Taungoo (, ''Tauñngu myoú''; ), also spelled Toungoo and formerly Toung-ngú, is a district-level city in the

Bago Region Bago Region (, ; formerly Pegu Division and Bago Division) is an administrative divisions of Myanmar, administrative region of Myanmar, located in the southern central part of the country. It is bordered by Magway Region and Mandalay 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 ...

, 220 km from

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 ...

, towards the north-eastern end of the division, with mountain ranges to the east and west. The main industry is in

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests and woodlands for associated resources for human and Natural environment, environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and ...

products, with

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 ...

and other

hardwood Hardwood is wood from Flowering plant, angiosperm trees. These are usually found in broad-leaved temperate and tropical forests. In temperate and boreal ecosystem, boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostl ...

s extracted from the mountains. The city is known for its

areca ''Areca'' is a genus of 51 species of Arecaceae, palms in the family (biology), family Arecaceae, found in humid tropical forests from the islands of the Philippines and Malaysia, India, and across Southeast Asia to Melanesia. The generic name ' ...

palms and

betel Betel (''Piper betle'') is a species of flowering plant in the pepper family Piperaceae, native to Southeast Asia. It is an evergreen, dioecious vine, with glossy heart-shaped leaves and white catkins. Betel plants are cultivated for their lea ...

nut chewing. The city is famous in

Burmese history The history of Myanmar ( ) covers the period from the time of first-known human settlements 13,000 years ago to the present day. The earliest inhabitants of recorded history were a Tibeto-Burman-speaking people who established the Pyu city-sta ...

for the

Toungoo dynasty ''taungnguumainn saat'' , conventional_long_name = Toungoo dynasty , common_name = Taungoo dynasty , status = Empire/Monarchy, Kingdom , event_start = Independence from Kingdom of Ava, Ava Kingdom , yea ...

which ruled the country for over 200 years between the 16th and 18th centuries. Taungoo was the capital of Burma in 1510–1539 and 1551–1552. Kaytumadi new city (new city of Taungoo) is the central command of the southern command division region of Armed Forces (''Tatmadaw''). Hanthawaddy United Football Club is based in Taungoo.

Names

The classical

Pali Pāli (, IAST: pāl̤i) is a Classical languages of India, classical Middle Indo-Aryan languages, Middle Indo-Aryan language of the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pali Canon, Pāli Can ...

name of Taungoo is Ketumadi (ကေတုမဒီ;), which translates to "possessed of the royal standard."

History

Taungoo was founded in 1279 in the waning days of

Pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

as part of frontier expansion southwards. After the fall of Pagan Empire in 1287, Taungoo came under the rule of

Myinsaing Kingdom The Myinsaing Kingdom ( ) also known as Myainsaing Regency was the regency that ruled central Burma (Myanmar) from 1297 to 1313. It was founded by three brothers— Athinkhaya, Yazathingyan and Thihathu from Myinsaing—Coedès 1968: 209 and ...

and later Pinya Kingdom. In 1358, Taungoo successfully revolted and became independent until 1367 when it became a nominal part of the

Ava Kingdom The Ava Kingdom (, ; INN-wa pyi) also known as Inwa Kingdom or Kingdom of Ava was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma (Myanmar) from 1365 to 1555. Founded in 1365, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms of Myinsa ...

. Its rulers retained a large degree of autonomy, playing larger Ava and Hanthawaddy kingdoms against each other. In 1470, Ava put down another rebellion and made

Sithu Kyawhtin Sithu Kyawhtin (, ; also known as Narapati Sithu (နရပတိ စည်သူ, )) was the last king of Ava from 1551 to 1555. He came to power by overthrowing King Narapati III in 1551, the culmination of his six-year rebellion (1545–155 ...

