Kayah State [key], state (1983 pop. 168,355), 4,506 sq mi (11,671 sq km), E Myanmar, on the Thai border. Loikaw is the capital. The terrain is mountainous and is traversed by the Thanlwin (Salween), the principal river. The inhabitants of the state are Karens. In the south are the Mawchi mines, an important source of tungsten. Rice and vegetables are grown, and the forests yield teak. Under the 1947 Burmese constitution Karenni State was constituted from the three states that had treaty relationships with the British crown; the name was changed to Kayah State in 1952.
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