Phek, town, south-central Nagaland state, northeastern India. It lies in the Naga Hills, about 75 miles (121 km) by winding mountain roads east of Kohima.
Phek is a remote rural town whose inhabitants practice shifting cultivation. Weaving is the important cottage industry. The people of the region belong to different ethnic groups who speak a Tibeto-Burman language; they are referred to as Kirats in the Hindu epic Mahabharata. Pop. (2001) 12,864; (2011) 14,204.
This article was most recently revised and updated by Maren Goldberg, Assistant Editor.
Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
11 September 2014
July 20, 2019