Early history Situated in the remote hilly region of the
Chin Hills, Chin State was traditionally autonomous and far from its neighboring powers, like the Burman kingdoms in the east and Indian states in the west. Until the British advancement in the region, independent
city-states such as
Ciimnuai (Chinwe/Chin Nwe) later shifted to
Tedim and
Vangteh in the north,
Tlaisun (also recorded as Tashon) and Rallang in the mid-land, and
Hakha, Thantlang and Zokhua (Yokwa) in the south played important political roles in securing peace of the region, and each city-state practised its own independent sovereignty in its own rights. Traditionally, the people of Chin State followed
traditional beliefs, sometimes labeled as
animism.''''''
Catholic and
Protestant missionaries first arrived in the late 1800s and converted Chin peoples throughout the following century.
20th century Upon
Burma's independence from the United Kingdom in 1948, the Chin Hills Special Division was created, with its capital at
Falam. Hakha later became the capital. However, three townships that are today part of present-day Chin State (
Mindat,
Kanpetlet and
Matupi) were previously part of the Pakokku Hill Tracts of
Pakokku District and
Paletwa Township of the Arakan Hill Tracts, until 4 January 1974. On this date, the Chin Hills Special Division was granted state status and became Chin State. "
Chin National Day" is designated on 20 February to commemorate the "General Assembly of Chinland" held in 1948. The first celebration of Chin National Day was held in 1951, but it was not recognized by the Myanmar government until the 2010s.
Myanmar civil war Chin State, like much of Myanmar, has been deeply affected by the
Myanmar civil war since it broke out in 2021. Tens of thousands of Chin State residents have fled to neighboring
Mizoram, India, and towns such as
Thantlang were destroyed in the fighting. Since the war broke out, several armed opposition groups have emerged calling themselves the Chinland Defense Force. Thand e groups are reportedly funded by the Chin diaspora and by the
National Unity Government of Myanmar, an opposition government-in-exile. On 6 December 2023 the
Chin National Front adopted a Chinland Constitution, proclaiming the state of
Chinland. But resistance groups from 5 townships (Falam, Kanpetlet, Matupi, Mindat, and Tedim) out of 9 townships in Chin State objected to this constitution. As of November 2025, ethnic Chin resistance forces, such as the
Chin National Army and the
Chin National Defence Force, maintain
de facto control over approximately 80 percent of Chin State, encompassing most of its townships. ==Administrative divisions==