Pathein
Pathein
ပုသိမ်မြို့ Bassein | |
|---|---|
City | |
,_Myanmar_(Burma)_-_panoramio.jpg) Downtown Pathein, with view of Clock Tower | |
  Pathein Location of Pathein, Myanmar (Burma) | |
| Coordinates: 16°47′03″N 94°44′0″E / 16.78417°N 94.73333°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Region |  Ayeyarwady Region |
| District | Pathein District |
| Township | Pathein Township |
| Area | |
| • City | 9.79 sq mi (25.4 km2) |
| Population (2019)[1] | |
| • City | 172,923 |
| • Density | 18,000/sq mi (6,800/km2) |
| • Metro | 287,071 |
| • Ethnicities | |
| • Religions | |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MST) |
| Area code | 42[3] |
Pathein (Burmese: ပုသိမ်မြို့; MLCTS: pu. sim mrui., Burmese pronunciation: [pəθèɪ̯ɰ̃ mjo̰]; Mon: ဖာသီ, [pʰasɛm]), formerly called Bassein, is the largest city and the capital of the Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar (Burma). It is located 190 km (120 mi) west of Yangon within Pathein Township on the bank of the Pathein River (Pathein), which is a western branch of the Irrawaddy River,[4] the city had a population of 172,923 in 2019. Although once a part of the Mon kingdoms, Pathein has few ethnic Mon residents today. The majority are of Bamar with a significant Karen, Burmese Indian, Rakhine and Burmese Chinese populations .
Etymology
[edit]The city's name is believed to derive from the Old Mon name, ‹See Tfd›ဖာသီ ([pha sɛm]).[5] "pha" means great or wide and sī/sɛm means river or sea. Pha-sɛm means a big sea. The name was corrupted to Bassein during the British colonial period.
An alternate theory holds that the city's name comes from the classical name of Pathein, Kusimanagara, a name used by ancient writings and the Kalyani inscriptions. Pathein itself is a corruption of Mon "Kuthen," which itself is a contraction of Kusima or Kusimanagara, a Pali name for the city.[6][7] This is supported by the fact that the Portuguese call Pathein "Cosmim."[6]
Another theory is that modern name Pathein potentially derives from this time period based on the word Patkain, a version of the archaic Burmese word for Muslims pathi (Burmese: ပသီ), based on either the growing presence of Arab traders in Pathein during the 16th century or on a purported Muslim Indian who ruled the city around 1233 CE.[7][1]
History
[edit]
According to local history, the city was first a town called Thinsawanargara (Burmese: သဉ္စဝနာဂရ) was founded in 325 BCE by a King "Sri Dhammasoka".[1] The first extant record of a settlement in the location called Kusima in the Pali language comes from a Sri Lankan rock inscription dated to 1165 CE. It is often mentioned that the city was part of Buddhist Mon kingdoms prior to the expansion of the Bagan Empire, however detailed research into the city's history is not extensive.[7]
Pathein was raided in 1180 CE by Parakramabahu I of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa in modern-day Sri Lanka, as attested by the Devanagala Rock inscription during the Polonnaruwa-Pagan War.[8] The raid was retaliatroy against diplomatic incidents and hostility by Sithu II of Bagan, implying that Pathein was under Bagan rule by this time.[9] The Bagan conquest of Lower Burma occurred earlier in 1057 under the reign of Anawrahta. However, various historians disagree on the extent of the empire and his military campaigns.[10] The latest date that Pathein could have become part of the Bagan empire is in 1265 CE where we have the oldest Burmese record of the city's existence.[7]
Until the 15th century, most of Lower Burma was largely jungle and swamp land with little development. Burmese ports like Pathein were known by traders as early as the 10th or 11th century. However, it was only in the 14th century during the rise of the Hanthawaddy Kingdom, a Mon kingdom based on Pegu that brought Lower Burma to prominence as a trading hub.[7]
In 1852, the British established a fort and garrison in the city after the First Anglo-Burmese War. The city grew during the colonial period as the terminus of a railroad line, becoming a rice-milling and export center as a port accessible to large vehicles.[11]
Geography and economy
[edit]
