Pyay

Pyay ပြည်မြို့ ဍုၚ်ပြန် Prome
Town
The view of Pyay and Irrawaddy River from Shwesandaw Pagoda
Pyay
Coordinates: 18°49′12″N 95°12′56″E / 18.82000°N 95.21556°E / 18.82000; 95.21556
Country	Myanmar
Division	Bago Region
District	Pyay District
Township	Pyay Township
Population  (2014)
• Urban	134,861
• Metro	251,643
Time zone	UTC+6:30 (+6:30)

Pyay (Burmese: ပြည်မြို့; MLCTS: prany mrui., pronounced [pjì mjo̰]; Mon: ပြန် Mon pronunciation: [prɔn], Burmese pronunciation: [pjàɰ̃]; also known as Prome and Pyè) is the principal town of Pyay Township in the Bago Region in Myanmar. Pyay is located on the bank of the Irrawaddy River, 260 km (160 mi) north-west of Yangon.^[1] It is an important trade center for the Ayeyarwady Delta, Central and Upper Myanmar and the Rakhine (Arakan) State.^[2] The British Irrawaddy Flotilla Company established the current town in the late 19th century on the Irrawaddy as a transshipment point for cargo between Upper and Lower Burma. Pyay is also the terminus of Yangon-Pyay Railway which is the first railway line in Burma (Myanmar) opened on 1 May 1877. The English novelist Jane Austen's brother Rear Admiral Charles Austen died here in 1852. Shin Raṭṭhasāra, a Buddhist monk and prominent classical poet during the Kingdom of Ava also died here in 1529 and a mausoleum was constructed to honor him.

The district of Pyay encompasses the valley of the Irrawaddy, located between Thayet, Hinthada and Tharrawaddy districts. Along the western side of Pyay District are the Arakan Mountains and along the eastern side are the Pegu Range. Pyay District's main towns are Pyay, Shwetaung, and Paungde.