Bago Region
Bago Region
ပဲခူးတိုင်းဒေသကြီး | |
|---|---|
| Myanma transcription(s) | |
| • Burmese | pai: hku: tuing: desa. kri: |
 Location of Bago Region in Myanmar | |
| Coordinates: 18°15′N 96°0′E / 18.250°N 96.000°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Region | Lower |
| Capital | Bago |
| Government | |
| • Chief Minister | Myo Swe Win |
| • Cabinet | Bago Region Government |
| • Legislature | Bago Region Hluttaw |
| • Judiciary | Bago Region High Court |
| Area | |
• Total | 39,402.3 km2 (15,213.3 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 6th |
| Highest elevation (Yomakyo) | 1,889 m (6,198 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 4,867,373 |
| • Rank | 6th |
| • Density | 123.530/km2 (319.942/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Bagoan |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnicities | Bamar, Kayin, Mon, Shan, Indians, Chinese, Pa'O |
| • Religions | Buddhism 93.5% Christianity 2.9% Hinduism 2.0% Islam 1.3% Others 0.3% |
| Time zone | UTC+06:30 (MST) |
| HDI (2017) | 0.547[2] low · 9th |
| Website | bagoregion |
Bago Region (Burmese: ပဲခူးတိုင်းဒေသကြီး, pronounced [bəɡó táɪɰ̃ dèθa̰ dʑí]; formerly Pegu Division and Bago Division) is an administrative region of Myanmar, located in the southern central part of the country. It is bordered by Magway Region and Mandalay Region to the north; Kayin State, Mon State and the Gulf of Martaban to the east; Yangon Region to the south and Ayeyarwady Region and Rakhine State to the west. It is located between 46°45' N and 19°20' N and 94°35' E and 97°10' E. It has a population of 4,867,373 (2014).
History
[edit]According to legend, two Mon princes from Thaton founded the city of Bago in 573 AD. They saw a female Hamsa standing on the back of a male Hamsa on an island in a huge lake. Believing this was an auspicious omen, the princes built a city called Hanthawady (Pali: Haṃsāvatī) on the edge of the lake.
The Persian geographer Ibn Khordadbeh mentions the city around 850 AD. The Mon capital was still in Thaton at that time. The Thiruvalangadu plate describes Rajendra Chola I, the Chola Emperor from South India, as having conquered "Kadaram" in the fourteenth year of his reign- 1028 CE. According to one interpretation, Kadaram refers to Bago.[3][4] More modern interpretations understand Kadaram to be Kedah in modern-day Malaysia, instead of Bago.[3] The earliest reliable external record of Bago comes from Chinese sources that mention Jayavarman VII adding Pegu to the territory of the Khmer Empire in 1195.[5] The Bamar from Bagan ruled the area in 1056. After the collapse of Bagan to the Mongols in 1287, the Mon regained their independence.
From 1369 to 1539, Hanthawady was the capital of the Hanthawaddy kingdom, which covered all of what is now lower Burma. The area came under Burman control again in 1539, when it was annexed by King Tabinshwehti of Kingdom of Taungoo. The kings of Taungoo made Bago their royal capital from 1539 to 1599, and used it as a base for their repeated invasions of Siam. As a major seaport, the city was frequently visited by Europeans, who commented on its magnificence. The Burmese capital was relocated to Ava in 1634. In 1740, the Mon revolted and briefly regained their independence, but the Burmese King Alaungpaya sacked and destroyed the city (along with Mon independence) in 1757.
Burmese King Bodawpaya (1782–1819) rebuilt Bago, but by then the river had shifted course, cutting the city off from the sea. It never regained its previous importance. After the Second Anglo-Burmese War, the British annexed Bago in 1852. In 1862, with the formation of the province of British Burma, the capital was moved to Yangon.
Administrative divisions
[edit]
Bago Region occupies an area of 39,400 square kilometres (15,214 sq mi) divided into the six districts of Bago, Pyay, Tharrawaddy, Taungoo, Nyaunglebin and Nattalin. Bago, the divisional capital, is the fourth largest town of Burma. Other major cities include Taungoo and Pyay.
Bago Region's seal are two sibling hintha (hamsa), due to historic Mon influences in the area.
Government
[edit]Executive
[edit]The Bago Region Government is the government of Bago Region, responsible for the region's governance. It is led by the Chief Minister of Bago Region. Before 2026, the region was administered by the SAC (State Administration Council), following the 2021 Myanmar coup.
Legislature
[edit]The Bago Region Hluttaw is the legislature of Bago Region, responsible for local governance, passing regional laws, approving localized budgets, and overseeing the region cabinet. The Hluttaw has 76 seats and is unicameral. The latest election for the Bago Region Hluttaw concluded in 2026.
Judiciary
[edit]![[icon]](https://lowyatch.pages.dev/bl-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding missing information. (July 2015) |
Bago Region High Court is the region's highest-level court.
Transport
[edit]Bago Region is served by Pyay Airport.
Demographics
[edit]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 3,179,604 | — |
| 1983 | 3,799,791 | +19.5% |
| 2014 | 4,867,373 | +28.1% |
| Source: 2014 Myanmar Census[1] | ||
The total population of Bago Region is 4,863,455 according to 2014 Burma Census.Burmese language is the lingua franca.
Ethnic makeup
[edit]The Bamar make up the majority of the region's population. The Karen are the region's largest minority. Other represented ethnic groups include the Mon, Chin, Rakhine, Shan, South Asians, Chinese, and Pa-O.
After the 2014 Census in Myanmar, the Burmese government indefinitely withheld release of detailed ethnicity data, citing concerns around political and social concerns surrounding the issue of ethnicity in Myanmar.[6][7] In 2022, researchers published an analysis of the General Administration Department's nationwide 2018-2019 township reports to tabulate the ethnic makeup of the region.[8][9]
Religion
[edit]- Buddhism (93.5%)
- Christianity (2.90%)
- Hinduism (2.00%)
- Islam (1.20%)
- Other religion (0.30%)
- Tribal religion (0.10%)
According to the 2014 Myanmar Census, Buddhists make up 93.5% of Bago Region's population, forming the largest religious community there.[11] Minority religious communities include Christians (2.9%), Muslims (1.2%), Hindus (2.1%), and animists (0.1%) who collectively comprise the remainder of Bago Region's population.[11] 0.3% of the population listed no religion, other religions, or were otherwise not enumerated.[11]
According to the State Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee's 2016 statistics, 50,198 Buddhist monks were registered in Bago Region, comprising 9.4% of Myanmar's total Sangha membership, which includes both novice samanera and fully-ordained bhikkhu.[12] The majority of monks belong to the Thudhamma Nikaya (77.3%), followed by