Kyaukpyu
| Kyaukpyu ကျောက်ဖြူမြို့ |
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 Kyaukpyu
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| Coordinates: 19°26′0″N 93°33′0″E / 19.433333°N 93.55°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Division | Rakhine State |
| District | Kyaukpyu District |
| Township | Kyaukpyu Township |
| Government | |
| • Deputy Commissioner | |
| Population (1983) | |
| • Total | 19,456 |
| • Ethnicities | Arakanese |
| • Religions | Buddhism |
| Time zone | MST (UTC+6.30) |
| Area code(s) | +95-43-46-xxx |
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2010) |
Kyaukpyu (Burmese: ကျောက်ဖြူမြို့ [tɕaʊʔpʰjú mjo̰]; also spelled Kyaukphyu) is a major town in Rakhine State, in western Myanmar. It is located on the north western corner of Yanbye Island on Combermere Bay, and is 250 miles (400 km) northwest of Yangon. The town is situated on a superb natural harbor which connects the rice trade between Calcutta and Yangon. If the June 2009 plans of the Chinese and Myanmar governments go ahead, the port of Kyaukpyu will be the terminus for Middle East and African tankers supplying oil to China. The oil will be transported by a 660 mile (1100 km) pipeline from Kyaukpyu to Kunming in China's Yunnan province. The estimated population in 1983 was 19,456 inhabitants.[2]
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[edit] Etymology
The name Kyaukpyu (lit. "white rock") is the Burmese pronunciation or the local Yangbye pronunciation of the natives of Kyaukpyu. In standard Arakanese, the town's name is pronounced Kyaukpru. The old Kyaukpyu is situated 7 miles from the present town where two colossal white rocks exist.
[edit] History
The place where the present town was originally a small fishing village. After the first Anglo-Burmese War, the British established Kyaukpyu in 1837 on the spot of the fishing village. In 1852, Kyaukphyu became a district city.[3]
On October 22, 2010, Cyclone Giri made landfall on the west coast of Myanmar just north of the town at category five strength.
In June 2007, Asia World announced that it would be building a deep sea port on Maday Island in Kyaukphyu, Rakhine State.[4]The port will be a transit point for goods destined for Yangon, Kolkata, and Chittagong.[5] In December 2008, China and Burma signed a deal to construct an oil pipeline at Kyaukphyu.[6] On 30 November 2010, the China Development Bank and Myanmar Foreign Investment Bank signed a $2.4 billion loan deal to construct a natural gas pipeline from Kyaukphyu to Yunnan province in China.[7] The pipeline is expected to be completed in 2015 and capable of transporting 400,000 barrels of oil per day.[6] These construction projects will allow China to directly obtain oil and gas from the Middle East, without circumventing through the Malacca Straits.[8]
[edit] Demographics
The town is predominantly Buddhist but there is a small Muslim community of fishermen.
[edit] Quarters or Wards
- Eastern Quarter
- Western Quarter
- Central Quarter
- Myit Nar Dan Quarter
- Zayditaung Quarter
- Asoeya Quarter
- Ayarshi Quarter
- Thanbanchaung Quarter
- Paikseik (West) Quarter
- Paikseik (East) Quarter
[edit] Attractions
- Kyaukpyu Viewpoint, or more popularly known as Point is perhaps the most well known attraction in Kyaukpyu. It is at the end of the Strand Road and looks out into the Bay of Bengal and the mouth of the Thanzit (Kyaukpyu) River.
- Gant-gaw-taw, is one of the most sacred Buddhist shrine, believed to have built in the Vesali period.
- Kyauk-ta-lone phaya, built by King Min-ba in the Mrauk U period, is the focal point of Kyaukpyu's Buddhist environment, beside Gant-gaw-taw shrine.
[edit] Education
Teacher training college (TTC) was opened in Kyaukpyu in 1953. Now, this college is known as "Kyaukpyu Education College". In 1954, Kyaukpyu Intermediate College for Arakan, the embryo of Sittwe University was opened in Kyaukpyu.
[edit] Other
Maurice Collis, a famous British writer, lived in Kyaukpyu in 1920s. His house, situated outskirts of Kyaukpyu is maintained as a historic building.
[edit] Image gallery
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- [ Satellite map at Maplandia.com]
[edit] References
- ^ "National Telephone Area Codes". Myanmar Yellow Pages. http://www.myanmar-yellowpages.com/information/page_14.asp.
- ^ "Kyaukpyu". http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/325920/Kyaukpyu. Retrieved 2010-06-27.
- ^ Kyaukpyu township Gazeteers.
- ^ "B’desh eyes deep-sea port near Myanmar". Myanmar Times. 30 July 2007. http://www.mmtimes.com/no377/b008.htm. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ Ye Lwin (16 July 2007). "Exports to get lift from new shipping companies". Myanmar Times. http://www.mmtimes.com/no375/b002.htm. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ a b Kean, Thomas (30 November 2009). "Kyaukphyu-Yunnan oil pipeline to be completed by end of 2015". Myanmar Times. http://www.mmtimes.com/no499/n013.htm. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ Shwe Gaung, Juliet (13 December 2010). "Massive loan from China to fund gas investment". Myanmar Times. http://www.mmtimes.com/2010/business/553/biz55301.html. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Kyaukphyu port has strategic value". Myanmar Times. 21 December 2009. http://www.mmtimes.com/no502/n_brief.htm. Retrieved 5 March 2012.
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