Nat Ma Taung (; Khaw-nu-soum or Khonuamthung in

Chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...

), also known as Mount Victoria, is the highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited summit area, and is usually higher t ...

in the

Chin State Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, the Chattogram Division of Bangladesh to the west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to th ...

of western

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 ...

Geography

With a height of above sea level and a prominence of , Nat Ma Taung is one of the

ultra prominent peak An ultra-prominent peak, or ultra for short, is a mountain summit with a topographic prominence of or more; it is also called a P1500. The prominence of a peak is the minimum height of climb to the summit on any route from a higher peak, or fro ...

s of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, southeastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of China, east of the Indian subcontinent, and northwest of the Mainland Au ...

. Located in three townships - Kanpatlet,

Mindat Mindat may refer to: Places * Mindat District, a district in Chin State, Myanmar (Burma), consisting of two townships and many villages ** Mindat Township, Myanmar *** Mindat, Chin State, a town in Chin State, Myanmar, administrative seat of Mindat ...

and Matupi, Nat Ma Taung is part of the Chin Hills range.

Ecology

Nat Ma Taung is in the Chin Hills–Arakan Yoma montane forests

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) is an ecological and geographic area that exists on multiple different levels, defined by type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and c ...

. Surrounded at lower elevations by

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the equator, where the sun may shine directly overhead. This contrasts with the temperate or polar regions of Earth, where the Sun can never be directly overhead. This is because of Earth's ax ...

and subtropical moist forests, Nat Ma Taung's higher elevations form a sky island, home to many

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (approximately 23.5° to 66.5° N/S of the Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ran ...

and alpine species typical of the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

further north, and many

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found only in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also foun ...

species. The White-browed nuthatch (''Sitta victoriae'') is a bird endemic to this mountain range. The peak is unique for the presence of trees, bushes and grass, which have adapted to the environment. On the way towards the top you will pass pine trees ('' Pinus kesiya''), common names are Khasi pine, Benguet pine or three-needled pine. The local name is ထင်းရှူး ʰḭ́ jú which is one of the most widely distributed pines in Asia, as well as many oaks (''

Quercus An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...

'' spp.). Epiphytes still cover older trees despite illegal picking; so many ''

Coelogyne ''Coelogyne'' is a genus of 594 species, which are sympodial epiphytes from the family Orchidaceae, distributed across India, China, Indonesia and the Fiji islands, with the main centers in Borneo, Sumatra and the Himalayas. They can be found fro ...

'', ''

Dendrobium ''Dendrobium'' is a genus of mostly Epiphyte, epiphytic and Lithophyte, lithophytic orchids in the Family (biology), family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout m ...

'' and ''

Cymbidium ''Cymbidium'' , commonly known as boat orchids, is a genus of evergreen flowering plants in the orchid Family (biology), family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are Epiphyte, epiphytic, Lithophyte, lithophytic, Terrestrial plant, terrestrial o ...

'' plants can be seen. ''Rhododendron arboreum'' flowers along roads during the dry season.

Conservation

The mountain is now protected within Nat Ma Taung National Park (), established in 1994.Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.''

Island Press Island Press is a nonprofit, environmental publisher based in Washington, D.C., United States, that specializes in natural history, ecology, conservation, and the built environment. Established in 1978, Island Press generates about half of its ...

;

Washington, DC Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and Federal district of the United States, federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from ...

The park is administered by the Department of Forestry and Environment. The base of this national park can be reached either via Kanpetlet Township (easy access), or via Mindat Township (not easy as the road is incomplete). The only public transport to the base of the mountain is a

four-wheel drive A four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, is a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case pr ...

jeep that plies between Soe and the mountain base via Kanpetlet in the dry season. The road up to the lodge after Kanpetlet town is sealed (= hard-surfaced) and beyond is an earth track. The track is not navigable even by a four-wheel drive in the wet season due to severe damage by storm water. The track is the main access to about 20 villages near the base of the mountain. At the base of the mountain, one track leads to villages, the centre track leads to the peak, and the other track traverses to Mindat Township and then on to Soe Township. Due to tract damage, tourists, many national and few international, visit the mountain mainly in the dry season. The tract is navigable by a four-wheel drive car all the way to the peak. Many motorcycles-for-hire offer rides to the top, and if you walk both up and down, you are the extreme tourist. To walk from "base camp parking lot" it usually takes three hours up and maybe two down. The mountain is "protected" by words only. Many activities that hinder the natural beauty and its bio-diversity are taking place unabated. The park is virtually not managed, as there are no security personnel, park wardens and the like. One main threat that is affecting the bio-diversity of this national park is bush fires ignited by local people. Trees were seen burning even on top of the mountain in 2014 May. The second issue tarnishing the beauty of the mountain is accumulation of litter, paper, cartons, cans, plastic, polythene and cans. The visitors are not provided with any instructions on what not to do within the park. There is no admission fee. The number of visitors to the peak is unknown. Foreign visitors during the year are about 100 whereas large number of local people visit the peak almost daily in the dry season. The people living in all villages are poor. Basic services such as education, health and water supply are extremely deficient. There are opportunities that could provide potential employment to local people especially the youth through promotion of eco-tourism. The engagement of youth as tourist guides will also help protect this beautiful mountain by educating the public as well as making them vigilant regarding destructive activities that are taking place at present. The development of eco-tourism is also seen as a potential vehicle to develop remote villages hugged within the park.

Climate

The mountaintop has a borderline

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical climate for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of alpine cli ...

(

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 ...

''ET'') along with

Subtropical Highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate or maritime climate, is the temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring c ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cwc''/''Cwb'') in the nearby surroundings terrain.

Gallery

File:Nat_Ma_Taung_Summit.JPG, View from Nat Ma Taung's summit File:Nat Ma Taung Summit1.JPG, View from Nat Ma Taung's summit File:Nat Ma Taung Morning View with Travellers.JPG, Morning view with travelers from Nat Ma Taung File:2M3A6919 - White-browed Nuthatch - Sitta victoriae (cropped).jpg, A White-browed Nuthatch, a bird species endemic to the Nat Ma Taung

References

External links

*{{wikivoyage-inline, Nat Ma Taung (Mount Victoria)
Hike Mt Victoria in southern Chin state of Myanmar (Burma)
Geography of Chin State Mountains of Myanmar