Kawthaung
Encyclopedia
Kawthaung is in the southernmost part of Myanmar
, located in Tanintharyi Region. During British rule in Burma between 1824 and 1948, it was known as Victoria Point.
and Tanintharyi
were transferred to British rule
after the first Anglo-Burmese War of 1823-1826.
At 1859, a local Chinese and Thais group is settled at Maliwan to the north of Kawthaung, a place with numerous lakes and flower trees called Maliwan in Thai Language. And at 1865, an Arab-Malay group led by Nayuda Ahmed, traveling and collecting sea products around Mergui Archipelago start to form a base and village at bay of Victoria Point.
In 1872 the third mayor of Mergui District, Sir Ashly Din (1870–1875) assigned the first police officer to be stationed at Maliwan, a village 24 miles north of current Victoria Point. In 1891, the local government offices were moved from Maliwan to Kawthaung because Maliwan is located on the bank of a small shallow river, Maliwan Creek, ussuitable for large ships to enter and waiting tide water.
. To its west, and south-west, the Andaman Sea
opens up to the Indian Ocean
and Bokpyin Township
is located to the north. Most of the terrain in the area is mountainous.
Season combined with tropical nearest to Equator
. The climate is generally hot and wet, from April to October. The rest of the year, it is hot-dry, with temperatures averaging from 21°C to 32°C. Kawthaung, like the rest of Myanmar, has virtually no winter. It has one of the highest rainfalls in Myanmar with over more than 406 cm (160 in) per year.
, Thai
and other ethnic minorities such as the Shan, Karen
, and Mon
. Some Thai muslims, alongside the Salone
Sea Gypsies and Malays
can also be found in Kawthaung. Burmese Chinese
and Burmese Indians
, who migrated to Kawthaung during colonial rule for tin mining and other industries also inhabit Kawthaung. Peranakan
or Straits Chinese, called Pashu by the Burmese, can also be found in Kawthaung.
The most common spoken language is Burmese
, followed by Thai
and Southern Thai
.
Most of the Bamar, Thai, Shan, Karen, Mon, Burmese Chinese and some portions of the Salone adhere to Theravada Buddhism. The Malays and Thai Muslims practice Islam.
, betel nut
, cashew nut, coconut
and oil palm
. Mining and wood log industries which flourished in the past have now dried out.
Although Kawthaung has a large port the fishing industry is not as large as in the past because of the government restriction on fishing vessels. Fishing still plays a significant role but engines are restricted to 28 hp.
Not far from the town, there are Kayin Kwa and other such as Myauk Ni and Salone Islands, a part of Mergui Archipelago, they are a good places for diving, and other sea activities since the place can be regard as still virgin since not much disturbed by outside environments.
Nearby Kawthung has a small water fall and hot spring at Maliwun Village 24 miles north from the town. Nowadays it can be reached within half an hour by car with a good paved road.
, Ko Tao
, Ko Pha Ngan
and other places in southern Thailand. A three-day (two-night) visa to Burma costs US$10.
http://i1.treklens.com/photos/9180/picture_087ed3.jpg
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
, located in Tanintharyi Region. During British rule in Burma between 1824 and 1948, it was known as Victoria Point.
History
RakhineRakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
and Tanintharyi
Tanintharyi
Tanintharyi or Taninthayi is a small town in Taninthayi Township, Myeik District, in the Tanintharyi Region of southwestern Burma . It is the administrative seat for the township. The town is located on the Great Tenasserim River which eventually enters the sea at Myeik...
were transferred to British rule
British rule in Burma
British rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the Anglo-Burmese Wars through the creation of Burma as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally independence...
after the first Anglo-Burmese War of 1823-1826.
At 1859, a local Chinese and Thais group is settled at Maliwan to the north of Kawthaung, a place with numerous lakes and flower trees called Maliwan in Thai Language. And at 1865, an Arab-Malay group led by Nayuda Ahmed, traveling and collecting sea products around Mergui Archipelago start to form a base and village at bay of Victoria Point.
In 1872 the third mayor of Mergui District, Sir Ashly Din (1870–1875) assigned the first police officer to be stationed at Maliwan, a village 24 miles north of current Victoria Point. In 1891, the local government offices were moved from Maliwan to Kawthaung because Maliwan is located on the bank of a small shallow river, Maliwan Creek, ussuitable for large ships to enter and waiting tide water.
Geography
Kawthaung is located about 10°N and 98.30°E at the mouth of Kyan River on the Malay Peninsula. To its east is the Thai border town of RanongRanong
Ranong ) is a town in southern Thailand, capital of the Ranong Province and the Mueang Ranong district. The town covers completely the area of the tambon Khao Niwet . As of 2005 it has a population of 16,163, and has town status .The town is located at the estuary of the Pak Chan River, opposite...
. To its west, and south-west, the Andaman Sea
Andaman Sea
The Andaman Sea or Burma Sea is a body of water to the southeast of the Bay of Bengal, south of Burma, west of Thailand and east of the Andaman Islands, India; it is part of the Indian Ocean....
opens up to the Indian Ocean
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third largest of the world's oceanic divisions, covering approximately 20% of the water on the Earth's surface. It is bounded on the north by the Indian Subcontinent and Arabian Peninsula ; on the west by eastern Africa; on the east by Indochina, the Sunda Islands, and...
and Bokpyin Township
Bokpyin Township
Bokpyin Township is a township of Kawthoung District, Taninthayi Division, Myanmar. The principal town is Bokpyin....
is located to the north. Most of the terrain in the area is mountainous.
Weather and climate
Kawthaung weather gets the effect from MonsoonMonsoon
Monsoon is traditionally defined as a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation, but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with the asymmetric heating of land and sea...
