Chittagong Hill Districts

Chittagong Hill Districts, with an area of 6,882 square miles, occupy the eastern frontier of the division, and were separated from Chittagong in 1860. The hills, covered with dense jungle, are broken up by four great valleys formed by the Karaphuli, Sangu, Pheni, and Matamuri rivers, and are further intersected by ravines and watercourses. The chief hill tribes are the Chakmas, Tipperahs, Kumis, Khyengs, Bangis, Lushais or Kakis, and Shendus. They occasionally give great trouble to government, and are wild and uncivilised, though they contrive to float some amount of produce down the torrent streams to the coast. A large proportion of them are Buddhists, but many cling to local forms of superstition. The village of Rangamati is the capital of the district. Of late years European tea plantations have been established on some of the slopes.