Mergui (Myeik, Beik) Archipelago

   An island group found along the eastern shore of the Andaman Sea, which, according to British colonial geographers, contains 804 islands, extending roughly from Mergui (Myeik, Beik) in Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) Division in the north to the Thai-Burma border (Kawthaung, Victoria Point) in the south. The largest island is King Island (Kadan Kyun), opposite Mergui, and others include St. Matthew, Domel, and Kisseraing Islands. The archipelago is home to the Moken, "Sea Gypsies." Although ecotourism taking advantage of the beautiful marine environment is being developed, the islands remain largely isolated from the outside world. Some have limestone caves where swiftlets build their nests, which are gathered and used for "bird's nest soup," a Chinese delicacy that can fetch high prices in Hong Kong and Singapore. Pearls are found in offshore waters; the onceabundant marine life has been over-fished in recent years, often by fishermen using dynamite.