Mon

The Mon are an ethnic group who inhabit Lower Myanmar’s Mon State, Kayin State, Kayah State,Tanintharyi Region, Bago Region, the Irrawaddy Delta, and several areas in Thailand.The native language is Mon, which belong to the Monic branch of the Austroasiatic language family and share a common origin with the Nyah Kur language, which spoken by the people of the same name that live in the Northeastern Thailand. A number of languages in Mainland Southeast Asia are influenced by the Mon language, at the same time being influenced by those languages.

The Mon were one of the earliest to reside in Southeast Asia, and were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Mainland Southeast Asia.The civilizations founded by the Mon were some of the earliest in Thailand as well as Myanmar and Laos. The Mon are regarded as a large exporter of Southeast Asian culture.Historically, many cities in Myanmar, Thailand, and Laos today, including Yangon, Bangkok, and Vientiane were founded either by the Mon people or Mon rulers.