Chittagong Hill Tracts

Chittagong Hill Tracts
Name	Chittagong Hill Tracts
Settlement type	Region
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name	Bangladesh
Subdivision type1	Division
Subdivision name1	Chattogram Division
Area total km2	13,295
Population total	1,600,000
Population as of	2011
Seat type	Headquarters
Seat	Rangamati
Blank name sec1	Districts
Blank info sec1	Rangamati District, Khagrachari District, Bandarban District

Chittagong Hill Tracts is a hilly, forested region in southeastern Bangladesh bordering India and Myanmar. The region comprises three administrative districts—Rangamati District, Khagrachari District, and Bandarban District—and contains diverse indigenous populations, complex colonial legacies, and biodiverse landscapes including important rivers, reservoirs, and protected areas such as Kaptai Lake, Sangu River, and Sita Chura hills.

Geography

The region lies within the Chittagong Hill Tracts (disputed term restricted by instructions), occupying the southeastern frontier adjacent to Tripura, Mizoram, and Rakhine State. Major topographic features include the Chittagong Hill Range, intermontane valleys, and the artificial Kaptai Lake formed by the Kaptai Dam. Rivers such as the Sangu River, Matamuhuri River, and tributaries feed lowland floodplains near Cox's Bazar and Chattogram. Notable high points include hills near Keokradong and Tahjindong while important transport corridors link to the port city of Chattogram and to border crossings near Rangamati Hill District.

History

The hill region hosted indigenous polities before colonial contact, with precolonial interactions recorded with Arakan and Mughal Empire frontier dynamics. During the British Raj, the area was administered under special regulations including the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regulation, 1900 implemented by British India authorities and influenced by colonial officers like Sir Charles Bruce and Sir John Anderson (colonial administrator). After the partition that produced Pakistan in 1947, the region became part of East Pakistan and later Bangladesh in 1971 following the Bangladesh Liberation War. Post-independence developments included the construction of the Kaptai Dam by Pakistan era planners and later contested settlement policies, leading to armed insurgency by groups such as the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti and its armed wing, the Shanti Bahini. The 1997 peace process culminated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, 1997, negotiated under the administration of Sheikh Hasina and signed by representatives including Manabendra Narayan Larma proxies and government ministers.

Demographics and Ethnic Groups

The population includes multiple indigenous communities categorized as Chakma people, Marma people, Tripura people, Mro people, Bawm people, Pankho people, Khyang people, and Tanchangya people, alongside Bengali settlers from Bengal and migrants linked to national resettlement schemes. Religious affiliations span Buddhism among Chakma and Marma, Christianity among several hill tribes influenced by missionaries from organisations such as the American Baptist Missionary Union and Roman Catholic Church, and Islam among Bengali settlers. Prominent indigenous leaders included figures associated with the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samiti and activists who have engaged with the United Nations and regional NGOs.

Economy and Infrastructure

Traditional livelihoods center on shifting cultivation (jhum) practiced by communities such as the Chakma people and Marma people, supplemented by settled agriculture, handicrafts, and small-scale timber extraction linked to markets in Chattogram and Cox's Bazar. Key infrastructure projects include the Kaptai Dam hydroelectric facility operated by Bangladesh Power Development Board and road connections built under national programs linking to highways like the Dhaka–Chittagong Highway. Development initiatives by agencies such as Asian Development Bank, UNDP, and BRAC have funded rural development, while controversies persist over land rights, displacement from reservoir projects, and resource allocation involving ministries such as the Ministry of Water Resources.

Culture and Languages

Cultural life reflects indigenous traditions displayed in festivals, textiles, and oral epics among groups like the Chakma people and Marma people; notable festivals include Bishu and Buddhist observances connected to monasteries affiliated with the Theravada tradition. Languages spoken include Chakma language (an Indo-Aryan language using the Chakma script), Marma language (a Tibeto-Burman language), Tripura language (also called Kokborok), and regional varieties of Bengali language among settlers. Cultural transmission has been influenced by interactions with missionaries from American Baptist Mission, educational initiatives by institutions such as Rangamati Government College, and media outlets based in Chattogram.

Administration and Governance

Administratively the region is divided into the three districts Rangamati District, Khagrachari District, and Bandarban District within Chattogram Division, each with district commissioners and local councils. The 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Accord, 1997 established bodies like the Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional Council and district councils intended to provide devolved powers; implementation has involved ministries and legal instruments debated in the Jatiya Sangsad (Parliament). Law enforcement and security operations have historically included forces such as the Bangladesh Army and paramilitary units, while civil society organisations including Ain o Salish Kendra and International Centre for Ethnic Studies have advocated for indigenous rights.

Environment and Conservation

The hill forests host biodiversity including teak stands, wildlife documented by researchers from Bangladesh National Herbarium and conservationists associated with IUCN and World Wide Fund for Nature. Protected areas and reserves address threats from deforestation, landslides, and riverbank erosion exacerbated after construction of the Kaptai Dam; species conservation efforts reference fauna recorded in adjacent ecoregions such as Lower Gangetic Plains moist deciduous forests and Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot. Environmental NGOs like Bangladesh Environment Network and international partners have supported reforestation, community forestry, and sustainable livelihood programs while disputes over logging, mining, and hydropower continue to involve courts and advocacy groups.

Category:Regions of Bangladesh