Naypyidaw19°45′N 96°6′E / 19.75°N 96.1°E / 19.75; 96.1Largest cityYangon (Rangoon)
Official language(s)BurmeseRecognised regional languagesJingpho,
Kayah,
Karen,
Chin,
Mon,
Rakhine,
ShanOfficial scriptsBurmese scriptDemonymBurmese/
MyanmaGovernmentPresidential republic-
PresidentThein Sein-
Population2009 estimate
55,400,000
[ -
1983 census
33,234,000 (3)
Density73.9/km2 (
119th)191.5/sq mi
GDP (
PPP)
2010 estimate
Total
$76.473 billion
[2]Per capita$1,250
[2]Per capita$702
[2]HDI (2010)
0.451
[3] (low) (
132nd)
Currencykyat (K) (
MMK)
Time zoneMST (
UTC+6:30)
Drives on theright
[4]Internet TLD.mmCalling code95Some governments recognise
Rangoon as the national capital.
[5]Burma (
i /ˈbɜrmə/), officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar (
i /ˌmjɑːnˈmɑr/;
Burmese: ,
Pyidaunzu Thanmăda Myăma Nainngandaw, pronounced
[pjìdà̀uɴzṵ θà̀ɴməda̯ mjəmà nàiɴŋàɴdɔ̀]) is a country in
Southeast Asia. The country is bordered by the
People's Republic of China on the northeast,
Laos on the east,
Thailand on the southeast,
Bangladesh on the west,
India on the northwest, and the
Bay of Bengal to the southwest, with the
Andaman Sea defining its southern periphery. One-third of Burma's total perimeter of 1,930 kilometres (1,200 mi) forms an uninterrupted coastline. Burma is the second largest country by geographical area in
Southeast Asia.
[6]The country's culture, heavily influenced by those of its neighbours, is based on
Theravada Buddhism intertwined with
local elements. Burma's diverse population has played a major role in defining its politics, history, and demographics in modern times, and the country continues to struggle to overcome its
ethnic tensions. The
military has dominated government since
General Ne Win led a
coup in 1962 that toppled the civilian government of
U Nu. From that point, Burma's leadership went under the control of the military-led
State Peace and Development Council. It remained so until 2011, when the council was dissolved following the
2010 election and subsequent inauguration of Burma's civilian government.
The
United Nations and several other organizations have reported consistent and systematic
human rights violations in the country, including
child labour,
human trafficking and a lack of
freedom of speech. However, since the dispersion of the country's
military regime, some groups within Burma have attempted to adopt a new constitution in hopes of creating a more modern, democratic nation.
Etymology
Main article:
Names of Burma"Burma" is derived from the Burmese word "Bamar" (
), which in turn is the colloquial form of Myanmar (
) (or Mranma in old
Burmese), both of which historically referred to the majority
Burmans (or the Bamar). Depending on the
register used the pronunciation would be "Bama" (pronounced
[bəmà]), or "Myanmah" (pronounced
[mjəmà]). The name "Burma" has been in use in English since the time of
British colonial rule.
In 1989, the military government
officially changed the English translations of many colonial-era names, including the name of the country to "Myanmar". This prompted one scholar to coin the term "Myanmarification" to refer to the top-down programme of political and cultural reform in the context of which the renaming was done. The renaming remains a contested issue.
[7]While most of the name changes are closer to their actual Burmese pronunciations, many opposition groups and countries continue to oppose their use in English because they recognise neither the legitimacy of the ruling military government nor its authority to rename the country or towns in English.
[8] Various non-Burman ethnic groups choose not to recognise the name because the term Myanmar has historically been used as a label for the majority ethnic group, the
Bamar, rather than for the country.
[9][10][11]Various world entities have chosen to accept or reject the name change. The United Nations, of which Burma (under the name Myanmar) is a member, endorsed the name change five days after its announcement by the junta.
