Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT)
Introduction
The region of the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is situated in
the southeastern corner of Bangladesh. It shares a common international
border with the States of Tripura and Mizoram of India to its north
and northeast, and the Arakan Hills of Myanmar to the east. To
its west, it is encircled by the district of Chittagong. It covers
an area of 13,190.87 square kilometers (5,093 square miles), about
one tenth of the landmass of the country. It is situated between
21º 25' and 23º 45' north latitude, and between 91º 45'
and 92º 50' east longitude.
The terrain in the CHT is part of the great hill mass - an offshoot
of the Himalayan range - occupying parts of India, Myanmar, and
Bangladesh. The hills inside Bangladesh rise up to a maximum of
4,000 feet, with the ranges running generally northwest to southeast
and dividing the area into a number of large valleys. The valleys
are covered for the most part with dense virgin forest, interspersed
with small waterways and swamps. The districts comprise seven valleys
formed by the Feni, Karnafuli, Chengi, Myani, Kassalong, Sangu,
and Matamuhuri rivers. There are numerous hills, ravines, and cliffs
covered with dense vegetation. Geographically the CHT can be divided
into two broad ecological zones: hilly valleys and agricultural
plains. The CHT is a unique territory within Bangladesh with hills
in stark contrast to the alluvial, monsoon-flooded plains of the
rest of Bangladesh.
For the sake of convenience of general administration, the region
has been partitioned in recent years into three separate administrative
units (districts), namely Khagrachari Hill Tracts, Rangamati Hill
Tracts and Bandarban Hill Tracts.
The region is basically hilly and mountainous and its indigenous
inhabitants belong to different groups who have distinct lifestyles
different from the majority of the population. They possess different
languages and different cultural heritage that have evolved over
hundreds of years.
Indigenous People and Their
Culture »
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