Lying on the Zawgyi River, 25 miles (40 km) south of Mandalay, it is served by the Mandalay-Yangon (Rangoon) railway.

[3] The surrounding area consists of a level strip running south from Mandalay along the foothills of the Shan Plateau.

[4] King Anawrahta built numerous fortresses along his kingdom's borders, as well as along the rivers flowing within his lands.

Tamote was one of nine fortresses along the rivers of Kyaukse region, erected because he needed protection against invasion by water.

When Than Shwe was in power at the head of the military regime, a heavy industrial zone was established in Kyaukse – supposedly to provide employment, though its population is relatively small.