Pathein

Pathein (Burmese: ပုသိမ်မြို့; MLCTS: pu. sim mrui., ; Mon: ဖာသီ, ), also called Bassein, is a port city with a 2004 population estimated at 215,600, and the capital of the Ayeyarwady Region, Burma. It lies on the Pathein River (Bassein), which is a western branch of the Irrawaddy River.

It is located within the Pathein Township of Pathein District and is also the seat of all. Although once part of the Mon kingdom, Pathein has few ethnic Mon residents today. The majority are of Bamar, Burmese Indians, Kayin ethnicity. There are, however, notable minorities of Karen and Rakhine.