Teknaf (Bengali: টেকনাফ Ṭeknaf) is an upazila of Cox's Bazar District in the Division of Chittagong, Bangladesh. It forms the southernmost point in mainland Bangladesh (St. Martin's Island is the southernmost point). The name of the region comes from the Naf River which forms the Eastern boundary of the upazila. It shares a border with Myanmar, opposite the town of Maungdaw.

Teknaf
টেকনাফ
View of the Launch Terminal of Teknaf Bangladesh
View of the Launch Terminal of Teknaf Bangladesh
Location of Teknaf
Coordinates: 20°52′N 92°18′E / 20.867°N 92.300°E / 20.867; 92.300
Country Bangladesh
DivisionChittagong
DistrictCox's Bazar
Area
 • Total
388.66 km2 (150.06 sq mi)
Population
 • Total
333,865
 • Density860/km2 (2,200/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+6 (BST)
Postal code
4760[2]
Websiteteknaf.coxsbazar.gov.bd
Teknaf port

Geography

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Teknaf is located at 20°52′00″N 92°18′00″E / 20.8667°N 92.3000°E / 20.8667; 92.3000. It has 23,675 households and a total area of 388.66 km2. The tidal range at the Teknaf coastal area is strongly influenced by the Naaf river estuary. The area has a warm tropical climate and sufficient rainfall to enable it to support a wide biological diversity.

 
Sea Birds of Teknaf

Teknaf Peninsula is one of the longest sandy beach ecosystems (80 km) in the world. It represents a transitional ground for the fauna of the Indo-Himalayan and Indo-Malayan ecological sub-regions. Important habitats at the site include mangrove, mudflats, beaches and sand dunes, canals and lagoons and marine habitat. Mangrove forest occurs in Teknaf peninsula both as natural forest with planted stands and mostly distributed in the inter-tidal zone. The Teknaf peninsula mangroves support the habitat of 161 different species of fish.[3] Teknaf reserved forest is one of the oldest reserved forests in Bangladesh.[4]

Climate

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Teknaf has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) with warm, dry winters and warm, extremely rainy summers.

Climate data for Teknaf (1991–2020, extremes 1976-present)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.2
(90.0)
36.2
(97.2)
38.0
(100.4)
38.0
(100.4)
36.2
(97.2)
37.2
(99.0)
33.6
(92.5)
34.2
(93.6)
35.2
(95.4)
35.8
(96.4)
34.8
(94.6)
33.5
(92.3)
38.0
(100.4)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 27.4
(81.3)
29.3
(84.7)
31.2
(88.2)
32.3
(90.1)
32.5
(90.5)
30.9
(87.6)
30.1
(86.2)
30.3
(86.5)
31.0
(87.8)
31.6
(88.9)
30.5
(86.9)
28.2
(82.8)
30.4
(86.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 20.7
(69.3)
22.8
(73.0)
25.8
(78.4)
28.1
(82.6)
28.8
(83.8)
28.0
(82.4)
27.4
(81.3)
27.5
(81.5)
27.8
(82.0)
27.6
(81.7)
25.2
(77.4)
21.9
(71.4)
26.0
(78.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 14.7
(58.5)
16.7
(62.1)
20.7
(69.3)
24.1
(75.4)
25.5
(77.9)
25.6
(78.1)
25.3
(77.5)
25.3
(77.5)
25.3
(77.5)
24.6
(76.3)
21.0
(69.8)
16.6
(61.9)
22.1
(71.8)
Record low °C (°F) 9.5
(49.1)
10.0
(50.0)
13.5
(56.3)
16.2
(61.2)
17.7
(63.9)
21.2
(70.2)
22.0
(71.6)
19.0
(66.2)
21.5
(70.7)
19.4
(66.9)
14.5
(58.1)
11.5
(52.7)
9.5
(49.1)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 6
(0.2)
11
(0.4)
21
(0.8)
55
(2.2)
321
(12.6)
970
(38.2)
1,215
(47.8)
932
(36.7)
496
(19.5)
289
(11.4)
54
(2.1)
12
(0.5)
4,386
(172.7)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 1 1 1 4 13 22 26 26 18 10 3 1 126
Average relative humidity (%) 69 68 73 77 81 88 90 89 87 83 77 71 79
Mean monthly sunshine hours 275.5 259.4 270.2 264.1 234.5 152.8 145.5 150.3 174.9 239.4 253.8 269.2 2,689.6
Source 1: NOAA[5]
Source 2: Bangladesh Meteorological Department (humidity 1981–2010)[6][7]

Demographics

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Religions in Teknaf Upazila (2022)[1]
Religion Percent
Islam
97.48%
Buddhism
1.34%
Hinduism
1.15%
Other or not stated
0.03%

As of the 2022 Bangladeshi census, Teknaf Upazila had 66,597 households and a population of 333,865. The literacy rate (age 7 and over) was 64.4% and the sex ratio was 102.6 females per 100 males. 208,911 (62.6%) of the population lived in urban areas. The ethnic population was 4010 (1.2%), of whom 2337 were Chakma, 992 Rakhine and 467 Tanchangya.[8]

According to the 1991 Bangladesh census, Teknaf had a population of 152,557. Males constituted 51.81% of the population, and females 48.19%. The population aged 18 or over was 64,417. Teknaf had an average literacy rate of 16.6% (7+ years), against the national average of 32.4%.[9]

Administration

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Teknaf Upazila is divided into Teknaf Municipality and six union parishads: Baharchara, Hnila, Sabrang, Saint Martin, Teknaf, and Whykong. The union parishads are subdivided into 12 mauzas and 146 villages.[10]

Teknaf Municipality is subdivided into 9 wards and 16 mahallas.[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Population and Housing Census 2022 - District Report: Cox’s Bazar (PDF). District Series. Dhaka: Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. June 2024. ISBN 978-984-475-266-5.
  2. ^ "Bangladesh Postal Code". Dhaka: Bangladesh Postal Department under the Department of Posts and Telecommunications of the Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. 20 October 2024.
  3. ^ Chowdhury, N. Shah Nawaz; Hossain, M. Shahadat; Das, Nani Gopal; Barua, Prabal (2010-09-25). "Environmental variables and fisheries diversity of the Naaf River Estuary, Bangladesh" (PDF). Journal of Coastal Conservation. 15 (1): 163–180. doi:10.1007/s11852-010-0130-3. Retrieved 2011-01-01.
  4. ^ "Teknef forest".
  5. ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991-2020 — Teknaf". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved June 16, 2024.
  6. ^ "Climate of Bangladesh" (PDF). Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 24 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Normal Monthly Humidity". Bangladesh Meteorological Department. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  8. ^ Population and Housing Census 2022: District Report: Cox's Bazar (PDF). Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics. June 2024. pp. 49, 57, 112, 261. ISBN 978-984-475-266-5.
  9. ^ "Population Census Wing, BBS". Archived from the original on 2005-03-27. Retrieved November 10, 2006.
  10. ^ a b "Bangladesh Population and Housing Census 2011 Zila Report – Cox's Bazar" (PDF). bbs.gov.bd. Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
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