Pegu Range
{{Short description|Mountain range in Myanmar}}
{{Infobox mountain
| name=Pegu Range
| other_name=ပဲခူးရိုးမ
| photo=Mount popa.JPG
| photo_caption=Mount Popa
| country= Burma
| region=
| parent=
| border=
| geology=
| period=
| orogeny=
| highest=Mount Popa
| elevation_m=1518
|coordinates = {{coord|20|55|27|N|95|15|02|E|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline}}
|range_coordinates = {{coord|20|55.3|N|95|14.9|E|type:mountain|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| length_km= 475| length_orientation=N/S
| width_km= 60 | width_orientation=E/W
| map=Myanmar
| map_caption=Location in Myanmar
}}
The Pegu Range ({{langx|my|ပဲခူးရိုးမ}}; Pegu Yoma or Bago Yoma) is a range of low mountains or hillsSeekins, Donald M. (2006) Historical dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zY5F88wiDYYC&pg=PA357 page 357], {{ISBN|0-8108-5476-7}} and uplandsSeekins, Donald M. (2006) Historical dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zY5F88wiDYYC&pg=PA191 page 191], {{ISBN|0-8108-5476-7}} between the Irrawaddy and the Sittaung River in central Burma (Myanmar). The range runs from Mount Popa in the north to Singuttara Hill (Theingottara Hill) in the south. Both the Pegu River and the Sittaung River originate in the Pegu Range.
High points
Among the notable peaks or hilltops are {{convert|1518|m}} high Mount Popa, a stratovolcano,Moore, Elizabeth H. (2007) Early landscapes of Myanmar River Books, Bangkok, page 44, {{ISBN|974-9863-31-3}} Sinnamaung Taung 2,693 feet (820 m), Shwenape Taung 2,631feet (802 m), TALAN Taung 2,050 feet (625 m), Binhontaung {{convert|2003|ft}},topographic map, 1:250,000 [http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/ams/burma/txu-oclc-6924198-ne46-4.jpg Thayetmyo, Burma, NE 46-4], Series U542, United States Army Map Service, October 1959 Kodittaung {{convert|1885|ft}}, Phoe-Oo Taung and Singguttara Hill (Theingottara Hill).
Geology
The Pegu Range consists of folded and faulted Paleogene marine sediments combined with more recent volcanics.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
History
The Shwedagon Pagoda was built sometime before 1000 A.D. on Singuttara Hill.
The Pegu Range was the original site of the 1930–1931 Saya San uprising against the British. Saya San raised the flag of independence on Alantaung Hill near Tharrawaddy.Ghosh, Parimal (2000) Brave men of the hills: resistance and rebellion in Burma, 1825–1932 University of Hawai'i Press, Honolulu, Hawaii, [https://books.google.com/books?id=RrWc4e0bBVAC&pg=PA174 page 174], {{ISBN|0-8248-2207-2}}
Later the Pegu Range became a center for the Communist Party of Burma.Seekins, Donald M. (2006) Historical dictionary of Burma (Myanmar) Scarecrow Press, Lanham, Maryland, [https://books.google.com/books?id=zY5F88wiDYYC&pg=PA151 page 151], {{ISBN|0-8108-5476-7}}
Ecology
{{See also|Teak in Myanmar}}
The northern end of the Pegu merges into the Burmese Dry Zone, while in the south there is over {{convert|80|in}} of rainfall a year.Stamp, L. Dudley (1930) "Burma: An Undeveloped Monsoon Country" Geographical Review 20(1): pp.86-109, page 105 The hills of the Pegu Range were originally heavily forested with teak and other commercially exploitable hardwoods. The southern forests were "ironwood forests", while the central and northern forests were teak.de Terra, Hellmut (1944) "Component Geographic Factors of the Natural Regions of Burma" Annals of the Association of American Geographers 34(2): pp. 67-96, page 82 Extensive logging has caused the present deforestation and increased erosion in the area.{{Citation needed|date=May 2024}}
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.{{Cite web |last=Frontier |date=2025-05-09 |title=Logged out: Conflict drives deforestation in Bago mountains |url=https://www.frontiermyanmar.net/en/logged-out-conflict-drives-deforestation-in-bago-mountains/ |access-date=2025-05-14 |website=Frontier Myanmar |language=en-US}}
In the aftermath of the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, illegal logging of teak and deforestation of the mountain's forests has intensified, involving both the military junta and the resistance People's Defence Force.
Notes
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