Geography:
The Chinland locates in Southeast Asia and lies between the longitude 92.15ºE and 97ºE, and in between the latitude 18ºN and 27.30ºN. Bangladesh is to its Southwest, Manipur State of India is to its Northwest, China is to its North, Burma is to its East, and Arakan is to its South. With an area of circa 36 000 square kilometres, the present day Chinland - a mountainous landscape stretching along the present day Indo-Burma border - is slightly smaller than Switzerland.

Chinland is rich in natural flora (orchids etc) and fauna (Elephant, Tiger, Bear, Wild Boar, Various kinds of monkeys, barking deer, wild goat and various kinds of birds) and alpine flora is very common in the country.The highest mountain in Chinland is Khawnutum (Mount Victoria). The biggest river in Chinland is known as Kaladan river. The biggest lake is called Rih Lake.

Climate:

Chinland has a mild hot wet climate. April and May are the hottest months of the year where average temperatures of the months range from 60º F (15.5º C) to 80º (21º C).

Average temperature in the cold seasons is below 40º F (4.4º C). In the cold seasons, temperatures fall as low as freezing point of water in the higher parts of mountains.
Average annual rainfall is 80 – 120 inches. The Southern part of Chinland gets more due to the storms come from Bay of Bengal.

Population:

The population of the present Chinland is circa half million.
The Chins inhabiting in Chinland and its territories are approximately one and a half million.

People:
The Chins are of the Mongoloid race and descended from central China southwards and settled in the present Chinland.

The Chins are composed with several tribes such as: Asho tribe, Cho Tribe, Khumi Tribe, Kuki Tribe, Laimi Tribe, Lushai Tribe , Zomi Tribe, and so on.

Culture and language:

As Chinland is endowed by many dales and hills as well as enriched by various floras and faunas, the culture and literature of the Chins are also diverse and rich though embedded in a single domain (or) ascended from a single domain, the Chin.

There is no fundamental differences in Chin language and culture, however, the Chins have minor differences in their language and culture to suit different environments accepting them as verities of tradition and as the richness of

Chin literature and culture.

The Chins are rich in folk tales, folk dances, folk music, as well as musical instruments. The Chin cultural heritages are preserved, maintained, and transformed from one generation to another by oral history before the Chins have writing system in early 1900s. The arrival of Christian missionaries in early 1900s, again, enhanced the culture and language of the Chins into a more sophisticate ways. Today, over seventy percent of the Chins are Christians but minority of the Chins are also devotees of Buddhism, Traditional Chin religion, and others.

The Chin language descended from Tibeto-Burman language domain. However, each tribal group speaks its own dialect, but Burmese is widely used in Chinland due to Burmanization of military regime for over five decades. The Chins are known as honest, tolerant, brave, and religious people. This distinctness of language and culture indicate that the Chins are one of the indigenous peoples in their own land.

Environmental problems:

In order to strengthen their grip of power, the State Peace and Development Council of Burma (SPDC) has been engaging border trade with the Indian Government for over the last ten years. Several bi-lateral agreements have been made between Indian government and the military junta and pursuant to these agreements border trades and joint military operations have been lunched.

The implication of these agreements is also seen in the constructions of major roads passing through Chinland from India to Burma have been going on the past ten years which have caused major deforestation.

As a results for the past ten years Chin villages nearby deforested areas have been deprived of drinking water.

Giant Oil Corporations such as Unocal and others also have maneuver their interest in exploiting the natural gas and oil in Chinland and surrounding areas, indicating plans to build pipelines through Chinland to export oils to India for their own benefit.

Exploiting natural resources and building pipelines through Chinland to India will once again generate forced labor, forced relocation, forced collection of money, gross violation of human rights, and massive destruction of environment in Chinland as well.

History:

The Chins are of the Mongoloid race and originated in central China. Sometime before the 9th century, they slowly descended from central China southwards and settled in the region between the Chindwin and Irrawaddy rivers of Burma.

