Mergui Archipelago

The Mergui Archipelago (also Myeik Archipelago Myeik or Kyunzu ) is an archipelago in the northern Andaman Sea on the west coast of Myanmar in the Indian Ocean. It consists of 800 large and small islands that are uninhabited and densely wooded. The coral reefs of the Burma Banks are considered the richest and most beautiful fish in the world. Sometimes the islands are also known as Pashu Islands because the Malay inhabitants are there called Pashu.

Name

The Mergui Archipelago has called his name from the largest city in southern Myanmar Mergui, also Myeik.

History

The islands are populated for centuries by the Moken who lead a reclusive and in harmony with nature befindliches living on their boats. They feed almost exclusively on traditional fishing and have virtually no contact with the outside world. They feel the government is not obliged, and so there was and is always problematic incidents. The archipelago has been the closure of the outside world today, one of the last natural island landscapes on earth, some islands are never entered by humans. By the end of the colonial era in 1947, the archipelago of Mergui from was administered by the British.

For decades, visitors have been prohibited by the government from entering and inhabiting the islands. Only since 1997, this regulation was relaxed, and so overnight trips are now possible on the archipelago.

Flora and Fauna

The archipelago has a tropical climate and there are rain forests, white sandy beaches, rocky coves and some mangrove forests. Off the coast there are furthermore the coral reefs of the Burma Banks. The isolation of the islands before human impact on the environment gave the archipelago a rich and diverse flora and fauna. They also laid the foundation for the great popularity of the region as a diving destination. On the islands themselves, there are many different animal species, including Tigers, elephants, monkeys, wild boar and deer. Unconfirmed reports are to stay on the island of Lampi, one of the larger islands of the archipelago, Sumatran rhinos.