Arákan (Arakán; also spelt Aracan and Arracan), long the most northerly division of British Burmah, is a narrow strip of territory on the Bay of Bengal, between Pegu and Chittagong in Lower Bengal. Its length is about 400 miles, while its breadth varies from 90 miles in the north to about 15. The area is 14,526 sq. m. A range of mountains, nearly parallel with the line of coast, the highest point 7000 feet above the sea-level, separates Arakan from Pegu and Upper Burmah. The soil of the northern portion of Arakan is alluvial; but the country is hilly, difficult of access, and covered with forest. The province is divided into four districts—Akyab, Sadoway, Kyouk-Pyou, and North Arakan, or the Hill Tracts. At its annexation in 1826, the population was only about 100,000; in 1831, it was 173,000; in 1839, it had increased to 248,000; in 1872, 483,363; in 1881, 587,518; and in 1891, 671,899. With these results the state of trade fully corresponds. Rice is the chief article of exportation; the others are cotton, tobacco, sugar, hemp, indigo, betel-nuts, and timber, especially teak. The imports consist mainly of British manufactures.
The native princes of Arakan, whose history is traced back to the 8th century, once ruled over a much wider area. The old capital, Arakan, now called Mro-houng ('old town'), is situated 50 miles from the sea, in a very unhealthy district. It was the capital of a kingdom for 350 years, and its massive ruins of forts and walls still point to its former greatness. But its population now is hardly more than 2000 souls. The modern capital of the province is Akyab (q.v.). The Arakanese belong to the Burman stock, and are Buddhists, though there are a few immigrant Mohammedans.