TAVOY, one of the Tenasserim provinces in British India, lying between N. Lat. 12. 44. and 14. 50.; E. Long. 98. 30. and 99. 30.; bounded on the N. by the province of Amherst; S. by that of Mergui; E. by Siam; and W. by the Bay of Bengal. Area, 4920 square miles. It is for the most part occupied by mountains, which are covered with dense forests and jungles, and intersected by many valleys watered by streams. The range nearest the sea has a height of 3000 feet; and those further east attain a still higher elevation. The principal crop raised is rice, for which the land is well suited; but there is much ground which is at present waste that might be brought into cultivation. Cotton, indigo, and tobacco are cultivated, but
only to a very small extent. Various kinds of palms, fruit-trees, and timber trees grow here in large numbers. The mineral wealth of Tavoy, which consists principally of iron and tin, is very great; the mines of these metals are abundant, and the ores of the best quality. Pop. 37,354.