Nat Ma Taung ( my, နတ်မတောင်; Khaw-nu-soum or Khonuamthung in

Chin The chin is the forward pointed part of the anterior mandible (List_of_human_anatomical_regions#Regions, mental region) below the lower lip. A fully developed human skull has a chin of between 0.7 cm and 1.1 cm. Evolution The presence of a we ...

), also known as Mount Victoria, is the highest

mountain A mountain is an elevated portion of the Earth's crust, generally with steep sides that show significant exposed bedrock. Although definitions vary, a mountain may differ from a plateau in having a limited Summit (topography), summit area, and ...

in the

Chin State Chin State (, ) is a state in western Myanmar. The Chin State is bordered by Sagaing Division and Magway Division to the east, Rakhine State to the south, Bangladesh to the south-west, and the Indian states of Mizoram to the west and Manipur t ...

of western

Burma Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John Wells explai ...

Geography

With a height of above sea level and a prominence of , Nat Ma Taung is one of the

ultra prominent peak An ultra-prominent peak, or Ultra for short, is a mountain summit with a topographic prominence of or more; it is also called a P1500. The prominence of a peak is the minimum height of climb to the summit on any route from a higher peak, or fro ...

s of

Southeast Asia Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical United Nations geoscheme for Asia#South-eastern Asia, south-eastern region of Asia, consistin ...

. Located in three townships - Kanpatlet,

Mindat Mindat may refer to: Places in Burma/Myanmar *Mindat, Chin State, in Burma *Mindat Township, in Burma *Mindat District in Chin State, Burma Other uses *Mindat Min Kanaung Mintha ( my, ကနောင်မင်းသား; 31 January 1820 � ...

and Matupi, Nat Ma Taung is part of the

Chin Hills The Chin Hills are a range of mountains in Chin State, northwestern Burma, Burma (Myanmar), that extends northward into India's Manipur state. Geography The highest peak in the Chin Hills is Khonu Msung, or Mount Victoria, in southern Chin State ...

range.

Ecology

Nat Ma Taung is in the

Chin Hills–Arakan Yoma montane forests The Chin Hills-Arakan Yoma montane forests is a tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion in western Myanmar (Burma). Surrounded at lower elevations by moist tropical forests, this ecoregion is home a diverse range of subtropical ...

ecoregion An ecoregion (ecological region) or ecozone (ecological zone) is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than a bioregion, which in turn is smaller than a biogeographic realm. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of l ...

. Surrounded at lower elevations by

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

and

subtropical moist forest Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests (TSMF), also known as tropical moist forest, is a subtropical and tropical forest habitat (ecology), habitat type defined by the World Wide Fund for Nature. Description TSMF is generally foun ...

s, Nat Ma Taung's higher elevations form a

sky island Sky islands are topographic isolation, isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau, and has extended to similarly isolated montane ecosystems, hi ...

, home to many

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

and

alpine Alpine may refer to any mountainous region. It may also refer to: Places Europe * Alps, a European mountain range ** Alpine states, which overlap with the European range Australia * Alpine, New South Wales, a Northern Village * Alpine National Pa ...

species typical of the

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya (; ; ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the planet's highest peaks, including the very highest, Mount Everest. Over 100 ...

further north, and many

endemic Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

species. The

White-browed nuthatch The white-browed nuthatch (''Sitta victoriae''), also known as the Victoria nuthatch, is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small nuthatch, measuring in length and without sexual dimorphism. Like many other nuthatches ...

(''Sitta victoriae'') is a bird endemic to this mountain range. The peak is unique for the presence of trees, bushes and grass, which have adapted to the environment. On the way towards the top you will pass pine trees (''

Pinus kesiya ''Pinus kesiya'' (Khasi pine, Benguet pine or three-needled pine) is one of the most widely distributed pines in Asia. Its range extends south and east from the Khasi Hills in the northeast Indian state of Meghalaya, to northern Thailand, Philipp ...

''), common names are Khasi pine, Benguet pine or three-needled pine. The local name is ထင်းရှူး ʰḭ́ jú which is one of the most widely distributed pines in Asia. as well as many oaks (''

Quercus An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably '' ...

'' spp.). Epiphytes still cover older trees despite illegal picking; so many ''

Coelogyne ''Coelogyne'' is a genus of over 200 sympodial epiphytes from the family Orchidaceae, distributed across India, China, Indonesia and the Fiji islands, with the main centers in Borneo, Sumatra and the Himalayas. They can be found from tropical ...

