Thanlyin (; or ; , ; formerly Syriam) is a major port city of Myanmar, located across Bago River from the city of Yangon. Thanlyin comprises 17 quarters and the surrounding Thanlyin Township is home to the largest port in the country, Thilawa port, as well as the Thilawa Special Economic Zone and various prominent universities.
Thanlyin remained the major port of the Taungoo kingdom until the mid-18th century. In the 1740s, Thanlyin was made the base of the French East India Company for their help in the Mon's reestablishment of Hanthawaddy Kingdom. The arrangement lasted until 1756 when King Alaungpaya of Konbaung dynasty captured the city. From then on, the importance has shifted to Yangon across the river, which Alaungpaya founded just a year earlier.
Thanlyin became part of the British Empire in 1852 after the Second Anglo-Burmese War. The British made the city into the oil refinery center of the country in the early 20th century to process the oil shipped from central Burma. The refinery was destroyed during World War II. The Thanlyin refinery was rebuilt in 1957, and underwent expansion in 1979 with Japanese assistance. In 1979 a pipeline was completed between Syriam and the Mann oilfield.
Since the 1990s, the city has undergone major changes. Thanlyin was finally connected to Yangon by road in 1993 when the Thanlyin Bridge was built. In the late 1990s, Thilawa Port was built to handle the container ships away from Yangon's ports. The city's population has increased from 43,000 in 1983 to 123,000 in 1996. As of 2023, the town had a population of 78,667 people. River ferries to the Irrawaddy delta over the Twante Canal are available from Yangon's passenger ports.
Economy
Thilawa Port, located just from the town's centre. is the largest deep water sea port in the country, and handles the majority of the shipped imports and exports to/from the country.