Thayetmyo

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Thayetmyo is a town and district in the Minbu division of Upper Burma, in Myanmar. It is located on the right bank of the Ayeyarwady River, opposite Allanmyo.

The district has an area of 4750 square meters; the total rainfall in a sample year was about 40 inches. On the west is the Arakan Yoma range, and on the east the Pegu Yomas; and the face of the country, where it does not rise into mountains, is everywhere broken by low ranges of hills, many of which are barren and lack vegetation. The greater part of the district is wooded, and the Yomas east and west are covered with forests. The chief river is the Ayeyarwady River, which traverses Thayetmyo from north to south. The drainage finds its way to the Ayeyarwady River by three main streams (the Pwon, Ma-htun and Ma-de) on the west, and by two (the Kye-ni and Hput) on the east. Thayetmyo has several salt and hot springs; petroleum has been found (three oil-wells were sunk in 1883 at Pedaukpin, but they were found unprofitable and abandoned), and extensive lime quarries exist a few miles south of Thayetmyo. The principal wild animals have historically been elephants, rhinoceros, tigers, leopards, black bears and wild hogs. Silver pheasants and partridges are found in large numbers, especially in the mountains. The chief products are rice, cotton, oil-seeds and tobacco; cutch is also very abundant, as is the manufacture of dye-stuff. Coal has been found in the district, and earth oil-wells exist. There are 403 square meters of reserved forest.

On the annexation of Pegu by the British in 1852-53, Thayetmyo was formed into a subdivision of Prome district; and in 1870 it was erected into a separate jurisdiction and placed under a deputy-commissioner. It was formerly in the Irrawaddy division of Lower Burma, but was transferred to Upper Burma for administrative purposes in 1896.