Myanmar

Republic of the Union of Myanmar ပြည်ထောင်စု သမ္မတ မြန်မာနိုင်ငံတော်
Flag State seal
Anthem:Kaba Ma Kyei Till the End of the World
Location ofMyanmar(green) inASEAN(dark grey) — [Legend]
Capital	Naypyidawa 19°45′N96°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	Unitarypresidentialconstitutionalrepublic
•President	Myint Swe(acting)
•State Administration Council	Min Aung Hlaing(Chairman) Soe Win(Vice Chairman) Other members Aung Lin Dwe(Secretary) Ye Win Oo(Joint Secretary) Mya Tun Oo Tin Aung San Maung Maung Kyaw Moe Myint Tun Mahn Nyein Maung Thein Nyunt Khin Maung Swe Aye Nu Sein Jeng Phang Naw Htaung Maung Ha Sai Long Hseng Saw Daniel Banyar Aung Moe
Legislature	Assembly of the Union
•Upper house	House of Nationalities
•Lower house	House of Representatives
Formation
•Bagan Dynasty	23 December 849
•Toungoo Dynasty	16 October 1510
•Konbaung Dynasty	29 February 1752
•Independence (fromUnited 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[2])
• 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 recogniseYangon (Rangoon)as the national capital. Road infrastructure is still for driving on the left.

Myanmaris a country inSoutheast Asia.Its full name is theRepublic of the Union of Myanmar.It used to be calledBurma.Myanmar is a country in Southeast Asia that is not an island. It is also part ofSouth Asia.

It is bordered byChinaon the north,Laoson the east,Thailandon the southeast,Bangladeshon the west, andIndiaon the northwest, with theAndaman Seato the south, and theBay of Bengalto the southwest. There are over 2,000 kilometres (1,200 mi) of coastline.

Government

The country was ruled by amilitaryjuntaled byGeneralNe Winfrom 1962 to 1988. Its political system today stays under the tight control of its military government. In 1991, Senior GeneralThan Shwebegan ruling the country. In 2011Thein Seinwas elected as a first president of the civilian government. In 2016Htin Kyawbecame the second elected civilian leader.Aung San Suu Kyi,who is prevented from becoming president by theconstitutionof Myanmar, will act as an advisor to Kyaw.

In March 2018,Win Myintbecame the country's tenth and current President.

Since 2021, Myanmar is again ruled by a Junta.

Origin and history of the name

In 1989, the military junta officially changed theEnglishversion of its name fromBurmatoMyanmar.It also made a new name in English for places in the country, such as its formercapital city,fromRangoontoYangon.The official name of the country in theBurmese language,Myanmardid not change, however. The renaming was controversial, seen by some aslinguisticallybad. Accepting the name change in the English-speaking world has been slow, with many people still using the nameBurmato refer to the country. Major news organizations like theBBCstill 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 theBritishin the 1800s. It was occupied by theEmpire of Japanin the 1940s. Myanmar became independent in 1948 as the Union of Burma, and had a democratic government at first. However, in 1962, acoup d'étatbrought the military into power, where it has been ever since. The founder of modern Myanmar,Aung Sanwas assassinated months before independence. His daughterAung San Suu Kyiwas placed under house arrest many times for leading the democracy movement.

In 1991, the military junta agreed to democratic elections, which were won by theNational 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. InNovember2005, the militarygovernmentstated that the national capital would be moved fromYangonto a location nearPyinmana,which was renamedNaypyidawinMarch2006.

Since independence in 1948 and the assassination of Aung San, Burma has hadcivil warsbetween its governments and minorityethnic groupslike theKachin,Karen,Shanand others. These conflicts are known as theInternal conflict in Burma.

National symbols of Myanmar

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

Land

Map of Myanmar

Today, there are 14 sections. 7 are calledstatesand the other 7 are calleddivisions.

The divisions are split intotownships.The townships are divided intovillagesand wards.

Photos

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Related pages

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