Katha
ကသာ (ၵၢတ်ႇသႃႇ)
Kathar
Town
Katha is located in Myanmar
Katha
Katha
Location of Katha, Burma
Coordinates: 24°10′56″N 96°19′50″E / 24.18222°N 96.33056°E / 24.18222; 96.33056
Country Myanmar
Division Sagaing Region
DistrictKatha
TownshipKatha
Elevation
407 ft (124 m)
Population
 (2014)
167,700
Time zoneUTC+6.30 (MST)

Katha (Burmese: ကသာ; MLCTS: ka. sa, IPA: [ka̰θà], sometimes also spelled Kathar,) (Shan: ၵၢတ်ႇသႃႇ) is a town in Sagaing Region, Myanmar, on the west side of the Irrawaddy River on a bluff with an average elevation of 124 m (407 ft). Most of the town is more than 10 m (33 ft) above the river. Katha is known for having inspired Kyauktada, the fictional setting of George Orwell's Burmese Days.

Location

Panoramic View of Katha 2016

Katha is 12 hours by rail north of Mandalay through the railroad junction town of Naba which is 23 km (14 mi) to the west of Katha. A small branch of railway runs east from Naba to Katha. Katha can also be reached by ferries that run on the Irrawaddy River between the upstream town of Bhamo down to Mandalay. There is also direct bus service from Mandalay to Katha, but it is a bumpy ride.

Climate

Street in Katha along the Irrawaddy River

Katha has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen climate classification Aw) bordering on a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa). Temperatures are very warm to hot throughout the year, with milder winter months (December–February). There is a winter dry season (November–March) and a summer wet season (April–October).

Climate data for Katha (1991–2020)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 32.5
(90.5)		 36.6
(97.9)		 40.2
(104.4)		 40.6
(105.1)		 41.9
(107.4)		 42.1
(107.8)		 36.5
(97.7)		 37.5
(99.5)		 38.2
(100.8)		 38.8
(101.8)		 34.9
(94.8)		 31.7
(89.1)		 42.1
(107.8)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 27.6
(81.7)		 30.2
(86.4)		 33.2
(91.8)		 34.9
(94.8)		 34.0
(93.2)		 32.7
(90.9)		 31.9
(89.4)		 31.9
(89.4)		 32.1
(89.8)		 31.5
(88.7)		 30.2
(86.4)		 27.9
(82.2)		 31.5
(88.7)
Daily mean °C (°F) 19.0
(66.2)		 21.4
(70.5)		 24.5
(76.1)		 27.1
(80.8)		 28.0
(82.4)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.8
(82.0)		 27.8
(82.0)		 27.4
(81.3)		 26.1
(79.0)		 23.1
(73.6)		 19.7
(67.5)		 25
(77)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 10.4
(50.7)		 12.6
(54.7)		 15.9
(60.6)		 19.4
(66.9)		 21.9
(71.4)		 23.5
(74.3)		 23.7
(74.7)		 23.6
(74.5)		 22.8
(73.0)		 20.7
(69.3)		 15.9
(60.6)		 11.5
(52.7)		 18.5
(65.3)
Record low °C (°F) 3.5
(38.3)		 4.2
(39.6)		 8.3
(46.9)		 10.8
(51.4)		 13.0
(55.4)		 15.3
(59.5)		 16.5
(61.7)		 15.5
(59.9)		 15.0
(59.0)		 12.0
(53.6)		 7.5
(45.5)		 2.8
(37.0)		 2.8
(37.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 9.5
(0.37)		 12.7
(0.50)		 10.9
(0.43)		 48.2
(1.90)		 210.4
(8.28)		 312.8
(12.31)		 256.4
(10.09)		 252.0
(9.92)		 236.9
(9.33)		 158.2
(6.23)		 26.8
(1.06)		 5.6
(0.22)		 1,540.4
(60.65)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) 1.3 1.5 2.2 5.9 12.3 15.2 14.9 15.7 13.4 10.2 2.7 0.8 96.1
Source 1: World Meteorological Organization[1]
Source 2: Norwegian Meteorological Institute (extremes)[2]

Economy

Katha is the administrative seat of Katha District which comprises seven small townships. Katha is populated with government offices and many of the early town settlers were from every part of Burma and usually had background history of civil service under at least one of ministerial departments. The main economy of the town is fisheries and farming of kidney beans. Production of rice in the Katha Township is less than its consumption and Katha has to depend on imports from the nearby townships such as Indaw or Kawlin. Katha is a legendarily bureaucratic stronghold, and its prosperity is crippled by it.

Setting of George Orwell's Burmese Days

The British Club in Katha (only the ground floor remains from Orwell's time)

Katha is known in literature as the real place underlying the fictional Kyauktada, setting of George Orwell's first novel Burmese Days (1934). Orwell himself served at Katha in 1926-27 in the Indian Imperial Police. The British Club (including active tennis court), police station, and town jail are locations mentioned in the novel that can still be visited today. More accounts on this section is readable in Emma Larkin's "Finding George Orwell in Burma". Katha links with prominent Burmese writers such as Shwe U Daung, Thaw Tar Swe, Theik-Pan Muu Tin, and AFPFL leader Kyaw Nyein from Stable faction.

In September 2019, the Katha Heritage Trust opened a museum at the house that Orwell lived in during his time in Katha. The two-story wooden building had been an attraction for Western tourists. The museum features portraits and a picture of Orwell, and a painting of the house. One stated aim of the trust was to cooperate with the Orwell Trust in the United Kingdom to restore momentos of Orwell's time in Katha.[3]

Notes

  1. ↑ "World Meteorological Organization Climate Normals for 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization. Retrieved 16 October 2023.
  2. ↑ "Myanmar Climate Report" (PDF). Norwegian Meteorological Institute. pp. 23–36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 October 2018. Retrieved 28 October 2018.
  3. ↑ Aung Phay Kyi Soe, 'Reliving Orwell's Burmese Days in Katha Township', Myanmar Times, 18 October 2019.
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