, the general who defeated the rebellion, governor. Sithu Kyawhtin's grandson

Mingyi Nyo Mingyi Nyo (; also spelled Minkyi-nyo; ; 1459–1530) was the founder of the Toungoo dynasty of Burma (Myanmar). Under his 45-year leadership (1485–1530), Toungoo (Taungoo), grew from a remote backwater vassal state of Ava Kingdom to a small bu ...

became governor of Taungoo in 1485. Under Mingyi Nyo's leadership, the principality grew powerful. In October 1510, Mingyi Nyo formally broke away from Ava and founded the Taungoo Kingdom. Mingyi Nyo's successors

Tabinshwehti Tabinshwehti (, ; 16 April 1516 – 30 April 1550) was King of Burma from 1530 to 1550, and the founder of the First Toungoo Empire. His military campaigns (1534–1549) created the largest kingdom in Burma since the fall of the Pagan Empire ...

and

Bayinnaung , title = King of Toungoo , image = Bayinnaung.JPG , caption = Statue of Bayinnaung in front of the National Museum of Myanmar , reign = 30 April 1550 – 10 October 1581 , coronation = 11 January 1551 at Taungoo, ...

went on to found the largest empire in the history of south-east Asia. Taungoo's stint as capital was short-lived, however. Tabinshwehti moved the kingdom's capital to

Pegu Bago (formerly spelled Pegu; , ), formerly known as Hanthawaddy, is a city and the capital of the Bago Region in Myanmar. It is located north-east of Yangon. Etymology The Burmese name Bago (ပဲခူး) is likely derived from the Mon lang ...

(Bago) in 1539. The city briefly again became capital of a rebellion in 1599 when

viceroy A viceroy () is an official who reigns over a polity in the name of and as the representative of the monarch of the territory. The term derives from the Latin prefix ''vice-'', meaning "in the place of" and the Anglo-Norman ''roy'' (Old Frenc ...

Minye Thihathu II of Taungoo declared himself king. In December 1599, Taungoo's forces in collaboration with the Arakanese armies aided by Portuguese mercenaries, sacked

. The rebellious city state remained independent for another 10 years when

Natshinnaung Natshinnaung (, ; 1579–1613) was a Toungoo prince who was a noted poet and an accomplished musician, as well as an able military commander. He later became a rebellious ruler of Toungoo, and went over to ally himself with Portuguese at Tha ...

ascended the Taungoo throne in 1609. In the following year, King

Anaukpetlun Anaukbaklun ( ; 21 January 1578 – 9 July 1628) was the sixth king of Taungoo Burma and was largely responsible for restoring the kingdom after it collapsed at the end of 16th century. In his 22-year reign from 1606 to 1628, Anaukpetlun comple ...

captured Taungoo and ended the city's long line of rulers. Although few visible historic remains survive, all four sides of the brick city wall remain from the dynastic period, with the exception of the part of the southern wall. The 9.6 m wide

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch dug around a castle, fortification, building, or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. Moats can be dry or filled with water. In some places, moats evolved into more extensive water d ...

has largely dried up, except for a section on the eastern side, which is still maintained. By the mid-19th century, Taungoo was governed by a local governor appointed by the

Konbaung The Konbaung dynasty (), also known as the Third Burmese Empire (တတိယမြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်), was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. It created the second-largest empire in history of Mya ...

kings. The Taungoo District consisted of 52 wards, including today's

Pyinmana Pyinmana (, ; population: 100,000 (2006 estimate)) is a logging town and sugarcane refinery center in the Naypyidaw Union Territory of Myanmar. The administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a militarized greenfield site (which the ...

(and

Naypyidaw Naypyidaw (), officially Romanization of Burmese, romanized as Nay Pyi Taw (NPT), is the capital city, capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's ...

) regions. The district was cut in half 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

British 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 culture ...

annexed the southern half, including the city of Taungoo while the northern portion, including Pyinmana and Ela, remained under Burmese control. British troops were withdrawn in 1893. In 1940, the British

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...

built an airfield north of the town, which from August 1941 through February 1942 served as a training and support base for the 1st

American Volunteer Group The American Volunteer Groups were Military volunteer, volunteer air units organized by the United States government to aid the Kuomintang, Nationalist government of China against Empire of Japan, Japan in the Second Sino-Japanese War. The only ...

, popularly known as the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

. In the

Battle of the Yunnan-Burma Road A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

in 1942, the

Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...

attacked the

Chinese Expeditionary Force in Burma The Chinese Expeditionary Force () was an expeditionary unit of China's National Revolutionary Army that was dispatched to Burma and India in support of the Allied efforts against the Imperial Japanese Army during the Japanese invasion and occu ...

in what is known as the

Battle of Toungoo The Battle of Toungoo was one of the key battles in the Battle of Yunnan-Burma Road in the Burma Campaign of World War II and Second Sino-Japanese War. The failure of the Chinese to hold the city of Toungoo opened up the route for the Japanese ...

