Myanmar - Union of Myanmar - Country Profile - Burma - Asia
___ Myanmar - Burma
Destination Myanmar.
Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia, also known as Burma, its also called  the Golden Land. With an area of 676,578 km² the country is almost twice the size of Germany or slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Texas .
Myanmar is bordered in  north and northeast by China , in east by Laos and Thailand , in south by the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal and in west by Bangladesh and India .
With 5,881 m (19,295 ft) Mount Hkakabo Razi in Kachin state on the border tri-point with China and India is the highest elevation in Myanmar and Southeast Asia's highest mountain. Main rivers are the Chindwin and the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) river.
Myanmar has a population of 51.4 million people (2014 census). Largest city, former capital, and the economic center of Myanmar is Yangon , capital is since 2005 the planned city of Naypyidaw . Spoken languages are Burmese.
On this pages you will find comprehensive information about Myanmar, or  Burma in its diversity, its geography, economy, people, culture, environment,  government and history.
You will have access to newspapers from Myanmar and you will find travel  and tourism information.
 
Landscape near Mrauk U a town in in northern Rakhine State.
Image © nationsonline.org
Capital City since 6 November 2005: Naypyidaw (Nay Pyi Taw)
Other Cities:
Yangôn (Rangoon, pop. 5 million), Mandalay (pop. 700 000)
Government:
Type: nominally civilian government (since 29th March 2011, when Burma's military handed over power). The new political system came into effect after an election in November 2010.
Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988 when latest junta      took power). Burma has been under military authority since 1962.
Geography:
Location: Southeast Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
Area : 676,578 km² (261,228 square miles).
Terrain: A land of hills and valleys rimmed in the north, east and west by mountain      ranges forming a giant horseshoe. Enclosed within the mountaion barriers are the      flat lands of Ayeyarwaddy, Chindwin and Sittaung River valleys where most of the      country's agricultural land and population are concentrated.
Climate: Tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest      monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower      humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April).
People:
Nationality: Burmese.
Population : 51.4 million (2014 census)
Ethnic groups: according to Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs there are 8      Major National Ethnic Races in Myanmar, which all comprises different ethnic groups:      the Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Chin , the Mon, the Bamar, the Rakhine,      and the Shan.
according to the CIA World Factbook the ethnic groups are: Burman 68%, Shan 9%,      Karen 7%, Arakanese 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%.
Religions: Buddhism (89.2%), Christianity (5.0%), Islam (3.8%), Hinduism (0.5%),      Spiritualism (1.2%) and others (0.2%).
Languages : Burmese; Myanmar is a union of 135      ethnic groups with their own languages and dialects.
Literacy: 90% (2003 official Government of Burma statistics); estimates of functional      literacy are closer to 30%
Natural resources: Timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead,      coal, limestone, precious stones like jade, ruby and sapphires, natural gas, hydropower,      and some petroleum.
Agriculture Products: Rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane,      hardwood, fish and fish products.
Industries: Agricultural processing; knit and woven apparel; wood and wood      products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals;      fertilizer; cement.
Former Flag of Myanmar (1974 - 2010)
 
Background:
Previously an independent kingdom, Burma was annexed by the British Empire into the colony of India in 1886. The occupation brought social, economic, cultural and administrative changes to the once-feudal society. The Japan ese Empire invaded and occupied the country during World War II but it was returned to British control until independence in 1948.
From 1962 to 2011, the country was ruled by a military junta with absolute power. The name of the country was changed in 1989 by the ruling military government,     officially recognized by the United Nations. Some national governments, such as Canada , the United Kingdom ,     the United States , and much of the Burmese population     do not recognize this name change, since they do not recognize the military government.
Despite multiparty elections in 1990 that resulted in the main opposition party     winning a decisive victory, the military junta refused to hand over power.
Key     opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize recipient AUNG San Suu Kyi, has been set under house     arrest from 1989 to 1995, and was again placed under house detention in September 2000; her supporters are routinely harassed or jailed. In 2011 the military junta was dissolved following a general election in 2010 and a civilian government has been installed.
Aungsan, Burmese, Karen and Suukyi fonts available for Mac and PC.
 
Mural paintings, Hpo Win Daung Caves, Monywa
Images © Nations Online Project 
Business & Economy
Since the transition to a civilian government in 2011, Burma has begun an economic overhaul aimed at attracting foreign investment and reintegrating into the global economy. The government’s commitment to reform, and the subsequent easing of most Western sanctions, has begun to pay dividends. Burma’s abundant natural resources, young labor force, and proximity to Asia’s dynamic economies have attracted foreign investment, actually more an invasion of foreign interests and badly needed money.
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