Sagaing Division

စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်း Sagaing Division (MLCTS: sackuing: tuing:)
Capital	Sagaing
Region	Central Northwestern
Area	93,527 km²
Population	5,300,000 (1996)
Ethnicities	Bamar, Shan, Naga, Chin
Religions	Buddhism, Christianity, animism

Sagaing Division (Burmese: စစ်ကိုင်းတိုင်း) is an administrative division of Myanmar, located in the north-western part of the country between latitude 21° 30' north and longitude 94° 97' east. It is bordered by India’s Nagaland and Manipur States to the north, Kachin State, Shan State, and Mandalay Division to the east, Mandalay Division and Magway Division to the south, with the Ayeyarwady River forming a greater part of its eastern and also southern boundary, and Chin State and India to the west. The division has an area of 93,527 km², and population (1996) of over 5,300,000. The capital is Sagaing.

History

The Pyu were the first to in recorded history to populate the area of Sagaing Division by the 1st century CE. The Bamar (Burmans) first migrated into Upper Myanmar by 7th century CE. The area came under the Pagan Kingdom certainly by the middle of 11th century when King Anawrahta (r. 1044-1077) founded the Pagan Empire, which encompasses the modern day Myanmar.

After the fall of Pagan in 1287, the northwestern parts of Upper Myanmar came under the Sagaing Kingdom (1315-1364) ruled by Burmanized Shan kings. The area was ruled by the kings of Ava from 1364 to 1555 and the kings of Taungoo from 1555 to 1752. Konbaung Dynasty (1752-1885), founded by king Alaungpaya in Shwebo, became the last Burmese dynasty before the British conquest of Upper Burma in 1885. The area became Sagaing Division after the Burmese independence in January 1948.

Administration

Sagaing Division consists of eight districts divided into 37 townships^[1] with 198 wards and villages. The major cities are Sagaing, Monywa, Shwebo, Katha, Kale, Tamu, Mawlaik and Hkamti. Mingun with its famous bell is located near Sagaing but can be reached across the Ayeyarwady from Mandalay. The districts are Sagaing, Shwebo, Monywa, Katha, Kale (Kalemyo), Tamu, Mawlaik and Hkamti.^[2] The townships^[1] are:

Demographics

The Bamar (Burmans) are the majority ethnic group in the dry regions and along the Mandalay-Myitkyina Railroad. Shan live in the upper Chindwin River valley. A sizable minority of Naga resides in the north of north-west mountain ranges and Chin in the south. Smaller ethnic groups native to the Division include the Kadu and Ganang, who live in the upper Mu River valley and Meza River valley.

Ecology

There are a number of protected areas in Sagaing Division, among them are Alaungdaw Kathapa National Park, Chatthin Wildlife Sanctuary,^[3] Mahamyaing Wildlife Sanctuary,^[4][5] and Htamanthi Wildlife Sanctuary in Homalin Township.^[6]

Transport

Sagaing

Hemmed in by two great rivers of Myanmar, the Ayeyarwady and the Chindwin, river transport is a common way to move people and cargo. Much of the inland Sagaing Division relies on roads and rail in poor condition.

Economy

Agriculture is the chief occupation. The leading crop is rice, which occupies most of the arable ground. Other crops include wheat, sesame, peanut, pulses, cotton, and tobacco. Sagaing is Myanmar’s leading producer of wheat, contributing more than 80% of the country's total production. Forestry is important in the wetter upper regions along the Chindwin River, with teak and other hardwoods extracted. As in other parts of the country, reforestation is not effective enough to maintain sustainable forestry. Important minerals include gold, coal, salt and small amounts of petroleum. Industry includes textiles, copper refining, gold smelting, and a diesel engine plant. The Division has many rice mills, edible oil mills, saw mills, cotton mills, and mechanized weaving factories. Local industry includes earthen pots, silverware, bronze-wares, iron-wares and lacquerware.

Education

Educational opportunities in Myanmar are extremely limited outside the main cities of Yangon and Mandalay. According to official statistics, less than 10% of primary school students in Sagaing Division reach high school.^[7]

Sagaing Division has two national "professional" universities in the Monywa Institute of Economics and the Sagaing Institute of Education. Monywa University is the main liberal arts university in the division.

Health care

The general state of health care in Myanmar is poor. The military government spends anywhere from 0.5% to 3% of the country's GDP on health care, consistently ranking among the lowest in the world.^[8][9] Although health care is nominally free, in reality, patients have to pay for medicine and treatment, even in public clinics and hospitals. Public hospitals lack many of the basic facilities and equipment. Moreover, the health care infrastructure outside of Yangon and Mandalay is extremely poor. In 2003, Sagaing Division had less than a quarter of hospital beds than Yangon Division with a similar size of population.^[10]

References

v • d • e Administrative divisions of Burma (Myanmar) States Chin · Kachin · Kayah · Kayin · Mon · Rakhine · Shan Divisions Ayeyarwady · Bago · Magway · Mandalay · Sagaing · Tanintharyi · Yangon

Coordinates: 21°30′N 95°37′E / 21.5°N 95.617°E / 21.5; 95.617