river. It is an important hub of Bangladeshi industry and hosts many national companies. It is served by Port of Mongla, the second largest seaport in the country. It is also one of the two principal naval command centres of the Bangladesh Navy. Navy base BNS Titumir is located in the city.

A colonial steamboat service, including the fleet Tern, Osrich and Lepcha, continues to operate on the river route to the city. It is regarded as the gateway to the Sundarbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and home of the Bengal tiger. Khulna is also situated north of the Historic Mosque City of Bagerhat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Barisal, officially known as Barishal, (Bengali: বরিশাল pronounced [boɾiʃal]) is a major city that lies on the bank of Kirtankhola river in south-central Bangladesh. It is the largest city and the administrative headquarter of both Barisal district and Barisal Division. It is one of the oldest municipalities and river ports of the country. Barisal municipality was established in the year 1876 during the British Raj and upgraded to City Corporation on 25 July 2002. The city consists of 30 wards and 50 mahallas with a population of 328,278 according to the 2011 national census. The area of the city is 58 km².

Mymensingh (from Bodo, meaning “a place where rice are grown abundantly”) is the capital of Mymensingh Division of Bangladesh. The city is located on the Brahmaputra River, about 120 km (75 mi) north of Dhaka the capital of the country. Border area cover Himalayan state of India, Gazipur, Tangail, Jamalpur, Netrokona, Kishorganj. Mymensingh is the 8th administrative divisional headquarter and 12th City corporation of Bangladesh. According to Ministry of Public Administration, Mymensingh is ranked 4 in district status. It is a major financial center of North Central Bangladesh. it is the third largest city and fourth-most populous urban agglomeration in Bangladesh. The density of Mymensingh city is 44,458/km2 (115,150/sq mi) which is the second most densely populated city in Bangladesh. Mymensingh attracts 25 percent of health tourists visiting Bangladesh. Mymensingh is the anglicised pronunciation of the original name Momenshahi, referring to a ruler called Momen Shah. Its elevation is over 19 m above sea level, the highest of Bangladesh’s major cities. Mymensingh related with old Brahmaputra river, handcrafted duvet called Nakshikantha (Bengali: নকশীকাঁথা) and a rural ballad called Maimansingha Gitika

The cadet college established in Tangail in 1963 was called Momenshahi Cadet College. The city is known for educational institutions. Other landmark institutions include Mymensingh Army Cantonment, once the HQ of 19th Infantry Division and now the Headquarters of ARTDOC..

Bogra, officially known as Bogura, is a major city located in the Bogra District, Rajshahi Division, Bangladesh. It is major commercial hub. The Bogra bridge connects the Rajshahi Division and Rangpur Division. This city is also known as the capital of North Bengal (উত্তরবঙ্গ) of Bangladesh. Shatmatha is the heart of this city.

Bogra is named after Nasiruddin Bughra Khan, the Governor of Bengal from 1279 to 1282 and the son of Delhi Sultan Ghiyasuddin Balban.

The city is approximately 69.56 km2 (26.86 sq mi) and is divided into 21 wards. Bogra has a population of around 540,000 people. Since it is the oldest city in Bengal, Bogra is famous for its many ancient Buddhist stupas, Hindu temples, and ancient palaces of Buddhist kings and Muslim sultans. The cuisine of Bogra is famous for the diversity of its desserts and its famous Mishti doi.

The city has produced notable personalities including Prime Minister Muhammad Ali Bogra of Pakistan, President Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh, All were born or have lived in the city. The current mayor of the municipality is Abu Sufian Shafik from Awami League.

Kushtia (Bengali: কুষ্টিয়া জেলা, pronunciation: kuʃʈia) is a district in the Khulna administrative division of western Bangladesh. Kushtia has existed as a separate district since the partition of India. Prior to that, Kushtia was a part of Nadia District under Bengal Province of British India. Kushtia was the ancestral land of many famous people including Rabindranath Tagore, Lalon Fakir, S.I. Tutul etc.

Comilla, officially known as Cumilla, is a city in the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh, located along the Dhaka-Chittagong Highway. It is the administrative centre of the Comilla District, part of the Chittagong Division. Comilla is the second-largest city of eastern Bangladesh after Chittagong and is one of the three oldest cities in Bangladesh.