Rangamati was a contesting ground for the kings of Tripura and Arakan. This region came under the Mughal Empire after the Muslim invasion in 1566.In 1737 Sher Mosta Khan, a tribal leader, took refuge with the Mughals. After this the Chakma settlement began along with various other settlements of varying ethnicity.
From 1760 to 1761, this land was leased to the East India Company.
Rangamati is located in the Chittagong Division. It is bordered by the Tripura state of India to the north, Bandarban District to the south, Mizoram State of India and Chin State of Myanmar to the east, and Khagrachari and Chittagong Districts to the west. Rangamati is the only district in Bangladesh with international borders with two countries: India and Myanmar.
The area of the district is 6116 km2 of which 1292 km2 is riverine and 4825 km2 is under forest vegetation.