Tenasserim, narrow coastal region, southeastern Myanmar (Burma), bordered to the east by Thailand and to the west by the Andaman Sea. The Mergui Archipelago, with more than 200 islands of varying sizes, fringes the western shore. Tenasserim is dominated by the Tenasserim Range, which reaches a height of 6,801 feet (2,074 m), and is bisected by the Great Tenasserim River, which flows south to the Andaman Sea. Swamp forests are found on the east coast. The Tenasserim plains to the north are drained also by short and rapid rivers, which enter the Gulf of Martaban. The ethnic composition of the area consists of Karens in the west and north, Thai in the south, and Burmans who speak a unique dialect of Burmese in the other areas.
Long disputed between Myanmar and Thailand, the region was awarded to Myanmar after the Thai-Burmese wars ended in the late 18th century. After the first Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26), Tenasserim was the first part of Burma to be surrendered to the British. In 1941, when Japanese troops landed in Tenasserim, the British began evacuating Burma. The Japanese occupation lasted from 1941 to 1945, and Burma gained independence from Britain in 1948.
Paddy rice is cultivated in the river valleys of Tenasserim, particularly near Tavoy. Vegetables, coconuts, rubber, and teak are grown, and salt fields are worked. Soil erosion has been a problem on the upland ridges of the region. Wood and bamboo products are manufactured in Tavoy. Tin, tungsten, and iron-ore mines operate near Tavoy and Mergui, and there is a tin purification plant in Heinda that is powered by a hydroelectric station in Phaungtaw. A coastal paved road has branches that run into Thailand.