| Shan Hills | |
| ရှမ်းရိုးမ / ฉานโยมา | |
| Range | |
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Location of the Shan Hills
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| Countries | Burma, Thailand |
|---|---|
| Region | Southeast Asia |
| Part of | Indo-Malayan System |
| Borders on | Burma, Thailand, China, Laos |
| Highest point | Loi Leng |
| - elevation | 2,673 m (8,770 ft) |
| - coordinates | |
| Length | 560 km (348 mi), N/S |
| Width | 330 km (205 mi), E/W |
| Geology | Granite, limestone |
The Shan Hills (Burmese: ရှမ်းရိုးမ, Thai: ฉานโยมา), also known as Shan Highland, are part of the range of hills that extends through Yunnan to Burma and Thailand, linking to the Himalayas, of which they may be considered foothills. The highest point is Loi Leng[1] Other peaks are 2,565 m high Mong Ling Shan,[2] 2,565 m high Doi Inthanon and 2,563 m high Loi Pangnao. All are ultra prominent peaks of Southeast Asia.[3]
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The name of the range is derived from the Shan State and its peoples, said in its turn to be derived from the word "Siam",[4] that occupies most of the Shan Highland area.
The area of the Shan Highland is a combination of hill ranges, steep river valleys and a high plateau, the Shan Plateau. The Shan Hills straddle central eastern Burma and northwestern Thailand.
They rise steeply from Burma's central plain and stretch for hundreds of kilometres eastwards into Thailand's northwest. The average elevation is around 1,000 m. Its surface is cut across by steep river gorges, part of the drainage basins of the Chao Phraya, the Irrawaddy, the Sittaung and the Salween or Thanlwin River.[5] Geographically the Karen Hills are the southwestern projection of the Shan Hills.[6]
A series of mountain ranges rises in near-parallel fashion above the plateau, up to heights of 2,500 m, extending southwards from the Daen Lao Range (ทิวเขาแดนลาว) or 'Loi La Range'. This range, the southernmost of the Shan Highland system, separates the Salween watershed from the Mekong watershed. Other high peaks of these ranges are Doi Chiang Dao (2,175 m), Doi Pui (1,685 m) and Doi Suthep (1,676 m).
The Daen Lao Mountain Range begins at Chiang Saen in the east. Its western end is not clearly defined though. Some geographers include the Thanon Thong Chai Range (เทือกเขาถนนธงชัย) subsystem as part of the Daen Lao Range, connecting it with the Dawna Range in the west and with the beginning of the Tenasserim Hills further south. Doi Inthanon, the highest point in Thailand, reaching 2,565 m (8,415 ft), is part of the Thanon Thong Chai mountain range. The tallest point of the Thanon Thong Chai Range in Mae Hong Son Province is Doi Mae Ya (ยอดเขาแม่ยะ) (2,005 m), located on the eastern side of these mountains in Pai District.[7]
Geologically in the Shan Hills and their southern subranges, layers of alluvium are superimposed on hard rock.[8] Karstic ranges are common, for large tracts of the hills are limestone.
In the highlands of the Shan hills there are also lakes, like the Inle Lake near Yawnghwe.[9]
The Shan Hills is the area of Burma which accounts for most of the national potato production.[10]
In British colonial times, the main hill station in Burma, Pyin U Lwin, was built in the western region of the Shan Hills. Located at 1,000 m above sea level and about one-hour drive from Mandalay, it was one of the retreats for colonial officials escaping the heat of the Burmese summer. Pyin-U-Lwin is still famous for its botanical gardens and, like all British hill stations, has samples of colonial architecture.
The Taunggyi Bird Sanctuary, established in 1906 as the Taunggyi Wildlife Reserve was redesignated as a Bird Sanctuary in 1989.[11]