Insein Township
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Insein Township (, ) is located in northern
Yangon Yangon, formerly romanized as Rangoon, is the capital of the Yangon Region and the largest city of Myanmar. Yangon was the List of capitals of Myanmar, capital of Myanmar until 2005 and served as such until 2006, when the State Peace and Dev ...
. The township comprises 21 wards, and shares borders with Shwepyitha township in the north, Hlaingthaya township in the west, Mingaladon township in the east and Mayangon township in the south. Insein is home to the Insein Prison, the most notorious prison in the country that houses hundreds of political prisoners.


Etymology

The word "Insein" means "precious lake" in the
Burmese language Burmese (; ) is a Tibeto-Burman languages, Tibeto-Burman language spoken in Myanmar, where it is the official language, lingua franca, and the native language of the Bamar people, Bamar, the country's largest ethnic group. Burmese dialects are a ...
, and is also a former name of
Inya lake Inya Lake (, ''ʔīnyā kǎn'' ; formerly, Lake Victoria) is the largest lake in Yangon, Burma (Myanmar), a popular recreational area for Yangonites, and a famous location for romance in popular culture. Located 6 miles (10 km) north of ...
. However, the etymology of "Insein" is derived from the Mon language term (), meaning "elephant lake."


History

Insein was a famous battle site in the Burmese civil war that erupted after the country's independence from the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
in January 1948. Insein was the limit Karen insurgents reached in January 1949 in their ambitious attempt to take Yangon and oust the Burmese government. Until the 1990s, Insein, about from central Yangon, was beyond Yangon's city limits although by the 1980s, Insein was already integrated with the rest of the city. With the expansion of Yangon's city limits in the 1990s which also included founding new satellite towns, Insein was formally incorporated into Yangon. Insein is also home to Insein Prison, which is notorious worldwide for its inhumane conditions, corruption, abuse of inmates, and use of mental and physical torture, especially against political dissidents during the 1988-2011 State Law and Order Restoration Council era.


Demographics

In 2019, the township had 285,500 people. In 2023, the township only had 247675 people. Between 2022 and 2023, the township lost 12,079.


Education

Insein has 33 primary schools, ten middle schools and six high schools. Karen Baptist Theological Seminary, the Myanmar Institute of Theology, the University of Paramedical Science, Yangon, Yangon Technological University and are located in the township.


Health

The Insein General Hospital is the principal hospital. Thiri Sandar Hospital Kwekabaw Hospital Kaung Hospital and KBC Hospital are private hospitals


Sport

There is YCDC Golf Club Swimming Pool & Restaurant located at Thiri Mingalar street.


Landmarks

The following is a list of landmarks protected by the city in Insein township.


References

{{Administrative divisions of Burma (Myanmar) Townships of Yangon