Rakhine State

Rakhine State , formerly Arakan , state (1983 pop. 2,045,891), 14,194 sq mi (36,762 sq km), W Myanmar, extending along the Bay of Bengal. It lies at the foot of the Arakan Yoma mountain range, which rises to 10,050 ft (3,063 m) at Victoria Peak. The capital is Sittwe . The Arakanese, or Rakhine, who are of Burmese stock with strong Indian influences, are mostly engaged in intensive rice cultivation. The Rohingya, a Muslim people who speak a Bengali dialect, form a large minority, but are not recognized Myanmarese ethnic nationality by the national government; they have suffered much persecution. The region, which is geographically isolated, was the seat of a powerful kingdom (after the 15th cent.), famous for a colossal image of Buddha. At various times under Burmese rule, it finally was absorbed into Burma (now Myanmar) in 1783; it was the first Burmese territory ceded (1826) to the British after the first Anglo-Burmese War. In the 1950s there was a movement for secession from Myanmar.

Arakan (Rakhine), Burma Argyre, Rachani, Raksapura A coastal state named after the Rakhine people. Argyre ‘Land of Silver’ was the name given by Ptolemy^† while the Portuguese called it Rachani. The conventional English name is the Portuguese/Bengali version of the Arakanese name which can also be Yakhine. The Sanskrit Raksapura meant the ‘Land of the Ogres’, possibly named after the original inhabitants, the Bilu, which in Burmese means ‘ogre’. The early Buddhists gave this name to the unconverted tribes with whom they came in contact.