Figure 4. Maps of the survey area: Kutupalong mega-camp, Cox ’s Bazar District
GEOGRAPHIC SCOPE
This satellite image shows the population
density of the camps. Each white rectangle is
the roof of a Rohingya family’s shelter, made
from bamboo and tarpaulin. An average of
six people live in each shelter.
© Google 2020
Map data: SIO, NOAA, U.S. Navy, GEBCO
Map images: Maxar Technologies
US Dept of State Geographer
The mega-camp is adjacent to several host community villages, and its
easternmost edge sits less than two kilometers from the border that
separates Bangladesh from northern Rakhine State in Myanmar. The
border comprises land, river, and maritime sections, including the full
length of the Naf River and an area of the Bay of Bengal into which the
river flows.
Rohingya using temporary border passes once frequently crossed the river
to legally enter Bangladesh for medical, business, and religious purposes.
For many, these services were more readily accessible than those in
Rakhine State. But the border pass system has now been suspended, and
the river is less frequently crossed. While both legal and informal trade
continue, fewer boats can be seen nowadays. The empty waters of the
Naf are a reminder of the fragility that has come to define this frontier
separating South and Southeast Asia.
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