| STATE & DIVISION |
| KAYIN STATE |
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Location: Located between latitudes 15° 45'
north and 19° 25' north and longitudes 96° 10' east and 98° 28' east. Kayin
State shares the border with Yamethin District, Shan State and Kayah State in
the north, Toungoo, Thaton and Mawlamyine districts in the west, Ye Township in
the south and Thailand in the east. The area of the State is 11,731 sq.miles. |
Kayin State has a hot and humid climate because of the
mountain ranges that lie in its backdrop and its location, which is near the
sea, in the tropics. The temperature of the hottest month in eastern mountain
regions never falls below 71.9° F. Lowlands in the west and south of the state
are located in the tropical monsoon climate. The lowest annual rainfall in the
region is 120 inches and the highest is 190 inches. The regions get most of the
rain in summer. |
Some of the rivers and creeks in Kayin State are flowing
from south to north due to the location of mountains. The main rivers in the
state are Thanlwin, Thaungyin and Attaran rivers. |
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Population, inhabitant, languages and religion:
National races such as Kayin. Bamar, Pa-O, Shan, Mon and Rakhine are residing
in the state which has a population of 1,431,377. The main religions are
Buddhism, Christian and Leke. |
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The word Kayin is the collective name for all or Sawhaw
(Sakaw) Sho (Poe) and Bwe national races. Descended from Tibet-Myanmar dialect
group, Kayins gradually entered Myanmar in Seventh AD or Eighth AD from east of
Toungoo. The six different families of Kayin nationals are Sawhaw (Sakaw) Sho
(Poe), Bwe Padaung Kayinni and Zayein. They can be also defined as northern
Kayins and southern Kayins based on the regions they are living in. Bwes are
northern Kayins and Sawhaws (Sakaws) and Shos (Poes) are southern Kayins. |
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Though there are differences in tone and accent in
dialects of various groups of the Kayin family, they all came from the same
origin. |
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Formation of districts, townships and villages: Total
area of Kayin State is 11,731 square-miles. There are 410 wards and
village-tracts and seven townships under Hpa-an District, Kawkareik District
and Myawady District. The capital of Kayin State is Hpa-an. |
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Sown acreage and produce: Kayin State has a
cultivated area of nearly 700,000 acres. The state grows over 300,000 acres of
monsoon paddy yearly, with an annual yield of 14.5 million baskets. There are
over 10,000 acres of silted-land farms and over 5,000 acres of garden farms. As
the state gets large amount of rain every year, monsoon crops do not need
irrigation. Only could seasonal crops are cultivated with irrigated water. |
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Paddy is the main crop of Kayin State. Winter
groundnut is cultivated on silted-land and monsoon groundnut at hill-side
farms. Other crops grown in the region are sesame, beans and pulses, sugarcane,
rubber, areca, coffee, coconut and fruits. |
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Other Products: Minerals such as iron,
lead, copper, tin, coal and antimony are mined in the state. |
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Traditional and cultural : Hpasi
(ceremonial bronze drum) is the symbol of Kayin culture. Kayin don is a popular
dance. The religious or traditional festivals are, Kayin New Year Day
celebrations, ceremonial house-warming ceremonies, sand pagoda festival, Kayin
campfire festivity, the festival to summon the spirits, boat floating festival
and bone collecting ceremony. Farm festivals are harvesting festival and
various festivals to offer food to spirits. |
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Historical sites and places of interest: The
magnificent Zwegabin Hill is an attractive place for visitors and Kawtgon Cave
is also a place of interest. |
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TV re-transmission stations: TV re-transmission
stations were opened in Myawady on 28 June 1996, in Myainggyingu Special
Region, Hlaingbwe Township, on 6 July 1996, in Kya-in-Seikkyi on 18 July 1996,
in Papon on 9 march 1994, at Payathonzu on 18 September 1996 and in Kyondoe on
11 July 1996. |
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