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Bastia is primarily a port city so the sea has a predominant place in the spatial organization of the city. Nowadays Bastia has three different ports. The Old Port: located in a narrow cove that offers good protection against the Mediterranean weather.
Looming above the harbour, Bastia’s stern-walled citadel was built between the 15th and 17th centuries for the city’s Genoese masters. Known as the Terra Nova, despite looking much older than the lower town, it’s largely residential and uncommercialised.
- Overview
- History
- The contemporary city
Chittagong, city that is the chief Indian Ocean port of Bangladesh. It lies about 12 miles (19 km) north of the mouth of the Karnaphuli River, in the southeastern arm of the country. Chittagong is the second largest city in Bangladesh, after Dhaka. Pop. (2001) city, 2,023,489; metro. area, 3,265,451; (2011) city, 2,592,439; metro. area, 4,009,423.
Chittagong’s fine natural harbour was known to the Mediterranean world from the early Common Era and to Arab sailors by the 10th century. It was called Porto Grande by Portuguese and Venetian voyagers and was described by João de Barros in 1552 as “the most famous and wealthy city of the Kingdom of Bengal.” It has been generally identified with the city of Bengala described by early Portuguese and other writers. Conquered by the Muslims in the 14th century, Chittagong passed to the Arakanese in the next century. The piratical raids of the Arakanese and their Portuguese mercenaries led to the dispatch of a strong force by Shaista Khan, the Mughal governor (nawab) of Bengal, who in 1666 occupied the region. Chittagong was ceded to the British East India Company in 1760.
Chittagong was constituted a municipality in 1864 and grew in different directions along the main routes of transportation. Although the headquarters of the Bangladesh Railway are in Chittagong and the railway workshop is in the nearby town of Pahartali, the port remained the centre of city life and trade. After the creation of Pakistan in 1947, much trade was diverted to Chittagong from Calcutta (now Kolkata, India), and the port was improved considerably. With well-equipped facilities and numerous permanent jetties and moorings, the port became the gateway of Bangladesh for foreign trade.
Present-day Chittagong was developed according to a series of master plans, which included the construction of various buildings and two sizable markets (covering an area of about 700,000 square feet [65,000 square metres]). Cotton and jute milling, tea and match manufacturing, chemical production, and engineering works are among the principal industries. Along with jute and jute manufactures, tea and naphtha are among the city’s principal exports. An iron and steel mill and a large oil refinery also are located in the city, and a large-capacity pipeline links the oil refinery with an offshore terminal.
Chittagong is a major communications centre. It is linked by rail and road with Dhaka, Comilla, and Feni (all to the northeast) and by air with Dhaka, Cox’s Bazar (to the southwest), and several international destinations, including Kolkata, Muscat (in Oman), and Dubai (in the United Arab Emirates). Among the most important industrial cities in Bangladesh, Chittagong has various manufacturing establishments that extend about 10 miles (16 km) to the north and northeast from the city proper. The city also has an export-processing zone as well as branch offices of many foreign firms and banks.
Chittagong has several hospitals, an ethnological museum, and many institutions of higher education, of which the University of Chittagong (1966) and Chittagong University of Engineering and Technology (1968) are the most prominent. Nearby are a cadet college (at Faujdar Hat) and a merchant-marine academy. The Zia Memorial Museum (established 1993) preserves the location where Bangladeshi leader Ziaur Rahman was assassinated in 1981.
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The area surrounding Chittagong is heavily populated and comprises a narrow strip of coast along the Bay of Bengal and ranges of low hills separated by fertile valleys. The climate is moist, warm, and equable, with a heavy rainfall amounting to more than 100 inches (2,540 mm) annually, falling mainly during the summer monsoons. The area’s chief rivers are the Karnaphuli, Feni, Halda, Sangu, and Matamuhari. The higher parts of the Chittagong Hills are forested, while the lower portions are covered predominantly with brushwood. Between the hills lie cultivated valleys that were originally filled by deposits of sand and clay washed down from the hills. Rice is the most important crop; tea is grown on low hills that are unfit for rice cultivation. Chilies and vegetables are also grown, and cane and bamboo are economically valuable forest products.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
Bastia is a modern port city, and since 1976 it has been the capital of the département of Haute-Corse. Bastia manufactures cigarettes, cigars, and preserves, and its exports include the celebrated wines of Cape Corse.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
- Stroll through the citadel district. Why visit the citadel district? The citadel district is a must-see in Bastia! This is where you’ll find the fortifications built by the Genoese in the 14th century.
- Visit Sainte-Marie Cathedral. Why visit Sainte-Marie Cathedral? Located in the heart of the citadel district, Sainte-Marie Cathedral dates back to the 17th century.
- Visit the Palace of the Governors. Why visit the Palais des Gouverneurs? You won’t want to miss the Palais des Gouverneurs! We were stunned by its facade, which unfurls masterfully across the Place du Donjon.
- Stroll through the Romieu garden. Why stroll through the Romieu garden? The Romieu garden was created in the 19th century, making it Bastia’s first public garden.
Bastia is a commercial port town (the most important on Corsica) found to the north-east of the island. It is in an impressive location with the hills and Cap Corse behind the town. The town is now officially classified as a 'Town of Art and History' in France.
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Chittagong is often called Bangladesh's commercial capital due to its diversified industrial base and seaport. The port city has ambitions to develop as a global financial center and regional transshipment hub, given its proximity to North East India, Burma, Nepal, Bhutan and Southwest China. [102] [103]