. Taungoo celebrated its 500th birthday on 16 October 2010, by reconstructing and renovating many city attractions.

Geography

Three mountain ranges traverse the district—the

Pegu Yomas The Pegu Range (; Pegu Yoma or Bago Yoma) is a range of low mountains or hillsSeekins, Donald M. (2006) ''Historical dictionary of Burma (Myanmar)'' Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Marylandpage 357 and uplands between the Irrawaddy and the Sittaung Ri ...

, the

Karen Hills The Karen Hills, (, Burmese language, Burmese: ကရင်တောင်တန်း) also known as Kayah-Karen Mountains, are one of the main hill ranges in eastern Burma. They are located at the SW corner of Shan State and in Kayah State, a ...

, and the

Nat Ma Taung Nat Ma Taung (; Khaw-nu-soum or Khonuamthung in Chin language, Chin), also known as Mount Victoria, is the highest mountain in the Chin State of western Myanmar. Geography With a height of above sea level and a prominence of , Nat Ma Taung is o ...

or "Great Watershed"—all of which have a north and south direction, and are covered for the most part with dense forest. The Pegu Yomas have a general elevation of from , while the central range averages from . The rest of Taungoo forms the upper portion of the valley of the

Sittaung River The Sittaung River ( ; formerly, the Sittang or Sittoung) is a river in south central Myanmar in Bago Division. The Pegu Range separates its basin from that of the Irrawaddy. The river originates at the edge of the Shan Hills southeast of M ...

Climate

Taungoo has a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry "winter") and ''As'' (for a dry "summer"). The driest month has less than ...

(

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 ...

''Aw'') bordering on 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 ''Am''). Temperatures are hot throughout the year, and the months before the monsoon (March–May) are especially hot with average maximum temperatures exceeding . There is a winter dry season (November–March) and a summer wet season (April–October).

Administration

*Taungoo District (The district combined have a total of 6 townships. They are Taungoo, Phyu,

Yedashe Yedashe, United States National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency is a town in Taungoo District, Bago Region in Myanmar. It is the administrative seat of Yedashe Township Yedashe Township is a township of Taungoo District in Bago Region, Myanmar ...

, Tantabin, Kyaukkyi, Oktwin) *Taungoo Township *Taungoo Ward – 23 Wards *Taungoo Municipal *District and Township Immigration Dept * Myanma Timber Enterprise *Finance and Tax Dept *Civil Engineering Dept *District and Township Education Dept *Health Dept *District and Township Forestry Dept *MPPE *Taungoo Correctional Dept. Taungoo Prison *Taungoo Quarry Camp *Taungoo Post Office *Taungoo TeleCom station *Myanmar Television Sub-station *Myawady Television Sub-station *Union Solidarity and Development Association
Myanmar Maternal Children’s Welfare AssociationMyanmar Women Affair Federation
*Division 5 Railways Office *Taungoo Township and District Courts *"Maha Myittar" Education Foundation

Emergency

* No.1 Police Station Taungoo * No.2 Police Station Taungoo * No.3 Police Station Taungoo * Taungoo Apala Police Station * Taungoo District Police Force * Taungoo Township Police Force * Division 5 Railways Police Force, Taungoo * Taungoo Motor Vehicle Police Station * Taungoo Fire Station Command (1 Support Vehicle) * Taungoo Township Fire Station No.1 (3 Engines) * Taungoo Township Fire Station No.2 (2 Engines) * Myanmar Red Cross Society, Taungoo – Ambulance * Electrical Department * Taungoo Weather Station * Bureau of Special Investigation

Military and Internal Security

* Southern Command – Kaytumadi new city * Taungoo Air Force Base * No.47 Helicopters Squadron * Amoury Division – Oak Twin * Artillery Division – Oak Twin * Police Battalion, Taungoo – Training School * No.(3) Field Medical Battalion * Bureau of Special Investigation Training School * Taungoo Prison Department