Season combined with tropical nearest to Equator
Equator
An equator is the intersection of a sphere's surface with the plane perpendicular to the sphere's axis of rotation and containing the sphere's center of mass....
. The climate is generally hot and wet, from April to October. The rest of the year, it is hot-dry, with temperatures averaging from 21°C to 32°C. Kawthaung, like the rest of Myanmar, has virtually no winter. It has one of the highest rainfalls in Myanmar with over more than 406 cm (160 in) per year.
Demographics
The majority of Kawthaung's population is made up of BamarBamar
The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
, Thai
Thai people
The Thai people, or Siamese, are the main ethnic group of Thailand and are part of the larger Tai ethnolinguistic peoples found in Thailand and adjacent countries in Southeast Asia as well as southern China. Their language is the Thai language, which is classified as part of the Kradai family of...
and other ethnic minorities such as the Shan, Karen
Karen people
The Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
, and Mon
Mon people
The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
. Some Thai muslims, alongside the Salone
Moken
The Moken , are an Austronesian ethnic group with about 2,000 to 3,000 members who maintain a nomadic, sea-based culture. They speak their own language which belongs to the Austronesian language family.-Nomenclature:They refer to themselves as Moken...
Sea Gypsies and Malays
Malay people
Malays are an ethnic group of Austronesian people predominantly inhabiting the Malay Peninsula, including the southernmost parts of Thailand, the east coast of Sumatra, the coast of Borneo, and the smaller islands which lie between these locations...
can also be found in Kawthaung. Burmese Chinese
Burmese Chinese
The Burmese Chinese or Chinese Burmese are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Burma . Although the Chinese officially make up three percent of the population, the actual figure is believed to be much higher...
and Burmese Indians
Burmese Indians
Burmese Indians are a group of people of Indian subcontinental ethnicity who live in Myanmar . While Indians have lived in Burma for many centuries, most of the ancestors of the current Burmese Indian community emigrated to Burma from the start of British rule in the mid 19th century to the...
, who migrated to Kawthaung during colonial rule for tin mining and other industries also inhabit Kawthaung. Peranakan
Peranakan
Peranakan Chinese and Baba-Nyonya are terms used for the descendants of late 15th and 16th-century Chinese immigrants to the Indonesian archipelago of Nusantara during the Colonial era....
or Straits Chinese, called Pashu by the Burmese, can also be found in Kawthaung.
The most common spoken language is Burmese
Burmese language
The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
, followed by Thai
Thai language
Thai , also known as Central Thai and Siamese, is the national and official language of Thailand and the native language of the Thai people, Thailand's dominant ethnic group. Thai is a member of the Tai group of the Tai–Kadai language family. Historical linguists have been unable to definitively...
and Southern Thai
Southern Thai language
Southern Thai or Dambro is a Tai language spoken in the 14 changwat of Southern Thailand as well as by small communities in the northernmost Malaysian states. It is spoken by roughly five million people, and as a second language by the 1.5 million speakers of Patani Malay and other ethnic groups...
.
Most of the Bamar, Thai, Shan, Karen, Mon, Burmese Chinese and some portions of the Salone adhere to Theravada Buddhism. The Malays and Thai Muslims practice Islam.
Economy and local products
The main agriculture products are rubberRubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
, betel nut
Betel nut
The Areca nut is the seed of the Areca palm , which grows in much of the tropical Pacific, Asia, and parts of east Africa. It is commonly referred to as "betel nut" as it is often chewed wrapped in betel leaves.-Description:...
, cashew nut, coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
and oil palm
Oil palm
The oil palms comprise two species of the Arecaceae, or palm family. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. The African Oil Palm Elaeis guineensis is native to West Africa, occurring between Angola and Gambia, while the American Oil Palm Elaeis oleifera is native to...
. Mining and wood log industries which flourished in the past have now dried out.
Although Kawthaung has a large port the fishing industry is not as large as in the past because of the government restriction on fishing vessels. Fishing still plays a significant role but engines are restricted to 28 hp.
Tourist attractions
The favourite for tourists and fortune riskers is Andaman Club Resort Hotel located on Thahtay Kyun Island about half an hour trip by boat from Kawthaung or Ranong. The club is famous for casino gambling, the only one international gambling places of Myanmar on the Andaman side.Not far from the town, there are Kayin Kwa and other such as Myauk Ni and Salone Islands, a part of Mergui Archipelago, they are a good places for diving, and other sea activities since the place can be regard as still virgin since not much disturbed by outside environments.
Nearby Kawthung has a small water fall and hot spring at Maliwun Village 24 miles north from the town. Nowadays it can be reached within half an hour by car with a good paved road.
Immigration and Visa entry
Thai people can cross into Burma through Kawthaung with their Thai pass book. Other foreigners must have a passport that is valid for at least another 6 months and pay a fee. The border is popular for visa renewal with tourists staying in PhuketPhuket Province
Phuket , formerly known as Thalang and, in Western sources, Junk Ceylon , is one of the southern provinces of Thailand...
, Ko Tao
Ko Tao
Ko Tao is an island in Thailand located near the western shore of the Gulf of Thailand. It covers an area of about 21 km². Administratively it forms a tambon within the district Ko Pha Ngan of Surat Thani Province. As of 2006 its official population is 1382...
, Ko Pha Ngan
Ko Pha Ngan
Ko Pha Ngan is an island in the Gulf of Thailand in South East Thailand. It is famous for its full moon party at Haad Rin Beach and as a backpackers destination. Ko Pha Ngan has two sister islands: the larger Ko Samui to the south and the smaller Ko Tao to the north.* Area: about 168 km²*...
and other places in southern Thailand. A three-day (two-night) visa to Burma costs US$10.
http://i1.treklens.com/photos/9180/picture_087ed3.jpg