Lying at the western edge of the Ayeyarwady River delta, on the Pathein (Ngawan) River 118 miles (190 km) west of Yangon, Pathein is accessible to large vessels and despite its distance from the ocean, it is the most important delta port outside of Yangon. The city is also a terminus of a branch of the main railroad line which connects it to Hinthada, Letpadan and Yangon. In the 1990s, the road network along the Irrawaddy to Monywa was improved.[4]
The coastline along the Bay of Bengal is surrounded by the Arakan Mountains. In the area is Inye Lake, 1.5 miles (2.4 km) long and 1 mile (1.6 km) wide, which is known for its fishing. There is also an offshore reef at Diamond Island that is popular with bathers. Diamond Island is also noted as a turtle breeding ground.[4]
The city is a rice-milling and export centre. Aside from several rice mills, the town has numerous sawmills and umbrella workshops. The colourful handmade parasols made in Pathein are widely known throughout Burma.[4] They are known locally as "Pathein hti".[12] Pathein is also known for its pottery and colourful hand-made baskets and buckets. Among Pathein's most prominent industries also include production of salt, mats, and Pathein halawa.[13] The textiles produced in Pathein Industrial Zone is, however, the largest industry economy of the city. After textiles, the main industry is the various rice mills that process agricultural produce from nearby villages and towns.[1]
The surrounding area outside Pathein are employed in agriculture and primarily cultivates rice. Other crops include sesames, groundnuts, jute, maize, pulse (legume)s, tobacco, chilies as well as a wide variety of fruits like banana and tamarind.[12]
Climate
[edit]Pathein has a tropical monsoon climate (Am) according to the Köppen climate classification system. Pathein experiences a sustained period of extraordinary rainfall from June through August. The dry season which runs from December through April, begins with noticeably cooler temperatures than the remainder of the year, but becomes sweltering as the wet season approaches in March and April.
| Climate data for Pathein (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.0 (98.6) |
39.7 (103.5) |
40.1 (104.2) |
41.8 (107.2) |
41.0 (105.8) |
36.4 (97.5) |
35.0 (95.0) |
34.5 (94.1) |
36.6 (97.9) |
37.8 (100.0) |
37.0 (98.6) |
36.3 (97.3) |
41.8 (107.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.1 (89.8) |
34.1 (93.4) |
35.9 (96.6) |
36.9 (98.4) |
34.5 (94.1) |
31.1 (88.0) |
30.4 (86.7) |
30.0 (86.0) |
31.1 (88.0) |
32.5 (90.5) |
33.0 (91.4) |
31.9 (89.4) |
32.8 (91.0) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) |
26.6 (79.9) |
28.8 (83.8) |
30.6 (87.1) |
29.8 (85.6) |
27.7 (81.9) |
27.1 (80.8) |
26.8 (80.2) |
27.3 (81.1) |
28.1 (82.6) |
27.4 (81.3) |
25.4 (77.7) |
27.5 (81.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 17.6 (63.7) |
19.1 (66.4) |
21.8 (71.2) |
24.3 (75.7) |
25.1 (77.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
23.8 (74.8) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.6 (74.5) |
21.9 (71.4) |
19.0 (66.2) |
22.3 (72.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 10.0 (50.0) |
11.4 (52.5) |
16.5 (61.7) |
19.2 (66.6) |
19.0 (66.2) |
18.8 (65.8) |
17.1 (62.8) |
17.7 (63.9) |
18.6 (65.5) |
16.5 (61.7) |
13.9 (57.0) |
13.3 (55.9) |
10.0 (50.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 3.8 (0.15) |
7.5 (0.30) |
10.2 (0.40) |
30.4 (1.20) |
276.0 (10.87) |
604.5 (23.80) |
682.7 (26.88) |
681.3 (26.82) |
416.7 (16.41) |
204.2 (8.04) |
65.9 (2.59) |
3.5 (0.14) |
2,986.9 (117.59) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 12.6 | 24.8 | 26.2 | 25.9 | 22.0 | 14.2 | 4.0 | 0.3 | 132.8 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[14] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: NOAA (extremes)[15] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
[edit]2014
[edit]| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | — | |
| 1983 | — | |
| 2014 | 169,773 | — |
| 2019 | 172,923 | +1.9% |
| Source: Ministry of Labor, Immigration, and Population and General Administration Departmnet data | ||
The 2014 Myanmar Census reported that Pathein had a population of 169,773, representing 59.1% of Pathein Township's total population.[2] In 2019, the population was reported as 172,923. Pathein is subdivided into 25 urban wards[1]
Landmarks
[edit]
Pathein has a scenic waterfront and many Buddhist temples, including the main sight of Shwemokhtaw Pagoda.
