Ngapudaw Township or Ngaputaw Township () is a

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 ...

Pathein District Pathein District () is a district of Ayeyawady Division, Myanmar. It is located around and includes the urban area of the city of Pathein. The area of the Pathein District is . Its population was 1,630,716 in 2014. Townships The district cons ...

in the

Ayeyarwady Region Ayeyarwady Region ( , , ; formerly Ayeyarwady Division and Irrawaddy Division) is a region of Myanmar, occupying the delta region of the Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy River). It is bordered by the Rakhine State to the northwest, the Bago Region to ...

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 ...

. The western portion of the township includes Ngayokaung Subtownship and the southern portion of the township includes Hainggyikyun Subtownship, both unofficial divisions used by the Township for statistical and administrative ease. The small village of Kyounku within Hainggyikyun Subtownship is the birthplace of former President of Myanmar

Thein Sein Thein Sein (; IPA: ; born 20 April 1944) is a Burmese politician and retired military general who served as the 9th President of Myanmar from 2011 to 2016. He previously served as prime minister from 2007 to 2010, and was considered by many ...

. The township borders

Pathein Township Pathein Township is a township of Pathein District in the Ayeyawady Region of Myanmar. The administrative seat of the Township, District and Region is Pathein. The city of Pathein is the largest city in the Region and has historically been an i ...

and Kangyidaunt Township to its north. To its east, it borders

Myaungmya Township Myaungmya Township ( ) is a township of Myaungmya District in the Ayeyarwady Region of Myanmar. The principal town is Myaungmya. It has an area of . Myaungmya has high Karen population. Among the population were about 40,739 Christians, mostly K ...

, Myaungmya District and

Labutta Township Labutta Township or Laputta Township () is one of the two townships in Labutta District in southern Ayeyarwady Region in lower Myanmar. It is located in the Irrawaddy Delta and suffered many casualties from Cyclone Nargis in 2008. The principa ...

, Labutta District. There are two subtownships, three towns, 9 wards, 83 village-tracts and 411 villages in Ngapudaw Township. The principal town of the township is

Ngapudaw Ngapudaw ( ) is a town in the Ayeyarwady Region of south-west Burma (Myanmar). It is the seat of the Ngapudaw Township in the Pathein District. The town is divided into 4 wards and lies on the Ngawun river. Etymology The Burmese term literally ...

History

During the Bagan Dynasty, the

Mon Mon, MON or Mon. may refer to: Places * Mon State, a subdivision of Myanmar * Mon, India, a town in Nagaland * Mon district, Nagaland * Mon, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India * Mon, Switzerland, a village in the Canton of Grisons * A ...

town of Kyaik Padaw was recorded as one of the 32 towns under the administration of

Pathein Pathein ( ; , ; , ), formerly called Bassein, is the largest city and the capital of the Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. It is located 190 km (120 mi) west of Yangon within Pathein Township on the bank of the Pathein River—a western branc ...

. Kyaik Padaw is thought to be located within Ngapudaw Township on the banks of the Pammawaddy River. However, the first concrete creation of the town of Ngapudaw would not be until the formation of

British Burma British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and cultur ...

in the 19th century after the

Second Anglo-Burmese War The Second Anglo-Burmese War or the Second Burma War ( ; 5 April 185220 January 1853) was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese Empire and British Empire during the 19th century. The war resulted in a British victory with more ...

. The township itself would be created in the late 19th century after the annexation of

Lower Burma Lower Myanmar (, also called Lower Burma) is a geographic region of Myanmar and includes the low-lying Irrawaddy Delta ( Ayeyarwady, Bago and Yangon Regions), as well as coastal regions of the country ( Rakhine and Mon States and Tanintharyi ...

by the British.

Geography

Ngapudaw Township is located on the southwestern edge of

Irrawaddy Delta The Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Irrawaddy Division, the lowest expanse of land in Myanmar (Burma) that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, to the south at the mout ...

with a significant deltaic coastline on 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 ...

. The southernmost portions of the

Arakan Mountains The Arakan Mountains, natively referred as Rakhine Yoma () and technically known as the Southern Indo-Burman Range, are a mountain range in western Myanmar, between the coast of Rakhine State and the Central Myanmar Basin, in which flows the Irra ...

stretch through the township's west dividing the low-lying east from the long western shore on the

Bay of Bengal The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region. Many South Asian and Southe ...

. Steep forested mountains characterize the western part of the township ending in

Cape Negrais Cape Negrais (, also known as Pagoda Point (ဆံတော်ရှင်မြတ်ငူ) or Mawtin Point (မော်တင်စွန်း, Mawtin Soon) is a cape in Burma (Myanmar), west of the Irrawaddy Delta. It is located 133 k ...

