Kayin

Location
Kayin State shares borders with Yamethin district, Shan State and Kayah State in the north, and Taungoo, Thaton and Mawlamyine districts in the west, Ye township in the south, and Thailand in the east. The area of the state is 11,731 sq. miles.

Population
Kayin State has a population of 1,431,377.

Inhabitants
National races such as Kayin, Bamar, Pa-O, Shan, Mon and Rakhine reside in the State.

Religion
The main religions are Buddhism, Christianity and Leke.

Dialects
The term Kayin is a collective name for all of Sawhaw (Sakaw), Sho (Poe) and Bwe national races. The six different families of Kayin nationals are Sawhaw (Sakaw), Sho (Poe), Bwe, Padaung, Kayinni and Zayein. Though there are differences in tone and accent in dialects among the various groups of the Kayin family, they all came from the same origin.

How to get there?
Pha-an is the capital of Kayin State, located 315 km south of Yangon. There are several alternatives of travelling to Pha-an including an express lane highway and a rail service. The drive from Yangon to Pha-an is about 7 hours.