Tanintharyi Region Overview
Tanintharyi Region is an administrative region of Myanmar, covering the long narrow southern part of the country on the Kra Isthmus. It borders the Andaman Sea to the west and the Tenasserim Hills, beyond which lie Thailand, to the east. To the north is the Mon State. There are many islands off the coast, the large Mergui Archipelago in the southern and central coastal areas and the smaller Moscos Islands off the northern shores. The capital of the division is Dawei (Tavoy). Other important cities include Myeik (Mergui) and Kawthaung. The division covers an area of 43,344.9 km², and had a population of 1,406,434 at the 2014 Census.
Tanintharyi Province lies at the southern end of Myanmar, close to the sea, which is a major part of its economy.
The plentiful natural resources from this region, mostly the jewels, are very popular not only in Myanmar but also around the world. Famous mines in this region include Heinda, Hamyingyi, Kanbauk, Yawa, Kyaukmetaung, Nanthida and Yadanabon, where lot of metals can be found. Pearls cultured at the Pearl Island creates much budget obtained from foreign countries at the Myanmar Gems Emporia. Those jewels are distributed many parts of Myanmar and other countries either.
Figuratively, Tanintharyi region can be called the big oil pot of Myanmar, because an edible vegetable oil derived from the fruit of the oil palms is grown mainly in this region. Because of the suitable climate, rubber trees can be grown in Tanintharyi as well.
It is also a source of many products. For the sea fishing industry, they are being arranged along Tanintharyi coast not only for consumers from Myanmar but also for export mostly to Thailand. Birds' nest is also being gathered from offshore islands. This part of the country is the main fishery product market of Myanmar. Food such as dried fish, dried prawn, dried shrimp and Ngapi (shrimp paste) are popularly derived from this region.
======================================================================
