Meiktila မိတ္ထီလာမြို့ | |
|---|---|
Town | |
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  Meiktila Location in Burma | |
| Coordinates:20°53′0″N95°53′0″E / 20.88333°N 95.88333°E /20.88333; 95.88333 | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Division |  Mandalay Region |
| District | Meiktila District |
| Township | Meiktila Township |
| Population (2021) | 177,442 |
| • Ethnicities | BamarKarenShan |
| • Religions | Theravada Buddhism |
| Time zone | UTC+6.30 (MST) |
Meiktila (Burmese:မိတ္ထီလာမြို့;MLCTS:mit thi la mrui.;Burmese pronunciation:[meɪʔtʰìlàmjo̰]) is a city in centralBurma on the banks ofMeiktila Lake in theMandalay Region at the junctions of theBagan-Taunggyi,Yangon-Mandalay and Meiktila-Myingyan highways. Because of its strategic position, Meiktila is home toMyanmar Air Force's central command andMeiktila Air Force Base.[1] The country's main aerospace engineering university,Myanmar Aerospace Engineering University is also located in Meiktila. As of 2021, the city had a population of 177,442.[2]
The name Meiktila comes fromMithila, the name of an ancient Indian kingdom.
The history of Meiktila is closely tied to that of central Myanmar'sDry Zone, home of theBamar people. The region had been part of various Bamar kingdoms at least from 11th century CE to 19th century CE before theBritish Empire took over all ofUpper Myanmar in 1885.
Meiktila was part of the 1945Battle of Meiktila and Mandalay, during which theAllied forces underWilliam Slim defeated theJapanese forces. Soon after Burma's independence from Britain in 1948, Meiktila briefly fell under the insurgentKaren forces.
On 22 March 2013, a state of emergency was imposed in the town aftertwo days of anti-Muslim riots after dozens of people were killed and more than 12,000 were forced from their homes, the overwhelming majority of whom were Muslims.[3][4] This violence later spread to other places in Burma such asOkpho andGyobingauk Townships.[5]
Meiktila district is the most easterly of the districts in Myanmar's central dry zone.[6] It lies betweenWundwin, Myingyan,Yamethin, and touchesShan State on the east. The chief feature of the regionLake Meiktila, an artificialirrigation andwater reservoir, 7 miles (11 km) long, 0.5 miles (0.80 km) wide.[6] The lake is divided into two parts, north and south, by a bridge on the Meiktila-Kyaukpadaung highway.[7]: 235 Mondai dam supplies water to the lake.
Meiktila has ahot semi-arid climate (KöppenBSh), marginally too dry to qualify as atropical savanna climate (Aw). Temperatures are hot throughout the year, and the months before the monsoon (March to May) are sweltering, with average maxima around 36 °C (96.8 °F). There is a winter dry season (November–April) and a summer wet season (May–October); however the wet season rainfall is much lower than most of Indochina because of therain shadow of theArakan Mountains to the west.
| Climate data for Meiktila (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.0 (98.6) | 39.5 (103.1) | 41.5 (106.7) | 43.0 (109.4) | 44.0 (111.2) | 40.0 (104.0) | 41.2 (106.2) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.0 (98.6) | 37.0 (98.6) | 36.0 (96.8) | 36.0 (96.8) | 44.0 (111.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 30.1 (86.2) | 33.5 (92.3) | 36.9 (98.4) | 38.7 (101.7) | 36.3 (97.3) | 33.4 (92.1) | 32.9 (91.2) | 32.4 (90.3) | 32.9 (91.2) | 32.6 (90.7) | 31.2 (88.2) | 29.3 (84.7) | 33.3 (91.9) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 22.4 (72.3) | 25.1 (77.2) | 29.0 (84.2) | 31.9 (89.4) | 30.8 (87.4) | 29.1 (84.4) | 28.7 (83.7) | 28.4 (83.1) | 28.6 (83.5) | 28.0 (82.4) | 25.7 (78.3) | 22.7 (72.9) | 27.5 (81.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 14.6 (58.3) | 16.7 (62.1) | 21.2 (70.2) | 25.1 (77.2) | 25.3 (77.5) | 24.7 (76.5) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.3 (75.7) | 23.5 (74.3) | 20.1 (68.2) | 16.2 (61.2) | 21.7 (71.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 9.0 (48.2) | 10.0 (50.0) | 12.0 (53.6) | 18.3 (64.9) | 19.0 (66.2) | 20.0 (68.0) | 19.0 (66.2) | 20.2 (68.4) | 20.0 (68.0) | 16.2 (61.2) | 12.7 (54.9) | 10.0 (50.0) | 9.0 (48.2) |
| Averageprecipitation mm (inches) | 4.3 (0.17) | 1.3 (0.05) | 5.1 (0.20) | 28.7 (1.13) | 141.0 (5.55) | 110.5 (4.35) | 77.5 (3.05) | 133.5 (5.26) | 165.1 (6.50) | 152.5 (6.00) | 34.4 (1.35) | 8.0 (0.31) | 861.9 (33.93) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.6 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.5 | 9.6 | 10.1 | 9.3 | 12.9 | 12.1 | 9.9 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 71.9 |
| Source:World Meteorological Organization[8] | |||||||||||||
Meiktila has 44Buddhist pagodas as of 2020. The most well-known pagodas are located on the lakefront, although they exist throughout the town in both upland and lowland areas. Below is a table of 10 of the main pagodas in Meiktila:[7]: 235–7
| Pagoda name[7]: 237 | Location[7]: 237 | Type of structure[7]: 237–9 | Date of present structure (if listed)[7]: 240 | Donor (if known)[7]: 240 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shwe Myin Tin | Yadana Man Aung | Stupa with spire | 1112 | Narapati Sithu |
| Phaung Taw U | Myoma Lay | Stupa only | ||
| Su Taung Pyi | Myoma Lay | Stupa only | 1888 | Narapati Sithu |
| Naga Yone Maha Bodhi | Nantaw Gone | Stupa with temple | 11.5% | Narapati Sithu |
| Chantha Gyi | Ashae Byin | Stupa only | Narapati Sithu | |
| Aung Theikdi | Near Seven Waterfalls | Stupa only | 2000 | |
| Aunt Ta Ku | Nantaw Gone | Stupa only | ||
| Wun Taw Pyi | Kyitaw Gone | Stupa with temple | 1853 | Naung Taung Mya (early 1200s) |
| Shwe Saw Lu | Nantaw Gone | Stupa with spire | Saw Lu Min andNarapati Sithu | |
| Htee Thone Sint | Wunzin | Stupa with spire | 1201 | Narapati Sithu |
Other, lesser-visited pagodas include ones in the Aung Zaya and Yan Myo Aung quarters.[7]: 237
The city's well-known pagodas are Shwemyintin, Shweyinmi (asa Hteethonesint),Nagayon, Yele, Sutaung Pyi,Hpaung Daw U Pagoda and Phaungdawoo.
Meiktila is home to theMyanmar Aerospace Engineering University, a national university; and regional universities and colleges such asMeiktila University,Meiktila Institute of Economics,Computer University, Meiktila,Technological University, Meiktila andMeiktila Education College.
Of the city's six publicBasic Education High Schools,BEHS 1 Meiktila or Royal High School is considered the most selective.[citation needed]
Meiktila is home to twoMyanmar Air Force air bases:
