class="apple-converted-space"> and
major
seaport
in
Rakhine
State, the westernmost part of Myanmar. Thandwe is very ancient, and is said to
have been at one time the
capital
of Rakhine State, then called Arakan.
The district has an area of 3,784 square miles (9,800 km
2). The
country is
mountainous, the
Arakan Mountains sending out spurs which reach the
coast. Some of the peaks in the north
attain 4,000 and more ft. The streams
are
only mountain torrents to within a few miles of the coast; the mouth of the
Khwa forms a good
anchorage
for
vessels
of from 9 to 10 ft (3.0 m).
Draught. The rocks in the
Arakan Range
and its spurs
are
metamorphic,
and comprise
clay,
slates,
iron stone and indurate
sandstone; towards the south,
ironstone, trap and rocks of
basaltic
character are common; veins of
steatite