Hpa-an | |
|---|---|
Capital Town | |
 | |
  Hpa-an Location in Myanmar (Burma) | |
| Coordinates:16°53′26″N97°38′0″E / 16.89056°N 97.63333°E /16.89056; 97.63333 | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Division |  Kayin State |
| District | Hpa-an District |
| Township | Hpa-an Township |
| Population (2014 census) | |
• Total | 421,525 |
| • Ethnicities | |
| • Religions | |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MMT) |
| Area code | 58[1] |
| Website | Myanmar |
Hpa-an (Burmese:ဘားအံမြို့,[pʰəʔàɰ̃mjo̰];Pwo Eastern Karen:ဍုံထ်ုအင်;S'gaw Karen:ဖၣ်အၣ်ဝ့ၢ်, also spelledPa-an) is a large city in southeasternMyanmar and the capital and largest city ofKayin State (Karen State). The population as of the 2014 census was 421,575, mostly of the Karen ethnic group.Hpa-An has surpassed Taunggyi as the fifth largest city in Myanmar.
Legend has it that Hpa-An was created by the dragon king and the frog king. King Mandu (မဏ္ဍုဖားမင်းကြီး), a giant frog lived the top of theMount Hpan Pu. One day, while out searching for food, he saw a large magic ruby with an emerald club placed on the throne in the foot cave of Mount Hpan Pu, and the frog king thought the ruby was his food and swallowed it. He gained powers by swallowing the magic ruby and was able to resist his enemy, the dragon king. The place where the dragon king vomited the frog king is therefore called Hpa-An (lit. 'vomit frog').[2] The impressive statues of these figures can be seen in theShwe Yin Myaw Pagoda's compound.
Hpa-An has an extremetropical monsoon climate (KöppenAm). Temperatures are hot throughout the year, although maximum temperatures are somewhat depressed in the monsoon season due to heavy cloud and rain. There is a winter dry season (November–April) and a summer wet season (May–October). Torrential rain falls from June to September, with over 1,100 millimetres (43 in) per month in July and August.
| Climate data for Hpa-An (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 34.0 (93.2) | 35.9 (96.6) | 37.3 (99.1) | 37.9 (100.2) | 33.9 (93.0) | 30.2 (86.4) | 29.2 (84.6) | 28.9 (84.0) | 31.0 (87.8) | 34.0 (93.2) | 34.6 (94.3) | 33.6 (92.5) | 33.4 (92.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 26.0 (78.8) | 27.5 (81.5) | 29.6 (85.3) | 31.1 (88.0) | 29.1 (84.4) | 26.9 (80.4) | 26.3 (79.3) | 26.2 (79.2) | 27.3 (81.1) | 28.9 (84.0) | 28.3 (82.9) | 26.3 (79.3) | 27.8 (82.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 18.0 (64.4) | 19.0 (66.2) | 21.9 (71.4) | 24.4 (75.9) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.7 (74.7) | 23.8 (74.8) | 22.0 (71.6) | 19.0 (66.2) | 22.2 (72.0) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 8.5 (0.33) | 3.0 (0.12) | 17.2 (0.68) | 43.5 (1.71) | 380.4 (14.98) | 845.8 (33.30) | 1,126.6 (44.35) | 1,120.2 (44.10) | 614.1 (24.18) | 189.1 (7.44) | 27.8 (1.09) | 15.3 (0.60) | 4,391.3 (172.89) |
| Average rainy days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.5 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 3.9 | 18.1 | 26.8 | 28.5 | 28.8 | 23.8 | 12.1 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 147.3 |
| Source:World Meteorological Organization[3] | |||||||||||||
Hpa-An was linked toYangon,Mawlamyine andHpapun by air but the airport ceased operations.
There are express buses from Hpa-An toYangon,Mawlamyine, the border crossing atMyawaddy and other towns.
The majority of residents areTheravada Buddhists, followed by Baptist, Anglican and Roman Catholics.
Kayin State Cultural Museum is located in Hpa-An.Mount Zwegabin andMount Taung Wine are attractive places for visitors, as well asKyauk Ka Lat Pagoda in which the sacred hair relic of Buddha is enshrined. Hpa An is famous for many limestone caves, like
Such caves are well worth visiting because of their incredibly beautiful landscapes and ancient Buddha images and other cultural items in them which were once less known due to regional instability.TheShwe Yin Myaw Pagoda andThit Hta Man Aung Pagoda are in the center of Hpa-an. Enjoying the beauty of Than Lwin River from the platform of the pagoda is an opportunity that should not be missed. Other interesting places areKyone Htaw Waterfall which is 2 hours driving from Hpa-an, and the Saddan Cave (mentioned above) which is the biggest and longest cave in Kayin State.[4] The beautifulKan Thar Yar Lake and its bridge are the heart ofKayin State.
Zwegabin United FC founded in 2010, is based in Hpa-An. The club is competing inMyanmar National League.
Mount Zwegabin is around 8.5 km south of Hpa An. It is visited by tourists for its views and natural environment.[5]
At Bayint Nyi cave (literally: "King's Younger Brother cave"), a climbing site developed with support from The Technical Climbing Club of Myanmar (TCCM) and a number of expats in Yangon who belong to Myanmar Rock Community (MRC), is an ongoing project having started in 2015. The club is now beginning to attract interest from local people which is helping fuel a growing interest in the sport of rock climbing around Myanmar.[6][7]
Capital:Hpa-an | ||
| Hpa-an District |   | |
| Hpapun District | ||
| Thandaunggyi District | ||
| Kawkareik District | ||
| Kyain Seikgyi District | ||
| Myawaddy District | ||
| Cities and towns | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
