| Pegu Range | |
|---|---|
| ပဲခူးရိုးမ | |
 Mount Popa | |
| Highest point | |
| Peak | Mount Popa |
| Elevation | 1,518 m (4,980 ft) |
| Coordinates | 20°55′27″N95°15′02″E / 20.92417°N 95.25056°E /20.92417; 95.25056 |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 475 km (295 mi) N/S |
| Width | 60 km (37 mi) E/W |
| Geography | |
  Pegu Range Location in Myanmar | |
| Country | Burma |
| Range coordinates | 20°55.3′N95°14.9′E / 20.9217°N 95.2483°E /20.9217; 95.2483 |
ThePegu Range (Burmese:ပဲခူးရိုးမ;Pegu Yoma orBago Yoma) is a range of low mountains or hills[1] and uplands[2] between theIrrawaddy and theSittaung River in centralBurma (Myanmar). The range runs fromMount Popa in the north toSinguttara Hill (Theingottara Hill) in the south. Both thePegu River and the Sittaung River originate in the Pegu Range.
Among the notable peaks or hilltops are 1,518 metres (4,980 ft) highMount Popa, astratovolcano,[3] Sinnamaung Taung 2,693 feet (820 m),Shwenape Taung 2,631feet (802 m), TALAN Taung 2,050 feet (625 m), Binhontaung 2,003 feet (611 m),[4] Kodittaung 1,885 feet (575 m),[4] Phoe-Oo Taung[3] and Singguttara Hill (Theingottara Hill).[3]
The Pegu Range consists of folded and faultedPaleogenemarine sediments combined with more recentvolcanics.[citation needed]
TheShwedagon Pagoda was built sometime before 1000 A.D. onSinguttara Hill.
The Pegu Range was the original site of the 1930–1931Saya San uprising against theBritish. Saya San raised the flag of independence on Alantaung Hill nearTharrawaddy.[5]
Later the Pegu Range became a center for theCommunist Party of Burma.[6]
The northern end of the Pegu merges into the BurmeseDry Zone, while in the south there is over 80 inches (2,000 mm) of rainfall a year.[7] The hills of the Pegu Range were originally heavily forested withteak and other commercially exploitable hardwoods.[1][7] The southern forests were "ironwood forests", while the central and northern forests were teak.[8] Extensive logging has caused the presentdeforestation and increased erosion in the area.[citation needed]
In 2016, the National League for Democracy government imposed a one-year moratorium on logging throughout the country, and was extended to a decade for the Pegu Range due to the extent of deforestation there.[9]
In the aftermath of the2021 Myanmar coup d'état, illegal logging ofteak and deforestation of the mountain's forests has intensified, involving both themilitary junta and the resistancePeople's Defence Force.[9]
