Kawthaung
Kawthaung
ကော့သောင်းမြို့ Kawthoung | |
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Town | |
Kawthaung | |
UTC+6.30 (MMT ) |
Kawthaung (Burmese: ကော့သောင်း; MLCTS: kau. saung:, pronounced [kɔ̰θáʊ̯ɰ̃]; Mon: ကအ်ပိ; Thai: เกาะสอง; RTGS: Ko Song, pronounced [kɔ̀ʔ sɔ̌ːŋ]; Malay: Pulodua, ڤولودوا) is a border town located in the southernmost part of Myanmar, in the Tanintharyi Region. During British rule in Burma between 1824 and 1948, it was known as Victoria Point. As of 2021, it has a population of 57,949.[1] Facing Ranong in Thailand, Kawthaung is one of 7 official border trade posts with Thailand.
History
Rakhine and Tanintharyi were transferred to British rule 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
Geography
Kawthaung is located about 10°N and 98.30°E at the mouth of
Climate
Kawthaung has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification 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 500 millimetres (20 in) falling in each month.
Climate data for Kawthaung (1991–2020, extremes 1949-present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 36.0 (96.8) |
37.0 (98.6) |
38.7 (101.7) |
39.7 (103.5) |
39.5 (103.1) |
35.5 (95.9) |
35.0 (95.0) |
35.7 (96.3) |
34.5 (94.1) |
34.5 (94.1) |
39.5 (103.1) |
39.0 (102.2) |
39.7 (103.5) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.7 (89.1) |
33.2 (91.8) |
34.2 (93.6) |
34.3 (93.7) |
32.2 (90.0) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.1 (86.2) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.2 (86.4) |
30.8 (87.4) |
30.6 (87.1) |
31.5 (88.7) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.8 (80.2) |
27.8 (82.0) |
28.7 (83.7) |
29.1 (84.4) |
27.9 (82.2) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.4 (79.5) |
26.3 (79.3) |
26 (79) |
26.1 (79.0) |
26.5 (79.7) |
26.2 (79.2) |
27.1 (80.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 21.8 (71.2) |
22.4 (72.3) |
23.3 (73.9) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.6 (72.7) |
22.2 (72.0) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.8 (71.2) |
22.6 (72.7) |
Record low °C (°F) | 15.0 (59.0) |
12.4 (54.3) |
14.0 (57.2) |
16.7 (62.1) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.5 (63.5) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.2 (57.6) |
16.5 (61.7) |
14.6 (58.3) |
12.6 (54.7) |
15.2 (59.4) |
12.4 (54.3) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 33.3 (1.31) |
11.3 (0.44) |
73.1 (2.88) |
128.6 (5.06) |
520.8 (20.50) |
681.3 (26.82) |
765.2 (30.13) |
758.9 (29.88) |
719.2 (28.31) |
461.0 (18.15) |
137.1 (5.40) |
54.8 (2.16) |
4,344.5 (171.04) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 3.1 | 1.8 | 4.4 | 9.1 | 21.1 | 22.5 | 24.5 | 24.1 | 23.9 | 20.8 | 11.6 | 5.8 | 172.6 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
72 | 72 | 72 | 75 | 83 | 87 | 87 | 89 | 88 | 86 | 81 | 76 | 81 |
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[2] | |||||||||||||
Source 2: Deutscher Wetterdienst (humidity 1951-1967)[3] Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)[4] |
Demographics
The majority of Kawthaung's population is made up of
The most common spoken language is
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.[6] In 2022, total trade volume at the border post stood at US$202.276 million.[7]
The main agriculture products are
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.[8]
An 8 megawatt coal-fired
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
Sister cities
- Ranong, Thailand
See also
References
- ^ "Population of Cities in Myanmar (2021)". worldpopulationreview.com. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Klimatafel von Victoria Point (Kawthaung) / Myanmar (Birma)" (PDF). Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world (in German). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 6 November 2018.
- ^ "Station Victoria" (in French). Meteo Climat. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
- ^ "The Peranakan Association Singapore".
- ^ "Border Trade Posts". Ministry of Commerce. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
- ^ "Border Trade Data". Ministry of Commerce. 2023-02-24. Retrieved 2023-03-05.
- ^ "Myanmar Eases Travel Restrictions", http://www.burmaboating.com/blog/2013/9/4/myanmar-eases-travel-restrictions
- ^ Aye Nai (5 March 2012). "Coal plant stirs unease in southern Burma". Democratic Voice of Burma. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
External links
- Kawthoung travel guide from Wikivoyage
- Kawthaung Map from Google Earth
- http://www.bugbitten.com/blogs/Asia/suziep_nz/Myanmar_Kawthaung.html