Myanmar

Myanmar (Burmese: မြန်မာ), formerly and occasionally called Burma in English, is a country in Southeast Asia. Its full name is the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. Myanmar is the largest country in Southeast Asia that is not an island country. Its capital city is Naypyidaw and its largest city is Yangon.

Republic of the Union of Myanmar ပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်
Flag State seal
Anthem: Kaba Ma Kyei Till the End of the World
Location of  Myanmar  (green) in ASEAN  (dark grey)  —  [Legend]
Capital	Naypyidawa 19°45′N 96°6′E
Largest city	Yangon (Rangoon)
Official languages	Burmese
Recognised national languages	English
Recognised regional languages	Jingpho Kayah Karen Chin Mon Rakhine Shan
Official scripts	Burmese script
Ethnic groups	68% Bamar 9% Shan 7% Karen 4% Rakhine 3% Chinese 2% Indian 2% Mon 5% other
Demonym(s)	Burmese / Myanma
Government	Unitary presidential constitutional republic under a military junta
• Acting President and SSPC Chairman	Min Aung Hlaing
• SSPC Vice Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister	Soe Win
• Prime Minister	Nyo Saw
Legislature	State Security and Peace Commission
Formation
• Bagan Dynasty	23 December 849
• Toungoo Dynasty	16 October 1510
• Konbaung Dynasty	29 February 1752
• Independence (from United Kingdom)	4 January 1948
• Coup d'état	2 March 1962
• New constitution	30 March 2011
Area
• Total	676,578 km2 (261,228 sq mi) (40th)
• Water (%)	3.06
Population
• 2010 estimate	60,280,000 (24th[7])
• 1983 census	33,234,000
• Density	73.9/km2 (191.4/sq mi) (119th)
GDP (PPP)	2012 estimate
• Total	$89.461 billion
• Per capita	$1,405
GDP (nominal)	2012 estimate
• Total	$53.140 billion
• Per capita	$854
HDI (2012)	0.498 low · 149th
Currency	Kyat (K) (MMK)
Time zone	UTC+06:30 (MST)
Driving side	rightb
Calling code	+95
ISO 3166 code	MM
Internet TLD	.mm
Some governments recognise Yangon (Rangoon) as the national capital. Road infrastructure is still for driving on the left.

It is bordered by China on the north, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, and India on the northwest, with the Andaman Sea to the south, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest. There are over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of coastline.

Government

The country was ruled by a military junta led by General Ne Win from 1962 to 1988. Its political system today stays under the tight control of its military government. In 1991, Senior General Than Shwe began ruling the country. In 2011 Thein Sein was elected as a first president of the civilian government. In 2016 Htin Kyaw became the second elected civilian leader. Aung San Suu Kyi, who is prevented from becoming president by the constitution of Myanmar, will act as an advisor to Kyaw.

In March 2018, Win Myint became the country's tenth President.

Since 2021, Myanmar is again ruled by a Junta; Min Aung Hlaing is (2025) the acting president, and SAC Chairman, and prime minister.

Origin and history of the name

In 1989, the military junta officially changed the English version of its name from Burma to Myanmar. It also made a new name in English for places in the country, such as its former capital city, from Rangoon to Yangon. The official name of the country in the Burmese language, Myanmar did not change, however. The renaming was controversial, seen by some as linguistically bad. Accepting the name change in the English-speaking world has been slow, with many people still using the name Burma to refer to the country. Major news organizations like the BBC still call it Burma. Some question the military junta's authority to "officially" change the name in English in the first place. Aung San Suu Kyi, however, calls the country Myanmar now.

History

Myanmar had a strong kingdom in ancient times, but the nation was taken over by the British in the 1800s. It was occupied by the Empire of Japan in the 1940s. Myanmar became independent in 1948 as the Union of Burma, and had a democratic government at first. However, in 1962, a coup d'état brought the military into power, where it has been ever since. The founder of modern Myanmar, Aung San was assassinated months before independence. His daughter Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest many times for leading the democracy movement.

In 1991, the military junta agreed to democratic elections, which were won by the National League for Democracy, and should have made Aung San Suu Kyi the Prime Minister. However, the dictatorship ignored the results of the elections and continued ruling. In November 2005, the military government stated that the national capital would be moved from Yangon to a location near Pyinmana, which was renamed Naypyidaw in March 2006.

Since independence in 1948 and the assassination of Aung San, Burma has had civil wars between its governments and minority ethnic groups like the Kachin, Karen, Shan and others. These conflicts are known as the Internal conflict in Burma.

National symbols of Myanmar

• National animal of Myanmar
• National bird of Myanmar
• National flower of Myanmar
• Irrawaddy Dolphin

Land

Map of Myanmar

Today, there are 14 sections. 7 are called states and the other 7 are called divisions.

The divisions are split into townships. The townships are divided into villages and wards.

Economy

"Myanmar’s gross domestic product [or GDP] in the fiscal year ending March 2025 is expected to [... be lower than] a previous 1% growth forecast", according to the World Bank.

Inflation is 26% (in 2024).

Related pages

• List of rivers of Myanmar
• Myanmar at the Olympics
• Myanmar national football team