About Karen ethnic group:
- They are a large and dispersed ethnic group of Southeast Asia.
- Origin: They trace their origins to the Gobi Desert, Mongolia, or Tibet.
- Location: Karen settled in Burma/Myanmar’s southern Irrawaddy river Delta area and in the hillsalong the Salween River in eastern Myanmar and in neighboring Thailand.
- Religion: The vast majority of Karen are Buddhists (over two thirds), although large numbers converted to Christianity during British rule and constitute about 30 per cent among the Karen.
- Population: Their total population has been estimated at around 4 million.
- Language: The languages of the Karen are generally considered to be of the Tibeto-Burman family and the main dialects are Pwo and Sgaw.
- In Karen society women are often considered inferior or subservient to men and both women and men are encouraged to adhere to strict gender roles.
Irrawaddy River:
- It is a river that flows from north to south through Myanmar.
- It is the country's largest river and most important commercial waterway.
- Originating from the confluence of the N'mai and Mali rivers, it flows relatively straight North-Southbefore emptying through the Irrawaddy Delta into the Andaman Sea.
- Its drainage area of about 255,081 km² covers a large part of Myanmar.
