Cheduba Island lies about from the southwesterncoast of Ramree Island. It is located between 18° 40′ and 18° 56′ N. lat., and between 93° 31′ and 93° 50′ E. long. The terrain of the island is quite flat with scattered moderate elevations. The highest point is on a ridge in the southwestern part of the island. There are 5 villages connected by a road that circles the island: Owa, Thitpon, Manaung, Budaunggwe, Sachet and Meinmangwe. There is an airfield west of Manaung, the main village of Cheduba, located on the northeast coast. Manaung is linked to the village of Kyaukpyu on nearby Ramree Island by steamer. Most of the vegetation is tropical rainforest. There are mud cones that emit steam and sulfurous fumes on the island, which indicate some volcanic activity. There are also seepages of oil and gas.
Nearby islands
Taik Kyun is a wide roughly round islet located off the eastern coast, about north of Ye Kyun.
Ye Kyun is a long and wide island located off the southeastern end of Cheduba Island, separated from it by a wide strait with numerous detached reefs. Highest point.
Taung Kyun is a long low islet located off the southern end of Ye Kyun. Highest point.
Other islands in the vicinity
Unguan is a long and wide islet located to the southeast of Cheduba's southern end.
Nantha Kyun is a roughly wide round island located off the mainland coast, about SSE of Unguan. Highest point.
History
Cheduba Island was a stop on the coastal trade route from Bengal by which Indian civilization migrated to Myanmar. Historical records show that an earthquake of a magnitude of 8.5 to 9.0 hit off the western coast of Myanmar in April 1762, and reports speculated that a tsunami could kill more than one million people in Myanmar and Bangladesh. In 1881, a 7.9 magnitude earthquake in the Bay of Bengal caused "broad massive flames of fire" to be emitted on the island. In the 1780s, after the Burmese conquest of the area, Cheduba became a province of Arakan. Cheduba was captured in 1824 by the British, whose possession of it was confirmed in 1826 by the Treaty of Yandabo concluded with the Burmese. The island, along with many other islands in the area, was evacuated and occupied by the Japanese during World War II.
