Cox's Bazar Beach

Cox's Bazar Beach (Bengali: কক্সবাজার সমুদ্র সৈকত), located at Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, is the longest natural sea beach in the world running 120 kilometres (75 mi)[1][2][3][4][5] and 5th longest beach after Praia do Cassino of Brazil, Padre Island on the US Gulf Coast, Eighty Mile Beach in Western Australia, and Ninety Mile Beach of Australia. It is the top tourist destination of Bangladesh.[6][7]

Panoramic view of Cox's Bazar sea beach
For other uses, see Cox's Bazar (disambiguation).

Cox's Bazar
Beach
Sunset from the beach
Sunset from the beach
Cox's Bazar Beach is located in Chittagong division
Cox's Bazar Beach
Cox's Bazar Beach
Cox's Bazar Beach is located in Bangladesh
Cox's Bazar Beach
Cox's Bazar Beach
Coordinates: 21.4143°N 91.9832°E / 21.4143; 91.9832
LocationCox's Bazar, Bangladesh
Offshore water bodiesBay of Bengal
Dimensions
 • Length120 km

Geography

At high tide, the beach is 200 metres (660 ft) wide, and at low tide, it is 400 metres (1,300 ft) wide on average.[7] Quicksand is a danger during ebb tide.[8]

History
Main article: Cox's Bazar

From the early 9th century, the greater Chittagong area including Cox's Bazar was under the rule of Arakan kings until its conquest by the Mughals in 1666 AD. When the Mughal Prince 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 palanquins stopped there for some time. A place named 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.

The name Cox's Bazar originated from the name of a British East India Company officer, Captain 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 British East India Company Act in 1773. Cox embarked upon the task of rehabilitation and settlement of the Arakanese refugees in the area.[9] 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.

Just after the end of British rule in 1947, Cox's Bazar became part of East Pakistan. 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 tsunamis. 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 Mumbai and Karachi, and was a resort pioneer in developing Cox's Bazar as a tourist destination. Karim established a maternity hospital, a stadium and a sewer system by procuring grants from the Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation through correspondence. T. H. Matthews, the principal of the Dhaka Engineering College, 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.

Parts of the beach

Kolatoli Point
Kolatoli Point during the day

Kolatoli Point (Bengali: কলাতলী পয়েন্ট) is an important part of Cox's Bazar beach[10] situated near Dolphine Intersection of the city of Cox's Bazar. Many hotels and restaurants reside in this area. Buses stop near this point. Before government restrictions, bus stations werer in the beach area of Kolatoli. Now all buses stop near Dolphine Moor. Sayeman Beach Resort is located on the shores of this stretch of beach.

Sugandha Point

Sugandha Point (Bengali: সুগন্ধা পয়েন্ট) is situated from the north of Kolatoli point. There is a Burmese Market that is famous in Cox's Bazar.[11] There were sea food restaurants but they were later demolished by the government.[12] It also has a Fly Dining restaurant.[13]

Laboni Point
Horseback riding at Laboni Point

Laboni Point (Bengali: লাবনী পয়েন্ট) is another famous part of the beach.[10] People mainly gather mostly here. This part is best for horseback riding, speed-boat riding, etc.[14]

Darianagar Beach

Darianagar (Bengali: দরিয়ানগর সৈকত) is situated near Himchhori waterfall and hill track. It is a beach with waterways flowing through it. Darianagar is well known for parasailing too.[15]

Inani Beach
Further information: Inani Beach
Inani Beach

Inani Beach (Bengali: ইনানী সৈকত) is an 18-kilometre-long (11 mi) sea beach in Ukhia Upazila of Cox's Bazar District, Bangladesh.[16][17] It has a lot of coral stones, which are very sharp. These coral stones look black and green, and they are found in summer or rainy seasons.[18] Patuartek Beach is situated nearby.[19]

Teknaf Section
Main article: Teknaf Beach
Teknaf Sea Beach

Teknaf Beach (Bengali: টেকনাফ সৈকত) situated in Teknaf Upazila of Cox's Bazar district.[20] This is unlike the main part of the beach. Teknaf Beach has more wildlife than the main beach and surrounded by Teknaf Peninsula's mangroves.[21] This section is divided by many beaches. Other beaches of the section are:[22][23]

Tourism

According to a survey of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in December 2021, each year 17% of the citizens of the country visit Cox's Bazar, which is about 3 million.[26] However, the number of trips to Cox's Bazar beach is declining due to various issues.[27]

