Mawlamyinegyun Township
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Mawlamyinegyun Township
မော်လမြိုင်ကျွန်းမြို့နယ် | |
|---|---|
 View of southern Mawlamyinegyun Township from the International Space Station | |
 Location in Labutta district | |
| Coordinates: 16°22′55″N 95°15′33″E / 16.3819°N 95.2592°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Region |  Ayeyarwady Region |
| District | Labutta District |
| Capital | Mawlamyinegyun |
| Area | |
• Total | 543.63 sq mi (1,408.0 km2) |
| Elevation | 7.62 ft (2.32 m) |
| Population (2023)[1] | |
• Total | 310,991 |
| • Density | 572.06/sq mi (220.88/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC+6:30 (MST) |
Mawlamyinegyun Township (Burmese: မော်လမြိုင်ကျွန်းမြို့နယ်, also called Moulmeingyun Township) is a township of Labutta District in southern Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar. The township is shortened colloquially as Mawkyun Township (Burmese: မော်ကျွန်းမြို့နယ်)[2] The township has one town, the principal town of Mawlamyinegyun, which is divided into 13 urban wards. The remainder of the township is divided into 108 village tracts grouping together 676 villages. The township borders Wakema Township to the north and is bounded by the main stream channel of the Irrawaddy River to the east, separating it from Kyaiklat Township and Bogale Township. To its southwest, it borders Labutta Township[1]
The township's name in Burmese literally translates as Mawlamyine Island The island's name comes from initial settlers finding a field of cosmos flowers, which in Burmese is called the mawlamyine flower, which is in turn named after the city of Mawlamyine.[3]
The town of Mawlamyinegyun was founded during the reign of Thibaw Min during the Konbaung Dynasty in 1878 as a logging settlement. The town grew in prominence in the 1880s after the Third Anglo-Burmese War.[3] In 1972, the Ministry of Home Affairs would designate it as a new town. It took until 2010 for all township administrative offices to be established in the town.[1] Prior to the formation of Labutta District, the township was part of Wakema Township in the Myaungmya District. The township was known for having the highest tier of rice production, with several mills in the mid 20th century.[3]
The township was hit hard by Cyclone Nargis in 2008 and continues to suffer significant flooding, including saltwater intrusion into agricultural fields. The growing season is highly limited by flooding in the area. Social cohesion and religiosity has decreased since 2008 from the combined pressures of modernisation and continued natural disaster impact.[4]
During the current Myanmar civil war, the township's People's Army leader was shot at and wounded by resistance forces on 8 November 2021.[5] In 2024, officials demanded up to 1.5 million kyats from the family of those found to be avoiding conscription.[6]
Geography
The township lies in the south of the flat low-lying Irrawaddy Delta and has many waterways. The main Irrawaddy River forms its far eastern boundary with its other distributaries forming major rivers within the township including the Razudai, the Tonle, Sawke and Kwechan rivers. The township's only land border is to its southwest with Labutta Township, which still lies on a deltaic island.[1]
The township has three protected forest reserves in the south protecting mangrove forests, covering 9.2% of the township's area. Overall, 84.7% of the township remains forested with plant species including nipa palms, Kyana and red mangroves. These habitats are home to various snakes, monitor lizards and wild boars.[1]
Demographics
| Year | Mawlamyinegyun Township | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1956 | 89,593 | — |
| 1973 | 179,111 | +99.9% |
| 1983 | 223,366 | +24.7% |
| 2014 | 311,340 | +39.4% |
| 2018 | 315,187 | +1.2% |
| 2019 | 325,424 | +3.2% |
| 2022 | 310,983 | −4.4% |
| 2023 | 310,991 | +0.0% |
| Source: [1][7][8][9][10][3] | ||
The township is largely rural with 88.1% of the population in 2023 living outside the singular urban area of the town of Mawlamyinegyun.[1] According to the 2014 Myanmar census, the township had a mean household size of 4.1 persons and a median age of 26.6 years. About 37% of the population relied on boats as their primarily means of transportation. The township only had an electrification rate of 5% and only 236 people relied on it as their main source of energy for cooking. However, 59.6% of households had at least one electronic item, usually a radio or television set. Additionally, only 76% of the population had access to either a water seal pit latrine or a flush toilet.[11]
In 2019, the township had a 26.4% graduation rate from university.[7] In 2022, the higher education rate had increased to 45.72% despite having no higher education institutions in the township. As of 2023, the township was 89.3% Bamar with 10.0% Karen people making up the largest minority. The predominant religion is Buddhism followed by 94.3% of the township with Christianity coming second at 4.6% of the population.[1]
