Mon State မွန်ပြည်နယ် |
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State | ||
Myanma transcription(s) | ||
• Burmese | mwan pranynai | |
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Location of Mon State in Myanmar |
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Country | Myanmar | |
Region | South | |
Capital | Mawlamyaing (Mon: Matmalom) | |
Government | ||
• Chief Minister | Min Min Oo (NLD) | |
• Cabinet | Mon State Government | |
• Legislature | Mon State Hluttaw | |
Area | ||
• Total | 12,296.6 km2 (4,747.7 sq mi) | |
Area rank | 12th | |
Population (2014 Census) | ||
• Total | 2,054,393 | |
• Rank | 9th | |
• Density | 170/km2 (430/sq mi) | |
Demographics | ||
• Ethnicities | Mon, Bamar, Anglo-Burmese, Chin, Kachin, Kayin, Rakhine, Shan, Burmese-Thai | |
• Religions | Buddhism, Christianity | |
Time zone | MST (UTC+06:30) | |
Website | www |
Mon State (Burmese: မွန်ပြည်နယ်, pronounced: [mʊ̀ɴ pjìnɛ̀]; Mon: တွဵုရးဍုၚ်မန်၊ ရးမညဒေသ) is an administrative division of Myanmar. It lies between Kayin State to the east, the Andaman Sea to the west, Bago Region to the north and Tanintharyi Region to the south, also having a short border with Thailand's Kanchanaburi Province at its south-eastern tip. The land area is 12,155 km2. The Dawna Range, running along the eastern side of the state in a NNW–SSE direction, forms a natural border with Kayin State. Mon State includes some small islands, such as Kalegauk, Wa Kyun and Kyungyi Island, along its 566 km of coastline. The state's capital is Mawlamyaing.
Humans lived in the region that is now Myanmar as early as 11,000 years ago, but the first identifiable civilisation is that of the Mon. The Mon probably began migrating into the area eastward from eastern India in the period from 3000 BC to 1500 BC and settled in the Chao Phraya River basin of southern Thailand around the 6th century AD. The Mon moved westward into the Irrawaddy Delta of southern Myanmar in the ensuing centuries. Mon tradition holds that the Suwarnabhumi mentioned in the Edicts of Ashoka and the Dîpavamsa was their first kingdom (pronounced Suvanna Bhoum), founded around the port of Thaton in about 300 BC, however, this is disputed by scholars.