Kawthaung (, ; ; ; , ; , ڤولودوا) is a border town located in the southernmost part of

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

, in the

Tanintharyi Region Tanintharyi Region (, ; Mon: or ; formerly Tenasserim Division and Tanintharyi Division) is a region of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the northern Malay Peninsula, reaching to the Kra Isthmus. It borders ...

. During

British rule in Burma British colonial rule in Burma lasted from 1824 to 1948, from the successive three Anglo-Burmese wars through the creation of ''Burma'' as a province of British India to the establishment of an independently administered colony, and finally i ...

between 1824 and 1948, it was known as Victoria Point. As of 2021, it has a population of 57,949. Facing Ranong in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, Kawthaung is one of 7 official border trade posts with

History

Rakhine and

Tanintharyi Tanintharyi may refer to: * Tanintharyi (town) or Taninthayi (known during the British occupation as Tenasserim), a town in Tanintharyi Township, Myeik District, in the Tanintharyi Region of Burma (Myanmar) * Tanintharyi Region, formerly Tenasseri ...

were transferred to

British rule The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or dire ...

after the First Anglo-Burmese War of 1823–1826. In 1859, a local group of Chinese and Thais settled at Maliwan (Thai language) to the north of Kawthaung, a place with numerous lakes and flowering trees. In 1865, an Arab–Malay group led by Nayuda Ahmed, traveling and collecting sea products around Mergui Archipelago started a base and village at the 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, unsuitable 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 Ranong. To its west, and south-west, the

Andaman Sea The Andaman Sea (historically also known as the Burma Sea) is a marginal sea of the northeastern Indian Ocean bounded by the coastlines of Myanmar and Thailand along the Gulf of Martaban and the west side of the Malay Peninsula, and separated f ...

opens up to the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...

and Bokpyin Township is located to the north. Most of the terrain in the area is mountainous.

Climate

Kawthaung has a

tropical monsoon climate An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate subtype that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ' ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...

''Am''). Temperatures are hot throughout the year. There is a winter dry season (December–March) and a summer wet season (April–November). Torrential rain falls from May to September, with over falling in each month.

Demographics

The majority of Kawthaung's population is made up of

Bamar The Bamar people (Burmese language, Burmese: ဗမာလူမျိုး, ''ba. ma lu myui:'' ) (formerly known as Burmese people or Burmans) are a Sino-Tibetan-speaking ethnic group native to Myanmar (formerly known as Burma). With an esti ...

, Thai and other ethnic minorities such as the Shan, Karen, and Mon. Some Thai Muslims, alongside the

Salone Sierra Leone, officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered to the southeast by Liberia and by Guinea to the north. Sierra Leone's land area is . It has a tropical climate and envi ...

Sea Gypsies and Malays can also be found in Kawthaung.

Burmese Chinese Chinese Burmese, also Sino-Burmese or Tayoke (), are Burmese citizens of Han Chinese ethnicity. They are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Myanmar (Burma). Burmese Chinese are a well established ethnic group and are well represen ...

and

Burmese Indians Burmese Indians are a group of people of Indian origin who live in Myanmar (Burma). The term 'Burmese Indian' refers to a broad range of people from South Asia, most notably from present-day countries such as India and Bangladesh. While Indians ...

, who migrated to Kawthaung during colonial rule for

tin mining Tin mining began early in the Bronze Age, as bronze is a copper-tin alloy. Tin is a relatively rare element in the Earth's crust, with approximately 2 ppm (parts per million), compared to iron with 50,000 ppm. History Tin extraction and use ca ...

and other industries also inhabit Kawthaung.

Peranakan The Peranakan Chinese () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (region), Nanyang (), namely the British Empire, British, Portugu ...

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 as well as Shan, Moken, Karen, Mon,

Kedah Malay Kedah Malay or Kedahan (; also known as ''Pelat Utara'' or ''Loghat Utara'' 'Northern Dialect') or as it is known in Thailand, Syburi Malay ( ''Phasa Malāyū Saiburī'') is a Malayic language mainly spoken in the northwestern Malaysian state ...

and Chinese and Indian languages.. 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 town is home to one of 7 official border trade posts with Thailand, and opened on 1 June 1996. In 2022, total trade volume at the border post stood at . The main agriculture products are

rubber Rubber, also called India rubber, latex, Amazonian rubber, ''caucho'', or ''caoutchouc'', as initially produced, consists of polymers of the organic compound isoprene, with minor impurities of other organic compounds. Types of polyisoprene ...

betel nut The areca nut ( or ) or betel nut () is the fruit of the areca palm ('' Areca catechu''). The palm is originally native to the Philippines, but was carried widely through the tropics by the Austronesian migrations and trade since at least 1 ...

, cashew nut,

coconut The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...

and

oil palm ''Elaeis'' () is a genus of palms, called oil palms, containing two species, native to Africa and the Americas. They are used in commercial agriculture in the production of palm oil. Description Mature palms are single-stemmed, and can gro ...

. 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. Tourism is bound to play a larger role for the local economy in the future as Myanmar's government is gradually lifting travel and immigration restrictions in the area. Since September 2013, tourists entering the country through Kawthaung are able to continue their journeys on land and exit through any other border crossing. An 8 megawatt coal-fired

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

was completed in 2012, amid local concerns on pollution issues.

Immigration and Visa entry

Thai people can cross into Myanmar through Kawthaung by applying for a temporary border pass without a visa. When crossing with a Thai passport, a visa must be applied for in advance since the related bilateral agreement between Thailand and Myanmar has exceptions only when arriving through an airport. Other foreigners must have a passport that is valid for at least another 6 months and are required to pay a fee. The border is popular for visa renewal with tourists staying in

Phuket Phuket (; , , or ''Tongkah'') is one of the Southern Thailand, southern Provinces of Thailand, provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. It consists of the island of Phuket, List of islands of Thailand, the country's largest island, and another 3 ...

, Ko Tao, Ko Pha Ngan and other places in southern Thailand. A three-day (two-night) visa to Myanmar costs $10

USD The United States dollar (symbol: $; currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introduced the U.S. dollar at par with the Spanish silver dollar, divided it int ...

Photos

File:Kawthoung 2.jpg, City Circle File:Kawthoung 3.jpg, Clock Tower File:Kawthoung 5.jpg, Kawthoung Golf Club Entrance File:Kawthoung 9.jpg, Kawthoung-Bokepyin Road File:Kawthoung10.jpg, 1199 Mountain File:Flag of Myanmar and Tanintharyi Region at 1199 Mountain Peak.jpg,

and

flags raised at 1199 Mountain Peak File:Flag of Myanmar at Byint Naung Statue Garden Park.jpg, King Byint Naung Land Flagpole File:Kawthaung 15.jpg, Kawthaung District Administrative Office

Sister cities

* Ranong, Thailand

References

External links

*
Kawthaung Map from Google Earth
* http://www.bugbitten.com/blogs/Asia/suziep_nz/Myanmar_Kawthaung.html {{Border Crossings of Myanmar Township capitals of Myanmar Populated places in Tanintharyi Region Myanmar–Thailand border crossings