POPULA TION
I93
was repulsed with some loss in the pass leading to Myohaung from
the hills; but eventually a turning movement caused the Burmans
to evacuate their position in the pass, and finally to retreat across
the Yoma. Akyab became British with the rest of Arakan at the
termination of the war in 1826. At MYOHAUNG are to be found
the most important archaeological remains in Arakan. The ruins
in their present state date chiefly from the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries. At Mahamuni, in the Kyauktaw township, is a pagoda,
once famous as the receptacle of an image of Gautama of great
sanctity, which, on the conquest of Arakan in 1784, was removed by
the victorious Burmans from Mahamuni to Amarapura and enshrined
there. It is now in the Arakan pagoda at MANDALAY.
The population of the District has steadily increased. At the last
four enumerations it was: (1872) 276,671, (i88i)
359,706, (1891) 4I6,305, and (I901) 481,666. Its
distribution in 19go is shown in the following table:-
Township. e -
Akyab . . 62
Rathedaung* . 1,269
Ponnagyun . 704
Pauktaw . . 496
Minbya . . 450
Kyauktaw 370
Myohaung 1,329
Maungdaw . 426
District total 5,136
Numberof o . 0- .
t X I ;;1r|Illli1§T
0 _ "v
i 60 47,427 765 '- 2 3,565
545 113,98. / 88 + 22 14,203
... 290 49,555 70 + 11 11,094
... 19 43395 87 + 6 12,224
95 41,663 7 + 17 8,6,^
312 53.303 I44 + 18 8,258
282 49,978 37 + 5 ii,8i6
377 83,247 .95 + 27 3,905
I 2,351 481,666 94 + i6 83,740
*Split up in 1906 into Rathedaung and Buthidaung. For details, see RATHEDAUNG.
Portions of the District are hilly and sparsely populated; and thus,
though in the lowlands the population is very dense, the District as
a whole contains only 94 persons per square mile. The head-quarters
are at AKYAB TOWN. The majority of the inhabitants are Buddhists
(280,000), but a very considerable proportion (155,200) are Musalmans;
in fact, nearly half the Muhammadan population of the Province in
190o resided within Akyab District. The number of Animists (31,700)
is high, and Hindus numbered 14,000 in I9oI. Arakanese is spoken
by a little over half the population, and Bengali by about one-third.
Of races, the Arakanese (239,600) showed the highest aggregate
in 19go. The Burmans were only 35,800 in number, the Kamis 11,600,
the Mros Io,ioo, and the Chins 9,400. The three last are hill tribes
who inhabit the north and east of the District. Other indigenous
VOL. V. 0
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