PYAPON

town, southern Myanmar (Burma). It lies along the Pyapon River, 45 miles (72 km) southwest of Yangn (Rangoon). It is a rice-collecting centre and the site of a diesel electric plant. The surrounding area, part of the Irrawaddy River delta, is drained by the Pyapon and Bogale distributaries, and its broken coastline fronts the Andaman Sea. Reclamation of its alluvial marshlands for paddy-rice cultivation early in the 20th century attracted a large number of settlers, primarily Burmans and Karens. The rice is shipped to Yangn. Pop. (1983) 39,862.