Hakha
Hakha
Hakha khualipi (Laimi) Haka | |
|---|---|
State Capital | |
 Hakha | |
  Hakha Location in Burma | |
| Coordinates: 22°38′43.9476″N 93°36′18.129″E / 22.645541000°N 93.60503583°E | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| State |  Chin |
| District | Hakha District |
| Township | Hakha Township |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | U Aung Kyaw Htay (USDP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 12.50 sq mi (32.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 6,125 ft (1,867 m) |
| Population (2014)[1] | |
• Total | 24,926 |
| • Density | 1,994/sq mi (769.9/km2) |
| • Ethnicities | Chin Laimi |
| Time zone | UTC+6:30 (MST) |
Hakha[a] is the capital of Chin State in Myanmar (Burma). Hakha is located in the northeast region of Chin State, with a total area of about 12.50 square miles (32.4 km2). The city is located on a plateau at more than 1,867 metres (6,125 ft) above sea level within Hakha Township. It is the largest urban area of Chin State. As of the 2014 Myanmar census, the city had a population of 24,926 across its six wards.[1]
History
[edit source]Hakha was founded around 1400 CE by the Lai ethnic group. The area was ruled by local chiefs for many generations and consisted of more than 600 houses when British troops arrived in 1889.
The British occupied Hakha beginning on 19 January 1890, as part of their operation to "subdue the wild tribes" in the Arakan Hills Division, as the area was then called.[4] The British government later established a sub-divisional office and Hakha became incorporated as a town a few years later.
The first American Baptist missionary couple, Arthur Carson (1860–1908) and his wife Laura (1858–1942), arrived in Hakha in 1899 and opened a mission station. Other missionaries later joined them and did extensive mission work throughout the Chin Hills, converting most of northern Chin State to Christianity within a century.[5] On 1 May 1928, Rev. Chester Strait established a Bible school in Hakha.[6]
During the Second World War, Hakha was captured by Japanese troops on 11 November 1943; it was later recaptured by British troops.
When Burma gained independence from British control in 1948, Hakha became an important city as the center of one of the subdivisions in the Chin Special Division, of which Falam was the capital at that time. The Chin Special Division was abolished and reformed as Chin State in 1974, at which time Hakha became its capital. That brought an influx of government workers, and housing development and extension of the city. Hakha eventually became the largest city in Chin State with about 20,000 people.[7] Hakha became part of the newly formed Hakha District on 1 June 2012.
Geography and climate
[edit source]The city is located 6,120 feet (1,870 m) above sea level and lies at the foot of Rung Tlang (Mt. Rung), which is about 7,543 feet (2,299 m) high, one of the most famous mountain peaks in Chin State.
Hakha features a subtropical highland climate (Cwb) under the Köppen climate classification. It experiences three seasons: cool, warm, and rainy. Because of the high altitude, the temperatures tend to be much cooler than in the plains. Yearly rainfall averages about 72 inches or 1,800 millimetres.
