Thonze

Thonze (Burmese: သုံးဆယ်, also spelt Thonse) is a town in Tharrawaddy Township in western Bago Region, Myanmar. The town borders the town of Tharrawaddy's south side. It is divided into 13 urban wards and had a population of 22,482 people in 2019.^[1]

Thonze သုံးဆယ်မြို့
Town
Thonze Clock Tower
Thonze Location in Myanmar
Coordinates: 17.627806°N 95.787125°E / 17.627806; 95.787125
Country	Myanmar
Region	Bago Region
District	Tharrawaddy District
Township	Tharrawaddy Township
Area
• Total	3.05 sq mi (7.9 km2)
Population [1]
• Total	22,482
• Density	7,400/sq mi (2,800/km2)
Time zone	UTC+6.30 (MMT)

History

During British colonial rule, Thonze was a logging hub where the taungya variety of teak was first grown in plantation style. In 1883, the Thonze forests were mapped and divided into compartments for the purpose of creating forest resource reserves.^[2] The missionary Marilla Baker Ingalls settled in Thonze in 1859, describing it as a remote village, requiring a two-day boat trip from Rangoon up the Hlaing River. She set up a mission and created a community of Baptists through her life in the village.^[3] The first rail line to Thonze was built in 1877, and the village grew into a station town.^[4]