Settlement Type: | Town |
Official Name: | Gwa |
Pushpin Label Position: | bottom |
Pushpin Map: | Myanmar |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Myanmar (Burma) |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Myanmar |
Subdivision Type1: | Division |
Subdivision Type2: | District |
Subdivision Name2: | Thandwe District |
Subdivision Type3: | Township |
Subdivision Name3: | Gwa Township |
Unit Pref: | Imperial |
Population: | 66,015[1] |
Population As Of: | 2014 census |
Coordinates: | 18.4833°N 111°W |
Timezone: | MMT |
Utc Offset: | +6.30 |
Gwa (my|ဂွမြို့) is a town located at the southern tip of Myanmar's Rakhine State. It is the principal town of Gwa Township. In the 2014 census, the town and surrounding rural areas had a population of 66,015, of which only 7,422 are urban.
Like all of Rakhine State, Gwa has a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen Am) with a lengthy dry season from mid-November to April and an extremely wet wet season due to the blocking of moisture-saturated westerly monsoon winds by the Arakan Mountains. Between June and August, as in all of Rakhine State, rainfall typically exceeds 1-1NaN-1, and annual rainfall is amongst the highest in Southeast Asia at around 4.5-1NaN-1. Temperatures are very warm to hot throughout the year, although cool breezes and comfortable nights during the dry season make conditions fairly pleasant.
Fishing is the primary industry in Gwa. Most residents fish in nearby waters, both for self-sustenance and trade with nearby towns. Rice, bamboo and coconuts are also widely grown in Gwa for export.