Mergui archipelago, Kyunsu Township, Myeik District, Tanintharyi Region, Myanmar
The Mergui Archipelago is part of the Tanintharyi Region in far southern Myanmar (Burma). It is made up of around 800 islands ranging in size from extremely small to hundreds of square kilometers, all of which are located in the Andaman Sea off the western shore of the Malay Peninsula near its landward (northern) end, where it joins the rest of Indochina. They are sometimes referred to as the Pashu Islands since the Malay residents are known as Pashu. Various creatures survive on the islands, including deer, monkeys, tropical birds such as hornbills, and wild swine. Unconfirmed reports of Sumatran rhinoceros on Lanbi, one of the larger islands, have been generally rejected. Overfishing and blast fishing are two environmental problems to the region.