Thandwe ("Thandway" in Arakanese; Burmese: သံတွဲမြို့; MLCTS: samtwai: mrui. [θàɰ̃dwɛ́ mjo̰]; formerly Sandoway), historically called Dwaraddy, is a town and major seaport in Rakhine State, the westernmost part of Myanmar.
Thandwe
သံတွဲမြို့ | |
|---|---|
Town | |
| Thandwe | |
  Thandwe | |
| Coordinates: 18°27′54.41″N 94°21′59.54″E / 18.4651139°N 94.3665389°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| State |  Rakhine State |
| Township | Thandwe |
| Town | Thandwe |
| Founded by | Vasudeva |
| Area | |
• Town | 3,522.798 km2 (1,360.160 sq mi) |
| Population (2014) | |
• Town | 133,484[1] |
| • Urban | 14,327 |
| Time zone | UTC6:30 (MST) |
| Postal code | 0717x |
| Calling code | 4365 |
Geography
editThandwe is very ancient, and is said to have been at one time the capital of Rakhine State, then called Arakan. The district has an area of 3,784 square miles (9,800 km2). The area is mountainous, and spurs of the Arakan Mountains reach the coast. Some of the peaks in the north are over 4,000 feet (1,200 m) high. The streams are only mountain torrents to within a few miles of the coast; the mouth of the Khwa forms a good anchorage for small boats. The rocks in the Arakan Range and its spurs are metamorphic, and include clay, slates, ironstone and indurated sandstone; towards the south, ironstone, trap and rocks of basaltic character are common; veins of steatite and white fibrous quartz are also found.[2] Between 1961 and 1990, the mean annual rainfall was 5,323 millimetres (209.6 in). Nearby Ngapali Beach is popular among tourists.
Recent history
editDuring the Myanmar civil war, the town was the site of clashes between the Arakan Army and Myanmar's military, with the Arakan Army taking control of Ngapali beach and several military outposts surrounding the town.[3][4] According to reports, the Arakan Army seized the town's prison on 15 July 2024, with the town's remaining military battalions falling the next day and giving the Arakan Army full control of the town.[5]
Climate
editThandwe has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). Temperatures are very warm throughout the year. There is a winter dry season (November–April) and a summer wet season (May–October). Torrential rain falls from June to September, with over 1,200 millimetres (47 in) falling in each of the months of June, July and August.[citation needed] The rainfall in 1905 was 230.49 inches (5,854 mm).[2]
| Climate data for Thandwe (1991–2020, extremes 1978–1994) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 37.2 (99.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
37.2 (99.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
35.0 (95.0) |
33.9 (93.0) |
36.1 (97.0) |
32.8 (91.0) |
37.8 (100.0) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 31.0 (87.8) |
32.7 (90.9) |
34.0 (93.2) |
35.2 (95.4) |
34.2 (93.6) |
30.8 (87.4) |
29.9 (85.8) |
29.9 (85.8) |
31.6 (88.9) |
33.4 (92.1) |
33.1 (91.6) |
31.8 (89.2) |
32.3 (90.1) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 21.9 (71.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
26.1 (79.0) |
28.9 (84.0) |
29.3 (84.7) |
27.3 (81.1) |
26.8 (80.2) |
26.7 (80.1) |
27.5 (81.5) |
28.2 (82.8) |
26.5 (79.7) |
23.6 (74.5) |
26.3 (79.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 12.9 (55.2) |
13.8 (56.8) |
18.2 (64.8) |
22.7 (72.9) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.9 (75.0) |
23.6 (74.5) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.5 (74.3) |
23.0 (73.4) |
20.0 (68.0) |
15.5 (59.9) |
20.4 (68.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | 7.2 (45.0) |
7.2 (45.0) |
10.0 (50.0) |
16.1 (61.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
17.8 (64.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
20.0 (68.0) |
18.9 (66.0) |
12.2 (54.0) |
8.3 (46.9) |
7.2 (45.0) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 7.5 (0.30) |
6.2 (0.24) |
3.6 (0.14) |
17.1 (0.67) |
354.2 (13.94) |
1,254.4 (49.39) |
1,521.5 (59.90) |
1,348.4 (53.09) |
627.6 (24.71) |
192.1 (7.56) |
40.3 (1.59) |
10.8 (0.43) |
5,383.7 (211.96) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 1.8 | 11.3 | 22.9 | 25.3 | 23.6 | 18.4 | 11.5 | 2.8 | 0.4 | 119.1 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[6] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial (records)[7] | |||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Population of Myanmar". Ministry of Immigration and Population (Myanmar) (in Burmese). 2014-03-29. Archived from the original on 2016-04-22. Retrieved 9 April 2016.
- ^ a b One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Sandoway". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 24 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 140.
- ^ "Fighting on Famous Ngapali Beach -AA Army tries to Knock Out 2 last Junta bases in Thandwe". Burma News International. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "AA Launches Offensive to Capture Tanungup". Burma News International. Retrieved 2024-07-08.
- ^ "AA Seizes Thandwe Prison, Consolidates Control Over Town". Burma News International. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
- ^ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ^ "Sandoway (Myanmar)" (PDF). Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas. Retrieved 13 December 2018.