Hakha

Hakha is the capital of Chin State in Burma.It is located in the north-east in Chin State. The vernacular name of the city was Halkha. The total area of Hakha is about 12.50mi2. The town of Hakha is more than 1,800 meters (6,000 feet) above the sea level, founded on a small highland plateau, and although it is relatively small in land area, it is the largest town and capital city of the whole state and its plateau is significantly larger than that of other towns in Chin State. It is estimated that Hakha has enough land and full capacity to extend as much as ten times than its current township area. As Chin State is quite hilly, Hakha is built on the slope of a large mountain, in a U shape. There is only one main road running along the middle of the city, in a curve U, and the whole city is built along this road. Another road runs from the middle of the city, for a short while, forming the foot of U. Hakha is in the center of Chin State and it is connected with Thantlang, Falam, Gangaw and Matupi by truck roads.HistoryHakha was founded around A.D. 1400 by the Lai ethnic group. The area was ruled by local chiefs for many generations and it consisted of more than 600 houses when the British troops arrived in Hakha in 1889.The British occupied Hakha on January 19, 1890, as part of their operation to "subdue the wild tribes" in the Arakan Hills Division, as the area was then called. The British government later established a sub-divisional office and Hakha became a town a few years later.