Controversy

In 2021, an area of Cox's Bazar beach was declared a women-only zone, but the government reversed the decision after controversy.[28]

  • Aerial view of Cox's Bazar Beach
    Aerial view of Cox's Bazar Beach
  • Sunset in the beach area
    Sunset in the beach area
  • Cox's Bazar in daylight
    Cox's Bazar in daylight
  • People at Cox's Bazar
    People at Cox's Bazar
  • Sea Beach Area
    Sea Beach Area
  • Cox's Bazar Beach
    Cox's Bazar Beach

See also

References
  1. Ethirajan, Anbarasan (26 December 2012). "Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar: A paradise being lost?". BBC World. Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2015.
  2. "Bangladesh: Tourism". The Europa World Year Book. Taylor & Francis. 2003. p. 679. ISBN 978-1-85743-227-5. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  3. "Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - the World's Longest Beach 120km". Archived from the original on 24 June 2012. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  4. "World's longest beach hidden in Bangladesh". The Sydney Morning Herald. Reuters. 31 January 2007. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 10 January 2008.
  5. IMF Country Report 05/410 Bangladesh: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper. International Monetary Fund. 23 December 2005. p. 116. ISBN 978-1-4527-0752-5. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  6. Ajit K. Danda, Asia, Land and People, page 120, Asiatic Society (Kolkata), 2003, ISBN 9788172361402
  7. Mariam Whyte and Jui Lin Yong, Bangladesh, page 136, Marshall Cavendish, 2010, ISBN 9780761444756
  8. "43 died in Cox's Bazar sea beach in 13 years: 5-km beach net likely". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 17 March 2010. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2015.
  9. Nandita Haksar (2009). Rogue Agent: How India's Military Intelligence Betrayed the Burmese Resistance. Penguin Books India. pp. 55–56. ISBN 978-0-14-306489-3. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  10. Shahnaz Parveen (17 August 2020). "করোনা ভাইরাস: মাস্ক ছাড়া কক্সবাজার সৈকতে বেড়ানো ও হোটেলে চেক-ইন হবে না". BBC News Bangla (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  11. Waresi, Susan (26 April 2020). "Make your beach trip more exciting with Burmese market". Teenagers BD. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  12. "Court orders removal of 52-establishments at Sugandha Point". TBS News. Archived from the original on 30 November 2020. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  13. "Bangladesh's first sky dining launched at Cox's Bazar". The Business Standard. 1 December 2021. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  14. Rahman, Osama (4 November 2014). "COX'S BAZAR to-do list". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  15. Auronee, Dyuty. "Water sports at Cox's Bazar". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  16. Chowdhury, Towhid Hossain (2012). "Ukhia Upazila". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh. Archived from the original on 8 June 2019. Retrieved 22 November 2020.
  17. "The Longest Walk begins in Cox's Bazar". Dhaka Tribune. 18 March 2017. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  18. "A luxury resort opens in Cox's Bazar". The Daily Star. 12 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 April 2017. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  19. Humayun Kabir Jushan (27 September 2020). "পর্যটকদের হাতছানি দিয়ে ডাকছে উখিয়ায় পাথুরে গাথা পাটুয়ারটেক". Naya Diganta (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  20. "Meet Bangladesh". The Daily Star. 14 February 2020. Archived from the original on 26 November 2021. Retrieved 18 January 2021.
  21. "Teknaf Peninsula: Ecosystem beach". The Asian Age. 6 July 2019. Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  22. "আমার দেখা 'অচেনা' কিছু সমুদ্র সৈকত". Deutsche Welle (in Bengali). 2 December 2017. Archived from the original on 12 January 2018.
  23. Mamun, Mustafiz (2 June 2017). "সাগর ছোঁয়া ৮০ কিলোমিটার". bdnews24.com (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 27 May 2022. Retrieved 27 May 2022.
  24. Ahmed, Farukh (24 September 2019). "নীল নির্জনে". Prothom Alo (in Bengali). Archived from the original on 6 March 2022. Retrieved 6 March 2022.
  25. "Dead dolphin found on Teknaf beach". The Business Standard. 22 June 2020. Archived from the original on 1 December 2021. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
  26. Helal Uddin Ahmed (7 February 2022). "Need for holistic growth of Cox's Bazar". The Financial Express. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  27. Ali, Suman (8 January 2022). "কক্সবাজারে পর্যটক কমতেই থাকবে?". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
  28. "Bangladesh: Women-only beach scrapped after social media outcry". BBC News. 31 December 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2022.
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