. The mountains extend further into the sea to form the

Andaman Islands The Andaman Islands () are an archipelago, made up of 200 islands, in the northeastern Indian Ocean about southwest off the coasts of Myanmar's Ayeyarwady Region. Together with the Nicobar Islands to their south, the Andamans serve as a mari ...

. The township has 108 miles of coastline, with only 50 miles of deep-water coastline. The highest peak in the township is Mt. Taungpetkyi at above sea level. The township is located in a mountainous tropical zone with a heavy monsoon presence, seeing 95 days of rain totalling of rain in an average year. The temperature variation is more moderate than more northern tropical mountainous townships with average highs and lows range between 31.3°C and 20.8°C. The township has large undeveloped and natural areas, particularly in the west. There are many tree species including

teak Teak (''Tectona grandis'') is a tropical hardwood tree species in the family Lamiaceae. It is a large, deciduous tree that occurs in mixed hardwood forests. ''Tectona grandis'' has small, fragrant white flowers arranged in dense clusters (panic ...

, Burmese ironwood,

jackfruit The jackfruit or ''nangka'' (''Artocarpus heterophyllus'') is a species of tree in the Common fig, fig, mulberry, and breadfruit family (Moraceae). The jackfruit is the largest tree fruit, reaching as much as in weight, in length, and in d ...

tamarind Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a Legume, leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is indigenous to tropical Africa and naturalized in Asia. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic taxon, monotypic, meaning that it contains only this spe ...

as well as other flora like ''

Dipterocarpus '' D. retusus'' in Köhler ''Dipterocarpus'' is a genus of flowering plants and the type genus of family Dipterocarpaceae. ''Dipterocarpus'' is the third-largest and most diverse genus among the Dipterocarpaceae. The species are well known for ...

'' and nipa palms. There are also diverse fauna with elephants, boars, black bears,

gaur The gaur (''Bos gaurus''; ) is a large bovine native to the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, and has been listed as Vulnerable species, Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List since 1986. The global population was estimated at a maximum of 21,000 ...

and goats. Ngapudaw township lies on the southern forest fringe of Ayeyarwady Region, an area with the highest

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

rates in the area with forested lands dropping from 15.3% to 14% of the area in 2014 alone. Off the coast of Ngapudaw Township lies the Thameehla Island (or Turtle Island) where a turtle breeding and conservation camp is located. Further into the Andaman Sea is Alguada Reef. On the southern coast, there are

yardang A yardang is a streamlined protuberance carved from bedrock or any consolidated or semiconsolidated material by the dual action of wind abrasion by dust and sand and deflation (the removal of loose material by wind turbulence). Yardangs become e ...

-like formations on the Kyaukkalat Coast near Dedu Gone village.

Demographics

Pyapon Township is relatively rural with 91.2% of the population in 2019 living outside of the three towns

, Ngayokaung and Hainggyikyun. The majority religion is

Buddhism Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

, practiced by 67.5% of the population with the second largest religious group being

Christians A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the world. The words '' Christ'' and ''C ...

at 27.3%. Most people live within the east with western Ngayokaung Subtownship only having 12.6% of the total population.

Economy

The economy of Ngapudaw Township is experiencing slow growth. Like most of Ayeyarwady Region, is primarily

agriculture Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...

with as secondary fishing industry. The primary crop is

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

with a significant off-season

peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

and

pulses Legumes are plants in the pea family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seeds of such plants. When used as a dry grain for human consumption, the seeds are also called pulses. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consum ...

. There is also a sizeable salt production industry - mostly produced through sun-drying. The

hilsa The ilish (''Tenualosa ilisha'') (), also known as the ilishi, hilsa, hilsa herring or hilsa shad, is a species of fish related to the herring, in the family Clupeidae. It is a very popular and sought-after food in the Bengal region, and is ...

fish is one of the most important fish for the township's small fishing community with little fish conservation or management in place within the township. The township has seven large dams to control flooding and saltwater intrusions. The primary means of transport within the township is through riverine transport with the main export markets being

Myaungmya Myaungmya ( ) is the principal town of Myaungmya Township, Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. The town is home to the Myanmar Union Adventist Seminary, a Seventh-day Adventist seminary and Myaungmya Education College. As of 2014 the population was ...

and

Yangon Region Yangon Region (, ; formerly Rangoon Division and Yangon Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar. Located in central Myanmar, the region is bordered by Bago Region to the north and east, the Gulf of Martaban to the south, and Ayeyarwady ...

. The Pammawaddy Regional Command of the

Myanmar Navy The Myanmar Navy (; ) is the naval warfare branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. With 19,000 active personnel, the navy operates more than 227 vessels. Prior to 1988, the navy was small, and its role in counterinsurgency, counte ...

is headquartered within the township in the town of Hainggyi Island.

References

{{Ayeyarwady Region Townships of Ayeyarwady Region

History

Geography

Demographics

Economy

See also

References