Before the exodus
Kutupalong is the largest official refugee camp in the Cox’s Bazar area. It was home to 13,901 refugees before the latest surge. Another 99,705 people lived in two nearby makeshift camps. In this satellite image, taken May 26, the green, hilly areas around the camps are relatively unoccupied.
Three months later
By Nov 8, 598,035 people are living in a contiguous area that includes the new Kutupalong and Balukhali extension sites and unofficial camps to the south. The green areas in the previous image are now muddy hills and fields crowded with tents and shelters. This sprawling informal settlement would dwarf the Bidi Bidi camp in Uganda, considered the world’s largest refugee camp with 272,000 people.