It is believed that they had entered and settled in Chinland around 1000 AD.
The Chin language belongs to the Tibeto-Burman group and the Chin have their own culture and literature. The Chins were an independent nation who had a territory with distinct borders. Although the British declared that the entire Chinland fell under their rule in 1895, it was only in the early 20th century that the British were able to bring the whole of Chinland under their control.

Chinland was divided, without consultation with the people, into two parts when the Burma Act of 1937 split Burma from British-India. The western part of Chinland remained under British-India and the eastern part came under the administration of British-Burma. When British India became independent in 1947, the western part of Chinland was divided again, again without consultation with the people, when India and Pakistan were divided. One part fell to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) and the other part came under Indian administration.

While Burman nationalist youths formed We Burmans Association, launching a national movement, young Chin nationalists started a separate national movement under the name of Chin National Union. In 1933 the Union presented a demand for independence to the British authorities in Rangoon and in 1939, the youths who made this demand were arrested and jailed. When Atlee's Labour Party won the general elections and Atlee became Prime Minister in 1945, it became certain that British colonies were to get independence.
The Aung San-Atlee meeting not only recognized the pre-colonial freedom and sovereignty of Chin, Kachin and Shan nations but also acknowledged their rights: to get separate independence, to establish separate national states and national self- determination.

The representatives of Chin, Kachin and Shan met at Panglong in Shan State from 6th-7th of February, 1947 and agreed to form a Union with the Burmans provided there would be equality and democratic rights and the right to secession at will. The Burman representatives led by General Aung San accepted these points and the historic Panglong Agreement was signed on February 12, 1947. So there emerged the Union of Burma into the world.

Though it was agreed, the Union was to be built on the guarantee of equal status, equal opportunity and equal rights, inequality and discrimination emerged among the co- founders under the 1947 constitution. Some parts of Chinland came under Burma proper and Chin people were put under different administrations. This situation led to civil war and became uncontrollable. In order to find a solution to the political problem - the lack of genuine federation - a conference was convened at Taunggyi, Shan State from 8th - 16th of June, 1961.

Popularly known as the Taunggyi representatives from all states, Kachin, Kaya, Karen, Chin, Rakhine, Mon and Shan states attended. Unfortunately, the Burmese military, led by General Ne Win, staged a coup in the name of the Revolutionary Council, on March 2, 1962. They seized the state power from the popular government, nullifying the efforts to establish a genuine federation that would guarantee peace and justice, claiming they did so in order, "to safeguard the possible disintegration of the union". They overthrew the 1947 constitution and ruled the country with martial law for 12 years.

The revolutionary council issued announcement No. 74 dated December 5, 1968 inviting suggestions of the citizens with regard to building solidarity among the nationalities. Chin peoples responded overwhelmingly presenting 150 points of suggestion with regard to equality, justice and genuine federation. However, more than 70 Chin intellectuals who were believed to have contributed the suggestions were arrested and put in jail, without any trial, until a new constitution was adopted in 1974.

The military elite forced Chin people, like other nationalities, to embrace the so-called constitution of the Union of the Socialist Republic of Burma (a constitution that embodied one party dictatorship) on 3rd January 1974. Freedom, peace and social security were eliminated under this constitution.

In addition systematic efforts were made to eliminate the literature, culture and traditions of all nationalities other than the Burmans in order to assimilate all other nationalities into the Burmans’. Efforts were also made to spread Buddhism by restricting the practice of other religions.

Because of the Burmese chauvinist dictators' struggle for supremacy over other nationalities in aspects of race, religion and language and to cling on to power, the people suffered all kinds of suppression and severe human rights violations, and unceasing civil war raged. That is why the military dictatorship adopted the closed-door policy and isolated Burma from the rest of the world. As a result of this policy and because of prevailing corruption in the Burmese way of socialism, Burma became one of the least developed countries in the world.

Though the nation-wide uprising started on August 8, 1988 threatened to topple the one-party dictatorship, the military elite again staged a coup d'etat on September 18, 1988.