The Adivasis or small ethnic communities of Bangladesh -27 according to government and around 90 according to different sources-are distinct and diverse in culture, language, traditions, religion, and history. Eleven of these Adivasi communities live in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in the Southeast, a territory with hill landscapes in sharp contrast with the rest of the country. The others live in the Northwest, North-center, Northeast, and the coastal fringes of Bangladesh. Two of the ethnic communities-Garo or Mandi and Khasi are matriarchal; the others are partriarchal.