'', ''

Dendrobium ''Dendrobium'' is a genus of mostly epiphytic and lithophytic orchids in the family Orchidaceae. It is a very large genus, containing more than 1,800 species that are found in diverse habitats throughout much of south, east and southeast Asia, i ...

'' and ''

Cymbidium ''Cymbidium'' , commonly known as boat orchids, is a genus of evergreen flowering plants in the orchid family Orchidaceae. Orchids in this genus are epiphytic, lithophytic, terrestrial or rarely leafless saprophytic herbs usually with pseudobulbs ...

'' plants can be seen. ''Rhododendron arboreum'' flowers along roads during the dry season.

Conservation

The mountain is now protected within Nat Ma Taung National Park (), established in 1994.Wikramanayake, Eric; Eric Dinerstein; Colby J. Loucks; et al. (2002). ''Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Indo-Pacific: a Conservation Assessment.''

Island Press Island Press is a nonprofit, environmental publisher based in Washington, D.C., United States, that specializes in natural history, ecology, conservation, and the built environment. Established in 1984, Island Press generates about half of its re ...

;

Washington, DC ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan ...

The park is administered by the Department of Forestry and Environment. The base of this national park can be reached either via Kanpetlet Township (easy access), or via Mindat Township (not easy as the road is incomplete). The only public transport to the base of the mountain is a

four-wheel drive Four-wheel drive, also called 4×4 ("four by four") or 4WD, refers to a two-axled vehicle drivetrain capable of providing torque to all of its wheels simultaneously. It may be full-time or on-demand, and is typically linked via a transfer case ...

jeep that plies between Soe and the mountain base via Kanpetlet in the dry season. The road up to the lodge after Kanpetlet town is sealed (= hard-surfaced) and beyond is an earth track. The track is not navigable even by a four-wheel drive in the wet season due to severe damage by storm water. The track is the main access to about 20 villages near the base of the mountain. At the base of the mountain, one track leads to villages, the centre track leads to the peak, and the other track traverses to Mindat Township and then on to Soe Township. Due to tract damage, tourists, many national and few international, visit the mountain mainly in the dry season. The tract is navigable by a four-wheel drive car all the way to the peak. Many motorcycles-for-hire offer rides to the top, and if you walk both up and down, you are the extreme tourist. To walk from "base camp parking lot" it usually takes three hours up and maybe two down. The mountain is "protected" by words only. Many activities that hinder the natural beauty and its bio-diversity are taking place unabated. The park is virtually not managed, as there are no security personnel, park wardens and the like. One main threat that is affecting the bio-diversity of this national park is bush fires ignited by local people. Trees were seen burning even on top of the mountain in 2014 May. The second issue tarnishing the beauty of the mountain is accumulation of litter, paper, cartons, cans, plastic, polythene and cans. The visitors are not provided with any instructions on what not to do within the park. There is no admission fee. The number of visitors to the peak is unknown. Foreign visitors during the year are about 100 whereas large number of local people visit the peak almost daily in the dry season. The people living in all villages are poor. Basic services such as education, health and water supply are extremely poor. There are opportunities that could provide potential employment to local people especially the youth through promotion of eco-tourism. The engagement of youth as tourist guides will also help protect this beautiful mountain by educating the public as well as making them to be vigilant over destructive activities that are taking place at present. The development of eco-tourism is also seen as a potential vehicle to develop remote villages hugged within the park.

Climate

The mountaintop has a borderline

alpine climate Alpine climate is the typical weather (climate) for elevations above the tree line, where trees fail to grow due to cold. This climate is also referred to as a mountain climate or highland climate. Definition There are multiple definitions of ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''ET'') along with

Subtropical Highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Cwc''/''Cwb'') in the nearby surroundings terrain.

Gallery

File:Nat_Ma_Taung_Summit.JPG, View from Nat Ma Taung's summit File:Nat Ma Taung Summit1.JPG, View from Nat Ma Taung's summit File:Nat Ma Taung Morning View with Travellers.JPG, Morning view with travelers from Nat Ma Taung File:2M3A6919 - White-browed Nuthatch - Sitta victoriae (cropped).jpg, A

White-browed Nuthatch The white-browed nuthatch (''Sitta victoriae''), also known as the Victoria nuthatch, is a species of bird in the family Sittidae. It is a small nuthatch, measuring in length and without sexual dimorphism. Like many other nuthatches ...

, a bird species endemic to the Nat Ma Taung

References

External links

*{{wikivoyage-inline, Nat Ma Taung (Mount Victoria)
Hike Mt Victoria in southern Chin state of Myanmar (Burma)
Geography of Chin State Mountains of Myanmar