During the cool season, the days are pleasant to warm but the mornings are quite cold. Sometimes, the temperature drops to as low as −2 °C or 28.4 °F. It is also windy and foggy in this season. In January 2009, a cold wave caused temperatures to drop to 0 °C or 32 °F.[8]
| Climate data for Hakha (1991–2020) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 24.9 (76.8) |
26.4 (79.5) |
29.5 (85.1) |
32.5 (90.5) |
30.6 (87.1) |
30.0 (86.0) |
30.0 (86.0) |
28.0 (82.4) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.0 (80.6) |
26.2 (79.2) |
24.7 (76.5) |
32.5 (90.5) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 18.7 (65.7) |
20.6 (69.1) |
23.2 (73.8) |
25.0 (77.0) |
24.4 (75.9) |
23.2 (73.8) |
22.4 (72.3) |
22.1 (71.8) |
22.2 (72.0) |
21.5 (70.7) |
19.8 (67.6) |
18.5 (65.3) |
21.8 (71.2) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 10.5 (50.9) |
12.5 (54.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
19.0 (66.2) |
19.4 (66.9) |
19.2 (66.6) |
18.9 (66.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
17.0 (62.6) |
13.4 (56.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
16.1 (61.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) |
4.5 (40.1) |
8.3 (46.9) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.6 (56.5) |
15.7 (60.3) |
16.0 (60.8) |
15.8 (60.4) |
15.0 (59.0) |
12.5 (54.5) |
7.0 (44.6) |
2.7 (36.9) |
10.4 (50.7) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −6.0 (21.2) |
−5.0 (23.0) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.4 (43.5) |
10.0 (50.0) |
10.4 (50.7) |
10.7 (51.3) |
9.0 (48.2) |
3.5 (38.3) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−6.0 (21.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 12.1 (0.48) |
11.1 (0.44) |
27.2 (1.07) |
66.0 (2.60) |
186.9 (7.36) |
261.5 (10.30) |
335.2 (13.20) |
351.6 (13.84) |
317.1 (12.48) |
205.3 (8.08) |
37.6 (1.48) |
14.2 (0.56) |
1,825.7 (71.88) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 1.0 | 1.8 | 3.0 | 6.8 | 13.5 | 20.3 | 23.7 | 23.3 | 20.7 | 15.8 | 4.4 | 1.1 | 135.4 |
| Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[9] | |||||||||||||
| Source 2: Norwegian Meteorological Institute (extremes),[10] NOAA (extremes)[11] | |||||||||||||
Culture
[edit source]Religion
[edit source]Most Chin people living in Hakha are Christians; therefore, they do not work on Sundays.
Important sites
[edit source]- Chin State Cultural Museum
- Rev. Van Hre Villa (Chin Traditional House)
- Missionaries' Cemetery
- East Bungalow
- Hakha Baptist Church
Education
[edit source]- Hakha University
- Hakha Educational College
- Chin Christian University
- Government Technical Institute, Hakha
Sport
[edit source]The 4,000-seat Wanthu Maung Stadium, a home stadium for Chin United F.C, was under construction as of 2017.[12]
The UFC Flyweight Champion Joshua Van was born in Hakha and lived there until the age of 10.
Notes
[edit source]- ↑ Burmese: ဟားခါးမြို့, MLCTS: ha: hka: mrui., pronounced [hákʰá mjo̰]; formerly rendered Haka;[2][3] Hakha Chin: Halkha
References
[edit source]- 1 2 "The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census" (PDF). Department of Population Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population. October 2017. p. 8.
- ↑ Google Maps (Map). Google.
- ↑ Bing Maps (Map). Microsoft and Harris Corporation Earthstar Geographics LLC.
- ↑ Adams, Karen L.; Hudak, Thomas J. (1996). Papers from the Sixth Annual Meeting of the Southeast Asian Linguistics Society. Arizona State University Program for Southeast Asian Studies Monograph Series Press. p. 2. ISBN 9781881044284.
- ↑ Lian H. Sakhong -In Search of Chin Identity: A Study in Religion, Politics and ... Page 171 2003
- ↑ John Tha Cung (2018). "Naming God in the Chin Language". p. 32.
- ↑ "Myanmar: Regions, States, Major Cities & Towns - Population Statistics, Maps, Charts, Weather and Web Information".
- ↑ "'Cold Wave' likely to sweep Burma". Mizzima.com. 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved 19 August 2010.
- ↑ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
- ↑ "Myanmar Climate Report" (PDF). Norwegian Meteorological Institute. pp. 22–24. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
- ↑ "Global Surface Summary of the Day - GSOD". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved 26 January 2023.
- ↑ "MYANMAR-STADIUMS". www.arecar.de. Archived from the original on 21 October 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2017.
External links
[edit source]
Capital: Hakha | ||
| Tedim District |   | |
| Falam District | ||
| Hakha District | ||
| Matupi District | ||
| Paletwa District | ||
| Mindat District | ||
| Cities and towns | ||
