Kachin State
(2002 pop. 1.3 million). Located in northeastern Myanmar (Burma), Kachin State is a land of deep mountains, forests, and rivers, as well as several areas of broad plains. Comprising eighteen townships and 699 wards or village-tracts, it is Myanmar's second largest ethnic minority state, with an area of 89,041 square kilometers. It is situated between the People's Republic of China to the east and north, Arunachal Pradesh in India to the northwest, the Sagaing Division to the west, and Shan State to the south. The capital is Myitkyina. Other important towns include Bhamo, Mohnyin, Mogaung, and Putao.
Kachin State was founded at the time of Myanmar's independence in 1948, but economic progress has been held back by ethnic and political conflict. Population statistics are disputed by the different parties, but in the 1990s the State Law and Order Restoration Council government estimated the population at 1.08 million people, of whom over 400,000 were Kachins (including Lisus), 310,000 Burmans, and 250,000 Shans. Historically, Kachins have tended to live more in upland areas, whereas Shans and Burmans have inhabited the plains and towns. However, there has been considerable civilian dislocation since the outbreak of insurgency in the 1960s and resettlement continued at the turn of the twenty-first century. There also are small local populations of Chinese and Indians, who play an important role in business.
Agriculture is the principal occupation of most inhabitants. Paddy, sugar cane, and groundnut are all commercially grown in the valleys and plains, and there is local cultivation of various fruits as well as orchids in the hills. Illicit opium production has also been a social problem in a number of areas.
The state also contains a variety of natural resources, including gold, silver, coal, lead, iron, copper, and jade. The world-famous jade mines are located at Hpakhant in the southwest of the state. Another important resource is timber, with teak and other valuable woods growing in the deciduous and evergreen forests that cover much of the territory.
Since the 1994 cease-fire by the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), exploitation of all these resources has increased, and attempts have been made to upgrade the infrastructure of the state, which is handicapped by its distance from other markets. In the latter years of the twentieth century, the road between Myitkyina and Bhamo reopened; a bridge was constructed over the Irrawaddy River, near the capital; and various business enterprises were started, including the KIO-run sugar mill at Namti.
Economic development, however, continues to be slow. The spread of HIV/AIDS in the state became a matter of concern during the 1990s, accelerated by factors such as intravenous drug use and the rush of migrant workers to the jade mines at Hpakhant. Concerns were also expressed over a notable increase in logging as well as gold-dredging operations in the Irrawaddy River. Such extractive enterprises cause environmental degradation and put little investment into local communities.
Another field that has been targeted for economic expansion is tourism. The state is a region of unusual biodiversity, including the source of the Irrawaddy at the junctions of the Mali-Kha and N'Mai Kha rivers; the upper tributaries of the Chindwin River; Myanmar's largest lake, Indawgyi; and the country's highest mountain, Hkakabo Razi (5,881 meters). In these regions, species such as elephant, tiger, and musk deer, although under threat, were still relatively common at the beginning of the twenty-first century.
Further Reading
Lintner, Bertil. (1997) The Kachin: Lords of Northern Burma. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Teak House.
Smith, Martin. (1999) "Ethnic Conflict and the Challenge of Civil Society in Burma." In Strengthening Civil Society in Burma: Possibilities and Dilemmas for International NGOs, edited by Burma Center Netherlands. Chiang Mai, Thailand: Silkworm Books, 15–53.
Tinker, Hugh. (1967) The Union of Burma: A Study of the First Years of Independence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
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