Attractions

*Shwe San Taw Pagoda (Build by King Min Gyi Nyo) *Kaung Hmu Taw Pagoda *Mya See Gone Pagoda *Myat Saw Nyi Naung Pagoda *Kaylazarti Pagoda (Build by King Bayintnaung) *Statue of King Bayintnaung *Statue of King Min Gyi Nyo *Statue of Bogyoke Aung San *Kantawgyi Garden *Royal Kaytumadi Hotel (Design by Old Taungoo) *Taungoo Kyone *Taungoo Gyi old city *Taungoo Nge old city *Dwaryarwadi old city *Danyawadi old city *Phoe Kyar Elephant garden *Pathi Cheek *Sittaung River *Naw Bu Paw Mountain (Kayin State, over sea level 4,824 ft) *Than Daung Kyi Mountain city

Investigative bodies

*Military Intelligence No.3 (MI) *Special Intelligence (Special Branch) SB *Bureau of special investigations (BSI) *Special Police Force *Narcotic

Demographics

The population of Taungoo in the 2014 census was 108,569; in the 1983 census it was 65,851. The

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 ...

(Burmans) make up the majority with a significant Kayin (Karen) population on the eastern side of the city. The

Chinese Chinese may refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people identified with China, through nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **Han Chinese, East Asian ethnic group native to China. **'' Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic ...

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Associated with India * of or related to India ** Indian people ** Indian diaspora ** Languages of India ** Indian English, a dialect of the English language ** Indian cuisine Associated with indigenous peoples o ...

, Shan and Kayah people make up the rest. The majority of residents are

Theravada Buddhists ''Theravāda'' (; 'School of the Elders'; ) is Buddhism's oldest existing school. The school's adherents, termed ''Theravādins'' (anglicized from Pali ''theravādī''), have preserved their version of the Buddha's teaching or ''Dhamma'' in th ...

, and minority

Baptists Baptists are a Christian denomination, denomination within Protestant Christianity distinguished by baptizing only professing Christian believers (believer's baptism) and doing so by complete Immersion baptism, immersion. Baptist churches ge ...

and

Roman Catholics The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

. Taungoo is home to a number of Karen Christian association headquarters and churches. See

list of churches Lists of church buildings cover church buildings, places of worship for Christians. General * List of church buildings, a selection of mosques among the most famous, worldwide ** List of largest church buildings ** List of longest church buildings ...

Transport

The main transport options to Taungoo is rail and motorways.

Rail

The Taungoo railway station is on the main north line of

Myanmar Railways Rail transport in Myanmar consists of a railway network with 960 stations. The network, generally spanning north to south with branch lines to the east and west, is the second largest in Southeast Asia, and includes the Yangon Circular Railway ...

, and the Taungoo Highway bus station is served by domestic bus lines. Intra-city transport is mainly through a circular railway line which serves around the

Taungoo District Taungoo District (also Taungngu, Toungoo, ) is a Districts of Burma, district of the Bago Division in central Burma, Burma (Myanmar). The capital lies at Taungoo. This district covers an area of around 10,627 square kilometers (4,103 square miles). ...

and bus lines, which serve downtown, and suburban areas: Toungoo Railway Station Myanmar 001

*Gandawin Express Bus *Yoma Express Bus *Zay Yar Shwe Pyi Express Bus *Say Taman Express Bus *Sein Myittar Express Bus *Shwe Man Thu Express Bus *Taw Win Express Bus (Naypyitaw) *Tabin Shwehtee Express Bus *Mya Yadana Express Bus (Mandalay) *Shwe Lonn Pyan Express Bus (Taungyi) *Pyu Min Thar (Pyay)

Roads

There are two main road bridges: over the

and the Kaphaung River.

Air

Taungoo Airport is the area's only airport and is a military-only air base of

Myanmar Air Force The Myanmar Air Force (, ) is the aerial branch of the Tatmadaw, the armed forces of Myanmar. The primary mission of the Myanmar Air Force (MAF) since its inception has been to provide transport, logistical, and close air support to the Myanm ...

. MAF's No.47 Helicopter Squadron is stationed at the airport.

Education

High schools

Taungoo has eleven

high school A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., ...

s: see '' List of high schools in Taungoo''.

