Ayeyarwady Region ( , , ; formerly Ayeyarwady Division and Irrawaddy Division) is a region of Myanmar, occupying the delta region of the Ayeyarwady River (Irrawaddy River). It is bordered by the Rakhine State to the northwest, the Bago Region to the north, Bago Region and Yangon Region to the east, and the Bay of Bengal to the south and west.
The region lies between approximately latitude 15° 40' and 18° 30' north and between longitude 94° 15' and 96° 15' east. It has an area of . The estimated 2022 population is more than 6.5 million. According to the 2014 Burmese National Census the population of the Ayeyarwady Region was 6,184,829, making it the second most populous of Burma's states and regions after Yangon Region.
Ayeyarwady Region is flanked by the Rakhine Yoma (Arakan Mountains) range in the west. Large areas have been cleared for paddy cultivation, leading to its preeminent position as the main rice producer in the country, a position it has retained into the 21st century. It has also a number of lakes. Of the rivers branching out from the mighty Ayeyarwady, Ngawun, Pathein and Toe are famous.
The capital city of Ayeyarwady Region is Pathein. Chaungtha Beach and Ngwesaung Beach are popular resorts for both foreigners and the Burmese. They are in the west of the Ayeyarwady Region, an hour from Pathein city and four hours from Yangon city by road.
History
Prehistory
The Ayeyarwady delta region was historically part of the Mon kingdoms like the Hanthawaddy kingdom. This area fell under Burmese (and occasional Arakanese and Mon) rule from the 11th century AD onwards. Its subsequent history mirrors that of the rest of lower Burma.
An ancient overland pre-Tang trade route from Sichuan (modern Yunnan Province) to Bengal passed through Ayeyarwady.
British rule
Prior to British rule in Burma, much of the Ayeyarwady delta was sparsely populated forest, mangrove and plain land with isolated Mon, Karen and Burman settlements; the region saw only limited rice cultivation on lands that were frequently flooded. In the 1750s, the Konbaung Kingdom defeated the Mon Kingdom, but their limited technology in the face of an unwelcome natural environment prevented further settlement in the region. Inhabitants extensively migrated from northern to southern regions, attracted by opportunities emerging from the expanding agriculture. To support this growth, the British introduced a land taxation system modeled after those in British India, such as the Ryotwari, which enabled farmers to buy, sell, and transfer land. They also established formal land tenure systems, such as the Patta system, which granted ownership rights after long-term cultivation and tax payment. Labutta Township was most heavily struck with around 80,000 deaths. The cyclone's path devastated the low-lying delta regions going through south-central Ayeyarwady Region and Bogale before entering neighbouring Yangon Region. Nargis was the most expensive tropical cyclone on record in the North Indian Ocean at the time, costing $12 billion in aid.
Burma's state-controlled news media reported that Nargis left more than 66,000 people dead or missing after it struck the Irrawaddy Delta region May 2, unleashing torrential rains, 120 mph sustained winds and a storm surge. Foreign relief officials and diplomats said the death toll could exceed 100,000, making it the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Myanmar. The final death toll was at least 146,000 with 90,000 confirmed dead and 56,000 or more missing.
Administrative divisions
thumb|8 districts of Ayeyarwady
Ayeyarwady Region consists of eight districts:
- Pathein District
- Kyonpyaw District
- Hinthada District
- Labutta District
- Maubin District
- Myanaung District
- Myaungmya District
- Pyapon District
Labutta District was formed in August 2008, three months after Cyclone Nargis hit the region. Kyonpyaw District and Myanaung District are the newest districts, formed in 2019 in the lead up to the 2020 Elections.
thumb|right|upright=1.1|alt=Map of Ayeyarwady Region showing tree-cover loss years, with forest remaining since 2000 in green and loss years shaded yellow through purple.|Tree-cover loss year in Ayeyarwady Region, 2001-2024, from the [[Global Forest Change dataset.]]
Pathein is the capital city and capital. The region consists of 26 townships and 29 cities. In the townships there are 219 wards, 1912 village groups and 11651 villages.
Government
Executive
Ayeyarwady Region Government
Legislature
Judiciary
Ayeyarwady Region High Court
Demographics
According to the 2014 Myanmar Census, Buddhists make up 92.2% of Ayeyawady Region's population, forming the largest religious community there. Minority religious communities include Christians (6.3%), Muslims (1.4%), and Hindus (0.1%) who collectively comprise the remainder of Ayeyawady Region's population. The majority of monks belong to the Thudhamma Nikaya (80.1%), followed by Shwegyin Nikaya (8.3%), with the remainder of monks belonging to other small monastic orders.
Ayeyarwady Region also has considerable tourist potential. The city of Pathein has numerous historic sights and temples. Outside Pathein are the beach resorts of Chaungtha Beach and the lake resort of Inye Lake. Inye lake is located in Kyonpyaw township, north east of Pathein. Inye lake is also well known for fishery, as the major supplier of fresh water fish. Chaungtha is located in Pathein township. However, hotel and transportation infrastructure is still very poorly developed.
Transportation
Air
Ayeyarwady Region is served by Pathein Airport.
Bridges
thumb|Daka Bridge, [[Kangyidaunt Township]]
- Bo Myat Tun Bridge (Nyaungdon)
- Daydalu Bridge (Pyapon)
- Daka Bridge (Kangyidaunt and Kyaunggon)
- Dedaye Bridge (Kungyangon Township in Yangon Region and Dedaye Township in Ayeyawady Region)
- Gonnhindan Bridge
- Kanyin Bridge (Mezaligone)
- Khattiya Bridge (Maubin)
- Kyauk Chaung Gyi Bridge (Pathein)
- Kyungon Bridge
- Labutta Bridge
- Maubin Bridge (Maubin)
- Maung Bi Wa Bridge (Pathein)
- Mayan Ngu Bridge (Myaungmya)
- Myaungmya Bridge (Myaungmya)
- Natchaung Bridge (Bogalay)
- Nga Wun Bridge (Myokwin)(Ingapu)
- Ngathaingchaung Bridge
- Pinlelay Bridge
- Seikma Bridge (Bogalay)
- Shwelaung Bridge
- Thegon Bridge (Pantanaw)
- Uto Bridge
- Wakema Bridge
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 the division reach high school.
{| class="wikitable" border="1"
|-
!width="100"|AY 2002–2003
!width="100"|Primary
!width="100"|Middle
!width="100"|High
|-
| Schools
| 5623
| 270
| 102
|-
| Teachers
| 17,600
| 5700
| 1800
|-
| Students
| 708,000
| 181,000
| 61,000
|}
Pathein University is the main university in the state, and until recently the only four-year university in the state. In recent years, the military government, which closed down universities and colleges in the 1990s to quell student unrest, has "upgraded" former colleges and two-year institutes. The government now requires that students attend their local universities and colleges, such as Hinthada University and Maubin University.
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. 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. For example, in 2003, Ayeyarwady Region had less than a quarter of hospital beds than Yangon Region although Ayeyarwady Region had a slightly greater population.
{| class="wikitable sortable" border="1"
|-
!width="300"|2002–2003
!width="100"|# Hospitals
!width="100"|# Beds
|-
| Specialist hospitals
| 0
| 0
|-
| General hospitals with specialist services
| 2
| 450
|-
| General hospitals
| 24
| 910
|-
| Health clinics
| 45
| 720
|- class="sortbottom"
| Total
| 71
| 2080
|}