Pyapon
{{Short description|Town in Ayeyarwady Region, Myanmar}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Pyapon
| native_name = {{lang|my|ဖျာပုံမြို့}}
| official_name =
| website =
| pushpin_label_position = bottom
| pushpin_map = Myanmar
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within Myanmar
| image_skyline =
| image_map =
| map_caption =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Myanmar}}
| subdivision_type1 = State
| subdivision_name1 = {{flag|Ayeyarwady Region}}
| subdivision_type2 = District
| subdivision_name2 = Pyapon District
| subdivision_type3 = Township
| subdivision_name3 = Pyapon Township
| unit_pref = Imperial
| area_total_km2 = 10.75
| population_as_of = 2023
| population_density_km2 = auto
| coordinates = {{coord|16.2859731|95.6658123|region:MM|display=inline,title|format=dms}}
| elevation_ft = 14
| elevation_m = 4.3
| timezone = Myanmar Standard Time
| utc_offset = +6.30
| settlement_type = Town
}}
Pyapon ({{langx|my|ဖျာပုံမြို့}}; {{langx|mnw|ဖျာပုၚ်}}{{audio|LL-Q13349 (mnw)-咽頭べさ-ဖျာပုၚ်.wav|listen}}, {{IPA|/pʰja: paoŋ/}}) is a town and seat of Pyapon District as well as Pyapon Township in the Ayeyarwady Region of Myanmar, along the Pyapon River, a distributary of the Ayeyarwady River.{{Cite web| url=https://myanmar.mmtimes.com/news/128658.html | title=News Myanmar Times Magway Win Maung}} It is located about {{convert|15|km}} inland from the Andaman Sea, about {{convert|75|mi}} south of the previous capital, Yangon.{{Cite web| url=http://burmese.dvb.no/archives/265278| title=News DVB 18 April 2018}} In 2023, it had a population of 47,082. It serves as a center for collecting rice from the surrounding agricultural areas, and is home to a diesel-run power plant, using equipment by the German firm Siemens.{{citation|url=http://ayeyarwadyreo.moe.edu.mm/?page_id=1005&lang=my|title=Ayeyarwady Region Education Office Pyapon Township Local Information}}
The natural beauty of Pyapon attracts tourists to cruise nearby backwaters where nearby mangroves are home to birds, crocodiles and, occasionally, dolphins.{{cite web |title=Destination Information- Pyapon |access-date=31 January 2023 |url=https://www.pandaw.com/river-stops/pyapon |website=Pandaw |language=en}}
History
{{Historical populations
|title = Historical Population
|type =
|align =
|direction =
|width =
|state =
|shading =
|pop_name = Pyapon
|percentages =
|footnote =
|source = Britannica, General Administration Department data
|1983 | 39,862
|2019 | 47,321
|2023 | 47,082
}}
The city's name is believed to derive from the Mon name, {{lang|my|ဖျာပုၚ်}}, which literally translates to "rice market." The Mon were the first to settle the city on the Pyapon River, choosing the furthest inland a ship could travel on low tide. In 1782, Badon Min declared Pyapon as a town. The modern city of Pyapon was formally elevated to city status in 1972.{{cite report |author=Myanmar Information Management Unit |date=September 2019 |title=Pyapon Myone Daethasaingyarachatlatmya|script-title=my:ဖျာပုံမြို့နယ် ဒေသဆိုင်ရာအချက်လက်များ|trans-title=Pyapon Township Regional Information |url=https://themimu.info/sites/themimu.info/files/documents/TspProfiles_GAD_Pyapon_2019_MMR.pdf |publisher=MIMU |access-date=30 January 2022}}
In the early 20th century, Pyapon reclaimed alluvial marshlands for rice cultivation, attracting a large number of settlers.{{cite encyclopedia |title=Pyapon |last=Parrott-Sheffer |first=Chelsey |date=2009 |encyclopedia=Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Pyapon |language=en}}
Climate
{{Weather box|width=auto
|metric first=y
|single line=y
|collapsed = Y
|location = Pyapon (1981−2010)
|Jan high C = 30.7
|Feb high C = 33.0
|Mar high C = 34.6
|Apr high C = 35.5
|May high C = 32.7
|Jun high C = 30.4
|Jul high C = 29.7
|Aug high C = 29.5
|Sep high C = 30.0
|Oct high C = 31.8
|Nov high C = 32.3
|Dec high C = 30.6
|Jan mean C = 23.2
|Feb mean C = 24.6
|Mar mean C = 26.6
|Apr mean C = 28.8
|May mean C = 27.9
|Jun mean C = 26.7
|Jul mean C = 26.1
|Aug mean C = 25.9
|Sep mean C = 26.0
|Oct mean C = 27.0
|Nov mean C = 26.3
|Dec mean C = 23.9
|year mean C =
|Jan low C = 15.6
|Feb low C = 16.3
|Mar low C = 18.6
|Apr low C = 22.1
|May low C = 23.0
|Jun low C = 22.9
|Jul low C = 22.5
|Aug low C = 22.2
|Sep low C = 22.0
|Oct low C = 22.2
|Nov low C = 20.4
|Dec low C = 17.3
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 0.7
|Feb precipitation mm = 0.5
|Mar precipitation mm = 1.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 15.7
|May precipitation mm = 143.5
|Jun precipitation mm = 156.8
|Jul precipitation mm = 205.4
|Aug precipitation mm = 229.5
|Sep precipitation mm = 164.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 72.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 13.3
|Dec precipitation mm = 4.4
|unit precipitation days = 0.1 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 0.1
|Feb precipitation days = 0.1
|Mar precipitation days = 0.3
|Apr precipitation days = 0.9
|May precipitation days = 5.4
|Jun precipitation days = 7.4
|Jul precipitation days = 8.1
|Aug precipitation days = 8.4
|Sep precipitation days = 7.6
|Oct precipitation days = 4.2
|Nov precipitation days = 0.9
|Dec precipitation days = 0.3
|source 1 =NOAA {{cite web
|url = https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1981-2010/RA-II/Myanmar/48101_Phyarpon.xlsx
|title = Phyarpon Climate Normals 1981-2010
|publisher = National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
|accessdate = 16 February 2023}}
}}
Culture
Since 1878, Pyapon's theatrical troupe has hosted annual performances of the Yama Zatdaw, Myanmar's adaptation of the Ramayana, a Sanskrit epic.{{Cite web |title=Ancient theatrical tradition falls on hard times in crisis-torn Myanmar |url=https://www.rfa.org/english/news/myanmar/arts-ramayana-12162023112908.html |access-date=2023-12-29 |website=Radio Free Asia |language=en}}
Notable people
- San Hlaing, artist
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Ayeyarwady Division}}
Category:Populated places in Ayeyarwady Region
Category:Township capitals of Myanmar
{{Ayeyarwady-geo-stub}}