Kalewa
| Tahan | |
|---|---|
| Town | |
 | |
  Tahan | |
| Coordinates: 23°12′48″N 94°19′06″E / 23.21333°N 94.31833°ECoordinates: 23°12′48″N 94°19′06″E / 23.21333°N 94.31833°E | |
| Country |
 Burma |
| Region | Central Northwestern |
| Division | Sagaing |
| District | Kale |
| Township | Kale Township |
| Time zone | MST (UTC+06:30) |
Tahan is a town at the confluence of the Chindwin River and the Myittha River in Kale District, Sagaing Division of northwestern Burma (Myanmar). It is the administrative seat of Kalewa Township.
The Indo-Myanmar Friendship Bridge across the Ṭiau river between Zokhawthar, Mizoram State, India, and Rih, Chin State, Burma, ultimately links Tahan to India's Manipur State's town of Moreh.
Climate
Tahan has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw). Temperatures are very warm throughout the year, although the winter months (December-February) are milder. The pre-monsoon months from March to May are especially hot, with maximum temperatures around 35 °C (95 °F). There is a winter dry season (November-April) and a summer wet season (May-October).
| Climate data for Tahan | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 26.1 (79) |
28.6 (83.5) |
33.5 (92.3) |
36.1 (97) |
35.5 (95.9) |
32.4 (90.3) |
31.7 (89.1) |
30.1 (86.2) |
31.2 (88.2) |
30.2 (86.4) |
27.5 (81.5) |
24.7 (76.5) |
30.63 (87.16) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 12.9 (55.2) |
13.7 (56.7) |
17.5 (63.5) |
21.9 (71.4) |
24.1 (75.4) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.6 (76.3) |
24.0 (75.2) |
23.5 (74.3) |
22.2 (72) |
18.6 (65.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
20.18 (68.34) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 2 (0.08) |
4 (0.16) |
10 (0.39) |
37 (1.46) |
162 (6.38) |
295 (11.61) |
254 (10) |
348 (13.7) |
297 (11.69) |
197 (7.76) |
54 (2.13) |
8 (0.31) |
1,668 (65.67) |
| Source: NOAA (1961-1990) [1] | |||||||||||||
Economy
Upstream from Mandalay and Monywa on the Chindwin River, Tahan is gaining importance as a staging point for trade between Burma and India (Tahan is about 150 kilometres (93 mi) from the Burma-India border at Tamu).
Tahan Bazaar (market) is well known for its variety of goods from India and Burma, as well as China, Japan and Thailand.
Education
Tahan is facilitated with theological colleges, high school, market, clinics (private and church based) and many churches.
Tahan has one high school, a few English speaking hostels, a few theological colleges, as well as clinics. Since the majority of people are Christian, they are more adapted to western culture than most Burmese. Young Christians wear western clothes and listen to western music in Tahan. Tahan also has a university located on the border with Chin State, about six miles from downtown Tahan.[2]
Religion
99% of the inhabitants of Tahan are Christian even though Burma is a Budhhist country and 90% of population are Buddhist. Only 4% of the Burmese population are Christian. There are over 50 churches in Tahan. This is the only place in Burma that a church can be seen from every street corner and where Christmas is celebrated.[3]
Many Mizos from Tahan have migrated to the United States and established two churches in the Washington D.C. area. The churches are Mizo United Methodist Fellowship (www.mizoumc.org) and Mizo Presbyterian Church (USA). Some of the Mizos believe that they are Bnei Menashe, one of the Lost Tribes of Israel; thousands of them from Mizoram migrated to Israel, and thousands more are planning to migrate.
See also
References
- ↑ "Kalewa Climate Normals 1961-1990". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved January 11, 2013.
- ↑ Lalkhianga, Kawlram Mizo Chanchin, Aizawl, Reprint 2000
- ↑ Lalthangsanga, History and Culture of Mizo.
See also
- Chaube, S.K. 1999. Hill Politics in North-east India. Patna: Orient Longman.
- Lalsiampuii, s. 1997. Mizoram. New Delhi: Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. Govt. of India.
- Johnny, N.E. 1991. Lushai custom; A monograph on Lushai customs and ceremonies. Aizwal: Tribal Research Institute.
- Tribal Research Institute. 1991. Tribal Research Institute, Directorate of Art and Culture.
- Tribal Research. 1980. The Tribes of Mizos. (A Dissertation): Tribal Research Institute.
- "The Lost Tribes of Israel", Tudor Parfitt, Phoenix, 2002. ISBN 1-84212-665-2
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