CHEDUBA ISLAND

also called Manaung Island, island in the Bay of Bengal, southwestern Myanmar (Burma). It lies about 30 miles (50 km) west of Taungup on the Arakan Coast and is separated from Ramree Island to the north by the Cheduba Strait. It is 20 miles (32 km) long and 17 miles (27 km) wide and has an area of 202 square miles (523 square km). Cheduba was a stopping place on the historic coastal trade route from Bengal (India) by which Indian civilization came to Myanmar. Later came Buddhism and the earliest contacts with the British East India Company. In the 1780s, after the Burman conquest of the area, Cheduba became a province of Arakan. Small craft from Chittagong and Sittwe call at the island on their way to Yangon (Rangoon). Cheduba village on the northeast coast is linked to Kyaukpyu (Ramree Island) by steamer. Farming and cattle raising are the main economic activities. Mud cones emitting steam and sulfurous fumes indicate slight volcanic activity on the island; there are also gas and oil seepages. Pop. (1983) 63,761.