Myelat () is a

historical region History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the Human history, human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some t ...

of the southwestern

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

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 ...

. Originally this region included some of the smaller states typically ruled by " Myosas" (chief of town) or "Ngwegunhmus" (silver revenue chief), buffering the plains of Burma and the ethnic

Shan states The Shan States were a collection of minor Shan people, Shan kingdoms called ''mueang, möng'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' (''sawbwa''). In British rule in Burma, British Burma, they were analogous to the princely states of Britis ...

further east. The term "Myelat" is still in common use today, although the old political and administrative distinctions no longer apply.

Geography

The area is hemmed in on the north by the state of Lawksawk, on the east by the states of Yawnghwe, Wanyin and Hsatung, and on the south by Mong Pai. In 1897, the population was recorded as 107,500, the majority being of the Taungthu or

Pa-O The Pa'O (; , , or ; ; Eastern Poe Karen: တံင်သူ; ; also spelt Pa-O or Paoh) are an ethnic minority living in Myanmar, with a population of roughly 1,200,000 accounting for approximately 2.1% of the total population in Myanmar. Oth ...

(42,933), followed by Danu (29,713), Taungyo (13,906), Shan (6,572), and a smaller number of other ethnic groups. The name ''Myelat'' could be interpreted as "unoccupied land" in Burmese, however the land has been populated for quite some time. The name could also be interpreted as "middle earth", implying a buffer zone, or "fair earth", depending on a variation of the spelling. All central Myelat and great parts of the northern and southern portions consist of rolling

grass Poaceae ( ), also called Gramineae ( ), is a large and nearly ubiquitous family (biology), family of monocotyledonous flowering plants commonly known as grasses. It includes the cereal grasses, bamboos, the grasses of natural grassland and spe ...

y downs bare of

jungle jungle is land covered with dense forest and tangled vegetation, usually in tropical climates. Application of the term has varied greatly during the past century. Etymology The word ''jungle'' originates from the Sanskrit word ''jaṅgala'' ...

. The area is productive in agriculture, crops grown include potatoes, corn, wheat, cabbage, cauliflower, oranges, coffee, as well as rice. Visitors to the area immediately notice the red earth of the countryside, due to high iron oxide content of the soil.

Myelat Division

The exact composition of the states within the Myelat area has changed through history, dependent on vagaries of local power politics as well as approval by the Burmese court. At times, states have been combined, at other times, they have been split up. At the time of the British annexation of the

Shan States The Shan States were a collection of minor Shan people, Shan kingdoms called ''mueang, möng'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' (''sawbwa''). In British rule in Burma, British Burma, they were analogous to the princely states of Britis ...

, the following sixteen states were recognized to be within the Myelat region: Hsamonghkam,

Kyawkku Hsiwan Kyawkku (also known as Kyawkku Hsiwan or Kyakku) was a Shan people, Shan state in the Myelat region of what is today Burma. Its capital was the village of Kyawkku (Myinkyado) which had 344 inhabitants in 1901. History Kyawkku was founded around 16 ...

, Kyong, Loi-ai, Loilong, Loimaw, Maw, Mawnang,

Mawson Sir Douglas Mawson (5 May 1882 – 14 October 1958) was a British-born Australian geologist, Antarctic explorer, and academic. Along with Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, and Sir Ernest Shackleton, he was a key expedition leader during ...

, Namhkai, Namhkom, Namtok, Pangmi, Pangtara, Poila, and Yengan. The total area of these states was approximately .

References

External links

"Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan states"
Geography of Shan State Historical regions in Myanmar {{Myanmar-geo-stub