Encyclopædia Britannica, Ninth Edition/Tavoy

TAVOY, a British, district in the Tenasserim division of Burmah, lying between 13° 15' and 15° 11' N. lat. and between 97° 48' and 98° 44' E. long. It has an area of 7200 square miles, and is bounded on the N. by Amherst district, E. by the Yoma Mountains, S. by Mergui district, and W. by the Bay of Bengal. The district is enclosed by mountains on three sides, viz., the main chain of the Yomas on the east, rising in places to 5000 feet, which, with its densely wooded spurs, forms an almost impassable barrier between British and Siamese territory; the Nwahlabo in the centre, which takes its name from its loftiest peak (5000 feet); and a third range, under the name of Thinmaw, between the Nwahlabo and the sea-coast. The chief rivers are the Tenasserim and Tavoy, the former being formed by the junction of two streams which unite near Met-ta; for the greater part of its course it is dangerous to navigation. The Tavoy is navigable for vessels of any burden. It is interspersed with many islands, and with its numerous smaller tributaries affords easy and rapid communication over the country. The climate is on the whole pleasant. The rainfall averages about 190 inches a year.

The census of 1881 returned the population of Tavoy at 84,988 (males 41,785, females 43,203), of whom 82,187 were Buddhists, 828 were Mohammedans, and 1368 were Christians. The headquarters and capital is Tavoy town, which is situated on the left bank of the river of the same name, and contained a population of 13,372 in 1881. Of the total area, only 83,740 acres are (1885-86) cultivated. Rice is the principal product; the betel-nut is extensively grown for home consumption; and the district is particularly rich in fruit trees. With its only port difficult of access, and with no means of internal communication, the trade of Tavoy district has always been small and almost entirely confined to Siam and the Straits Settlements. The principal imports are piece goods and other cotton manufactures, raw silk, tea, crockery, wines and spirits, metals, and provisions. The chief manufactures are salt and earthen pots. The gross revenue of the district in 1885-86 was £20,235, of which the land contributed £12,663. Tavoy was handed over to the British at the end of the first Burmese war in 1824. A revolt broke out in 1829, headed by Moung Da, the former governor, which was at once quelled, and since then the district as remained in undisturbed possession of the British.