Sorting Out the Changes and Confusion of Myeik Islands Names in Myanmar

Abstract

　The Myeik Islands in the Andaman Sea are comprised of more than 800 reefs and islands that have preserved their natural beauty. The Myeik Islands were once Thai territory in the Middle Ages, then Burmese, then British, then Burmese again after the independence of Burma, and now Myanmar.

　During the British Period, these islands were named in the British style, but after World War II they became Burmese territory, and in accordance with international practice, the island names have gradually changed to local (Myanmar) names. However, even on internationally used maps, the names of the Myeik Islands are a mixture of names from the British Period, names used by the international community, and local Myanmar names. Furthermore, the complexity of language notation on maps makes it difficult for users to understand the names. Therefore, the authors investigated, organized, and compared the names of the islands from these three sources (the British Period usage, international usage, local usage), and organized this basic data to help future consideration for clearer and less confusing names.

　Simply adopting the current local names would be a consistent and easy-to-understand naming system. However, there are many reasons why island names cannot be simply rewritten; factors that need to be considered are the history of the area, ship and aircraft navigation, various activities of the local people, ease of use by foreign businesspeople and tourists, academic research, and significance to basic national geographical information. This document was created to address the strong need for a tool that would enable us to survey, organize, and review this information in a comprehensible manner. We hope that all concerned parties will make use of this chart as best suits their needs.