Putao () is a town in

Kachin State Kachin State (; Jingpho language, Kachin: ) is the northernmost administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. It is bordered by China to the north and east (Tibet Autonomous Region, Tibet and Yunnan, respectively), Shan State to the sou ...

Myanmar Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...

and the principal town in

Putao Township Putao Township () is a township of Putao District in the Kachin State of Burma. The principal town is Putao Putao may refer to: China * Putao, Guangxi, a town in Yangshuo County, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region * Putao, Xinjiang, a town in Tur ...

. The area around Putao is famous for its variety of birds and rare orchids, especially the so-called "Black Orchid" found in the mountains surrounding Putao. Myanmar's highest mountain,

Hkakabo Razi Hkakabo Razi (, ; ) is believed to be Myanmar's highest mountain. The -tall mountain is the highest mountain in Southeast Asia as well. It is located in the northern Myanmar state of Kachin State, Kachin in an outlying subrange of the Greater Him ...

, and other snow-capped peaks are visible from Putao. Putao means "town an old man is looking at" in Shan. Mulashidi Bridge

History

Hkamti Long

Hkamti Long Hkamti, Khampti or Khamti may refer to: * Khamti people, a sub-group of the Shan people * Khamti language, a Tai language of Burma and India * Hkamti District, a district in Sagaing Division of Burma ** Hkamti Township, a township in Hkamti Distr ...

(also known as Khamti Long) is the former name of one of the outlying

Shan States The Shan States were a collection of minor Shan people, Shan kingdoms called ''mueang, möng'' whose rulers bore the title ''saopha'' (''sawbwa''). In British rule in Burma, British Burma, they were analogous to the princely states of Britis ...

. It was a princely state around the city of Putao settled by the Khamti Shan people. The name means "Great Place of

Gold Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

" in the Khamti Shan language. Nowadays, there are Rawang and

Lisu people The Lisu people (; , ; ; ) are a Tibeto-Burman ethnic group who inhabit mountainous regions of Myanmar (Burma), southwest China, Thailand, and the Indian state of Arunachal Pradesh. About 730,000 Lisu live in Lijiang, Baoshan, Nujiang, D ...

, who are already regarded as Kachin nationalities. The seven-day-trek to West-Putao's mountain region, in which explorers found that there are

Taron people The Taron or T’rung ( ) are an ethnic group in the Himalayan foothills of northern Kachin State, Myanmar, whose population is declining to the point where they may disappear entirely. They have been referred to as the "East Asian pygmies". They ...

ethnic whose height are lower than four feet. The population of this ethnic minority is so few nowadays that they are facing the threat of being extinct. The area covered by Hkamti Long may have included parts of what is now

(where Putao is located) as well as that of

Shan State Shan State (, ; , ) is a administrative divisions of Myanmar, state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha Province, Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai Province, Chia ...

World War II

A British military output, Fort Hertz, was established in 1914 near the town of Putao. Due to its remoteness, it was never captured by the Japanese military during the

Burma Campaign The Burma campaign was a series of battles fought in the British colony of British rule in Burma, Burma as part of the South-East Asian theatre of World War II. It primarily involved forces of the Allies of World War II, Allies (mainly from ...

, remaining in Allied hands throughout

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Although later disbanded, the remains of the fort are still visible.

Geography

Putao is roughly 1,000 feet above sea level. Although surrounded by mountains, Putao itself is located on a plain.

Climate

The climate of Putao is a monsoon-influenced

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (1951–2014), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author ...

''Cwa'') with a very high amount of precipitation throughout the monsoon season. The average temperature in January is 13.1 °C, while August is the hottest month with an average of 26.6 °C.

Transportation

Putao is a transportation hub for far-northern Myanmar, and commercial flights arrive seasonally at the town's airport.

Tourist attractions

In addition to the mountains, the main attractions in the Putao area include rare orchids and herbs, Burmese

Cordyceps ''Cordyceps'' is a genus of ascomycete fungi (sac fungi) that includes over 260 species worldwide, many of which are parasitic. Diverse variants of cordyceps have had more than 1,500 years of use in Chinese medicine. Most ''Cordyceps'' specie ...

(ရှီးပတီး), and Kaungmhulon, a Buddhist

pagoda A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...

References

External links

A Trip to Putao, Kachin State, Myanmar
{{Kachin State Township capitals of Myanmar Populated places in Kachin State