Public universities and colleges

* Taungoo University * Taungoo Educational College * University of Computer Studies *

Technological University An institute of technology (also referred to as technological university, technical university, university of technology, polytechnic university) is an institution of tertiary education that specializes in engineering, technology, applied science ...

* Government Technical Institute

Nursing and midwifery schools

* Taungoo Nursing Training School * Taungoo Midwifery Training School

Divinity schools

* Paku Divinity School * St. Peter's Bible School (Anglican)

Healthcare

* Taungoo General Hospital * Taungoo Railways Hospital * Taungoo Traditional Hospital * Defence Services General Hospital * Thaw Thee Kho Hospital * Kaytu Hospital * Royal Hospital * Myat Thitsar Hospital

Major sites

* Thargaya Elephant Camp * Kandawggyi Garden * Kaytumaddy Garden * Kaphaung Creek Bridge * Sittaung Bridge * Electronic Library * Taungoo Gym * Taungoo Stadium * Kha Baung Hall * Taungoo Municipal Market * Taungoo Market * Bayinnaung Market * Kayinmazay Market * New 3D Cinema * Statue of Min Gyi Nyo * Statue of Ba Yint Naung * Statue of Bogoke Aung San * Icon Shopping Center - Taungoo * Mingalar Cinemas Icon - Taungoo Bayintnaung image

Pagodas

* Shwesandaw Pagoda * Myasigon Pagoda * Kaung Mhu Daw Pagoda * Myat-Saw Nyi Naung Pagoda * Ma Har Mu Ni Kay La Zar Ti Pagoda * Nann Taw Oo Pagoda * See Gone Gyi Pagoda (Old Taungoo) * Mya Lane Da Pagoda (Old Taungoo)

Notable residents

* Dr. Saw Durmay (Po Min) (), president of Loyal Karen Association of Burma-India, owner of

white elephant A white elephant is a possession that its owner cannot dispose of without extreme difficulty, and whose cost, particularly that of maintenance, is out of proportion to its usefulness. In modern usage, it is a metaphor used to describe an object, ...

and descendant of Karen chief priest *Ringo aka Maung Maung Lwin, singer, composer, and guitarist *Kyar Pauk aka Han Htue Lwin, singer, composer, music producer, vocalist of Big Bag band and guitarist *Naw Li Zar, singer and composer *Saw Say Wah, chairman of Eastern Bago Division Anti-Drug Association and retired chief of police (deputy-director) *

Soe Pyae Thazin Soe Pyae Thazin (; born 22 September 1992) is a Myanmar Academy Award winning Burmese actress and singer. She won her first special Myanmar Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress with the film '' Moe Nya Einmet Myu'' in 2009 at the age of 1 ...

, actress

Media

*MTV or MTV1 – broadcasts in Burmese language. *MTV2 – broadcast in Burmese language and some local languages *MTV4 – 24-hour sport channel. (pay TV) *MTV3 – broadcasts in Thai, Khmer, Vietnamese and English. (pay TV) *MRTV – broadcasts in Burmese, Arakanese, Shan, Karen, Kachin, Kayah, Chin, Mon and English *MWD 1,

*MRTV

*''The Mirror'' (Burmese: ကြေးမုံ)(Burmese: ေၾကးမံု-''Kyehmonn'') – state-run daily (newspaper) *''The Voice'' (newspaper) *''Eleven'' (newspaper) *''7Days'' (newspaper) *''The New Light of Myanmar'' (Burmese: ''Myanma A-lin'') – English and Burmese language (newspaper) *''The Myanmar Times'' (Burmese: ''Myanma Taing'') – private-run English-language weekly (newspaper) *

Myanmar Radio National Service Myanmar Radio National Service (; formerly, Burma Broadcasting Service (BBS)), is the national radio service of Myanmar. It has its broadcasting headquarters in both the administrative capital of Naypyidaw and Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. The ...

(Radio) *VOA (Radio) *BBC (Radio) *Myanmar Teleport (ISP) *Information Technology Central Services (ITCS)-(ISP) *Myanmar Post and Telecommunication (MPT)- (ISP) *Mandalay FM *Shwe FM *Channel 7 – Digital broadcasting free-to-air channel *MRTV 4 – Digital and analogue free-to-air channel

Gallery

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Bago Region Populated places established in 1510 Township capitals of Myanmar 1510 establishments in Asia