- Tagaung Mingala Pagoda[16]
- Settawya pagoda
- Phaung Daw U Pagoda
- Clock Tower
- St Peter's Cathedral
- Pathein University
- Pathein Cultural Museum
- Pathein Bridge No.2
Education
[edit]
The city is home to the Pathein Education College for elementary teachers and Pathein University for arts and science students. The Computer University (Pathein) which is administered by Ministry of Science and Technology offers both undergraduate and graduate programs in computer science, and computer technology. Technological University (Pathein) which was founded in 1999, offers engineering courses.
Sports
[edit]The 6,000-seat Ayar Stadium is one of the main venues for popular local football tournaments. The stadium is the home of Ayeyawady United F.C., a Myanmar National League (MNL) football club.
Health care
[edit]_-_panoramio_(4).jpg)
Pathein General Hospital serves people in Pathein and its surrounding districts.
Notable people
[edit]- Ba U, 1st Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Burma and 2nd president of Myanmar (1952–1957) was born in Pathein in 1887.[17]
- 8th president Thein Sein was born in a village nearby Hainggyikyun Subtownship in 1945[18] and studied his high school education in Pathein.[19]
- 10th president Win Myint was born in Danubyu in 1945 and started his political life in Pathein, winning the Pathein Township seat within the Pyithu Hluttaw in a 2012 by-election.[20]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]
- ^ a b c d e Myanmar Information Management Unit (September 2019). Pathein Myone Daethasaingyarachatlatmya ပုသိမ်မြို့နယ် ဒေသဆိုင်ရာအချက်လက်များ [Pathein Township Regional Information] (PDF) (Report). MIMU. Retrieved October 24, 2022.
- ^ a b "Pathein Township Report" (PDF). 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census. October 2017.
- ^ "Myanmar Area Codes". Archived from the original on 2009-12-01. Retrieved 2009-04-10.
- ^ a b c d "Pathein". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ Dictionary of Modern Spoken Mon by H.L. Shorto (1962, Oxford University Press)
- ^ a b James Gray, ed. (1892). Buddhaghosuppatti. London: Luzac & Company. p. 11.
- ^ a b c d e Hornig, Laura (2020). On Money and Metta: Economy and Morality in Urban Buddhist Myanmar. Münster: LIT Verlag. pp. 19–20. ISBN 9783643963406.
- ^ Blackburn, Anne (6 July 2015). "Buddhist Connections in the Indian Ocean: Changes in Monastic Mobility, 1000-1500". Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. 48 (3): 237–266. doi:10.1163/15685209-12341374. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Coedès, George (1968). Walter F. Vella (ed.). The Indianized States of Southeast Asia. trans.Susan Brown Cowing. University of Hawaii Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-0368-1.
- ^ Kyaw Thet (1962). History of Burma (in Burmese). Yangon: Yangon University Press. pp. 41–42.
- ^ "Bassein". The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia. New York: Columbia University Press. 2022. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b "Pathein (Bassein)". Journeysmyanmar.com. Retrieved August 21, 2009.
- ^ "မြို့သမိုင်းကြောင်းစာအုပ် ရှာပုံတော်ဖွင့်ရာ အောင်မြင်မှု မရခဲ့တဲ့ ပုသိမ်". The Myanmar Times (in Burmese). 2014-10-29. Archived from the original on 2019-11-15. Retrieved 2019-11-15.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Global Surface Summary of the Day - GSOD". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
- ^ Planet, Lonely. "Tagaung Mingala Zeditaw in Pathein, Myanmar (Burma)". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 2017-09-09.
- ^ Ba U (1958). My Burma: The Autobiography of a President. New York: Taplinger Publishing. ISBN 978-1258087005.
- ^ Keller, Bill (30 September 2012). "A Conversation with President U Thein Sein of Myanmar". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 October 2012.
- ^ Salai Thant Zin (2 December 2014). "Thein Sein Visit to Native Village Highlights Humble Beginnings". The Irrawaddy.
- ^ "Backgrounder:Myanmar's newly-elected President U Win Myint". Xinhua. 28 March 2018.
