Ayeyarwady Region

Bamar 4,873,027 (76.98%) and Karen 1,426,973 (22.5%) form the majority of the population, with a small minority of Rakhine (0.47%) in western coastal regions. Burmese is the lingua franca. The majority of the people are Buddhist, with small minorities of Christians, Muslims, Hindu and Baháʼís.

Religion

According to the 2014 Myanmar Census, Buddhists make up 92.2% of Ayeyawady Region's population, forming the largest religious community there.^[4] Minority religious communities include Christians (6.3%), Muslims (1.4%), and Hindus (0.1%) who collectively comprise the remainder of Ayeyawady Region's population.^[4] 0.1% of the population listed no religion, other religions, or were otherwise not enumerated.^[4]

According to the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee's 2016 statistics, 42,494 Buddhist monks were registered in Ayeyawady Region, comprising 7.9% of Myanmar's total Sangha membership, which includes both novice samanera and fully-ordained bhikkhu.^[5] The majority of monks belong to the Thudhamma Nikaya (80.1%), followed by Shwegyin Nikaya (8.3%), with the remainder of monks belonging to other small monastic orders.^[5] 5,520 thilashin were registered in Ayeyawady Region, comprising 9.1% of Myanmar's total thilashin community.^[5]

Ayeyarwady Region is heavily forested and wood products are an important component of the economy. The principal crop of Ayeyarwady Region is rice, and the division is called the “granary of Burma.” In addition to rice, other crops include maize, sesame, groundnut, sunflower, beans, pulses, and jute. Fishery is also important; Ayeyarwady Region produces fish, prawn, fish-paste, dry fish, dry prawn, and fish sauce.

Despite the importance of agriculture to the region, landlessness is high in rural households. Most farms are small; nearly half are under 5 acres. Rice paddy agriculture is dominant during the monsoon but irrigation is limited, especially in smaller farms, during the dry season. Seeds are sourced from own reserves rather than from specialized traders. Yields from farms average 3.3 tons per hectare, lower than other Asian countries.^[6]

Ayeyarwady Region also has considerable tourist potential. The city of Pathein has numerous historic sights and temples. Outside Pathein are the beach resorts of Chaungtha Beach and the lake resort of Inye Lake. Inye lake is located in Kyonpyaw township, 59 miles (95 km) north east of Pathein. Inye lake is also well known for fishery, as the major supplier of fresh water fish. Chaungtha is located in Pathein township. However, hotel and transportation infrastructure is still very poorly developed.

The Ayeyarwady delta region was traditionally part of the Mon kingdom. This area fell under Burmese (and occasional Arakan) rule from the 11th century AD. Its subsequent history mirrors that of the rest of lower Burma.

An ancient overland pre-Tang trade route from Sichuan (modern Yunnan Province) to Bengal passed through Ayeyarwady.^[7]

Cyclone Nargis

Ayeyarwady Region was the site of heavy devastation when Cyclone Nargis made landfall in early May 2008. The cyclone made landfall on the town of Wagon near Haigyi Island.^[8] Labutta Township was most heavily struck with around 80,000 deaths. The cyclone's path devastated the low-lying delta regions going through south-central Ayeyarwady Region and Bogale before entering neighbouring Yangon Region. Nargis was the most expensive tropical cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean at the time, costing $12 billion in aid.^[9]

Burma's state-controlled news media reported that Nargis left more than 66,000 people dead or missing after it struck the Irrawaddy Delta region May 2, unleashing torrential rains, 120 mph sustained winds and a 12-foot (3.7 m) storm surge. Foreign relief officials and diplomats said the death toll could exceed 100,000^[10] making it the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar^[11] The final death toll was at least 146,000 with 90,000 confirmed dead and 56,000 or more missing.^[12]

Ayeyarwady Region consists of eight districts:

• Pathein District
• Kyonpyaw District
• Hinthada District
• Labutta District
• Maubin District
• Myanaung District
• Myaungmya District
• Pyapon District

Labutta District was formed in August 2008, three months after Cyclone Nargis hit the region. Kyonpyaw District and Myanaung District are the newest districts, formed in 2019 in the lead up to the 2020 Elections

Pathein is the capital city and capital. The region consists of 26 townships and 29 cities. In the townships there are 219 wards, 1912 village groups and 11651 villages.

Executive

Ayeyarwady Region Government

Legislature

Judiciary

Ayeyarwady Region High Court

Ayeyarwady Region is served by Pathein Airport.

Bridges

• Bo Myat Tun Bridge (Nyaungdon)
• Daydalu Bridge (Pyapon)
• Dedaye Bridge (Kungyangon Township in Yangon Region and Dedaye Township in Ayeyawady Region)
• Gonnhindan Bridge
• Kanyin Bridge (Mezaligone)
• Khattiya Bridge (Maubin)
• Kyauk Chaung Gyi Bridge (Pathein)
• Kyungon Bridge
• Labutta Bridge
• Maubin Bridge (Maubin)
• Maung Bi Wa Bridge (Pathein)
• Mayan Ngu Bridge (Myaungmya)
• Myaungmya Bridge (Myaungmya)
• Natchaung Bridge (Bogalay)
• Nga Wun Bridge (Myokwin)(Ingapu)
• Ngathaingchaung Bridge
• Pinlelay Bridge
• Seikma Bridge (Bogalay)
• Shwelaung Bridge
• Thegon Bridge (Kyaunggon Township and Kangyidaunk Township)
• Uto Bridge
• Wakema Bridge

Educational opportunities in Myanmar are extremely limited outside the main cities of Yangon and Mandalay. According to official statistics, less than 10% of primary school students in the division reach high school.^[13]

Pathein University is the main university in the state, and until recently the only four-year university in the state. In recent years, the military government, which closed down universities and colleges in the 1990s to quell student unrest, has "upgraded" former colleges and two-year institutes. The government now requires that students attend their local universities and colleges, such as Hinthada University and Maubin University.

The general state of health care in Myanmar is poor. The military government spends anywhere from 0.5% to 3% of the country's GDP on health care, consistently ranking among the lowest in the world.^[14][15] Although health care is nominally free, in reality, patients have to pay for medicine and treatment, even in public clinics and hospitals. Public hospitals lack many of the basic facilities and equipment. Moreover, the health care infrastructure outside of Yangon and Mandalay is extremely poor. For example, in 2003, Ayeyarwady Region had less than a quarter of hospital beds than Yangon Region although Ayeyarwady Region had a slightly greater population.^[16]

• Laabar Baari

Media related to Ayeyarwady Region at Wikimedia Commons