Ann Township () is the only
township
A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...
in Ann District (), central
Rakhine State
Rakhine State ( ; , ; ), formerly known as Arakan State, is a Administrative divisions of Myanmar, state in Myanmar (Burma). Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State to the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Re ...
, Myanmar. The principal town and district capital is
Ann. Founded in 1333 AD in King
Min Hti.
Demographics
The township and district contains two towns, the capital Ann and the town of
Tattaung, comprising 7 urban wards. It also contains 29
village tracts that group 242 villages together. The township had a total of 124,137 people in 2023. The majority of the township are
Buddhists
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth ...
and of the
Arakanese ethnic group.
History
In the year 1327, the
Pinya Kingdom and
Shan kingdoms attacked
Ramree Island and carried away number of inhabitants. In retaliation,
Min Hti of
Mrauk-U
Mrauk U ( ) is a town in northern Rakhine State, Myanmar. It is the capital of Mrauk-U Township, a subregion of the Mrauk-U District.
Mrauk U is culturally significant for the local Rakhine (Arakanese) people and is the location of many impo ...
ordered his army to cross the
Arakan Mountains to raid and annex
Thayet, capturing the governor of Thayet and bringing his family back. On the return from this campaign, Min Hti founded the town of
Ann, lying below the Arakan Mountains in 1334/1335, as a stopover in the passage through the Arakan Mountains leading to
Minbu.
Hla Maung Tin, an elected Rakhine
State Hluttaw Member of Ann Township representing
Union Solidarity and Development Party in 2010 election, served as the 1st Rakhine State Chief Minister from 2011 to June 2014.
Ann Township was designated into its own
district
A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...
in 2022.
Ann's location is strategically important as the link between Rakhine and Magway via the Minbu-Ann road through the
Arakan Mountains and as a gateway preventing AA from attacking southern Rakhine State. Ann is also the headquarters of the
Myanmar Army
The Myanmar Army (; ) is the largest branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar, and has the primary responsibility of conducting land-based military operations. The Myanmar Army maintains the second largest active force in Southea ...
's Western
Regional Military Command. In late December 2024, the
Arakan Army
The Arakan Army (; Abbreviation, abbreviated AA), sometimes referred to as the Arakha Army is an Ethnic nationalism, ethnic-List of insurgent groups in Myanmar, armed organisation based in Rakhine State (Arakan). Founded in April 2009, the Ara ...
captured the town and its command headquarters during the
Battle of Ann as part of the broader
Rakhine offensive beginning in November 2023.
Economy
"Ann Creek" Hydropower Project is being implemented by the Ministry of Electric Power No. 1 on Ann Creek, 3.5 miles northeast to Ann. The project can generate 44 million kilowatt hours yearly when it is finished.
[http://www.mrtv3.net.mm/newpaper/109newsn.pdf Page 10 Column 3]
References
External links
"Ann Township - Rakhine State"map ID: MIMU154v01, creation date: 16 August 2010, Myanmar Information Management Unit (MIMU)
Townships of Rakhine State
{{Rakhine-geo-stub