[12] However, governments of many countries including Australia, Canada, France,
[13] the United Kingdom and the United States
[14] still refer to the country as "Burma", with varying levels of recognition of the validity of the name change itself. Others, including the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the governments of
Germany,
India,
Japan,
[15] Russia
[16] and the People's Republic of China recognise "Myanmar" as the official name.
Media usage is also mixed. In spite of the usage by the United States government, some American news outlets including
The New York Times,
The Wall Street Journal, The
International Herald Tribune and
CNN, and international news agencies the
Associated Press,
Reuters and
Agence France-Presse have adopted the name "Myanmar". The name "Burma" is still widely used by other news outlets, including
Voice of America,
The Washington Post, the
BBC,
ITN, most British newspapers,
The Times of India and
Time. Other sources often use combined terms such as "Burma, also known as Myanmar." Some media outlets that use "Myanmar" refer to "Burma" as the nation's "colonial name."
[17][18][19]Uncertainty among English speakers on how to pronounce "Myanmar" gives rise to pronunciations such as
/ˈmjɑːn.mɑr/,
/maɪ.ənˈmɑr/,
/ˈmiː.ən.mɑr/ and
/miːˈæn.mɑr/. The BBC recommends
/mjænˈmɑr/.
[20][21][22] The common pronunciation in Burmese is
[mjəmà].
On 21 October 2010 some media reported that the government changed the official name to Republic of the Union of Myanmar, which was established as part of the
2008 Constitution.
[23] But this information was not confirmed by any Burmese government sources nor any other credible sources till 30 March 2011 – the new name Republic of the Union of Myanmar is in effect as of inaugration of new government.
[24] Prior to this, the country was known formally as the Union of Myanmar since 1989. This had itself replaced the previous designation of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma used in the
1974 Constitution, which in turn had replaced the
1947 Constitution adopted following independence, which had referred simply to the Union of
Geography of BurmaThe
Irrawaddy Delta, which is approximately 50,400 km2 (19,460 sq mi) in area, is largely used for rice cultivation.
[25]Buddhist monastery on
Taung Kalat southwest of
Mount PopaBurma, which has a total area of 678,500 square kilometres (262,000 sq mi), is the largest country in mainland
Southeast Asia, and the 40th-largest in the world. It lies between latitudes
9° and
29°N, and longitudes
92° and
102°E.
It is bordered to the northwest by
Chittagong Division of
Bangladesh and
Mizoram,
Manipur,
Nagaland and
Arunachal Pradesh of India to the northwest. Its north and northeast border straddles the
Tibet and
Yunnan regions of China for a Sino-Burman border total of 2,185 kilometres (1,358 mi). It is bounded by
Laos and
Thailand to the southeast. Burma has 1,930 kilometres (1,200 mi) of contiguous coastline along the
Bay of Bengal and
Andaman Sea to the southwest and the south, which forms one quarter of its total perimeter.
[26]In the north, the
Hengduan Shan mountains form the border with China.
Hkakabo Razi, located in
Kachin State, at an elevation of 5,881 metres (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Burma.
[27] Three mountain ranges, namely the Rakhine Yoma, the Bago Yoma, and the
Shan Plateau exist within Burma, all of which run north-to-south from the
Himalayas.
[28] The mountain chains divide Burma's three river systems, which are the
Ayeyarwady,
Salween (Thanlwin), and the
Sittaung rivers.
[25] The Ayeyarwady River, Burma's longest river, nearly 2,170 kilometres (1,348 mi) long, flows into the
Gulf of Martaban. Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the mountain chains.
[28] The majority of Burma's population lives in the Ayeyarwady valley, which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and the Shan Plateau.
Climate
Main article:
Climate of BurmaLimestone landscape of
Mon StateMuch of the country lies between the
Tropic of Cancer and the
Equator. It lies in the
monsoon region of Asia, with its coastal regions receiving over 5,000 mm (196.9 in) of rain annually. Annual
rainfall in the
delta region is approximately 2,500 mm (98.4 in), while average annual rainfall in the Dry Zone, which is located in central Burma, is less than 1,000 mm (39.4 in). Northern regions of the country are the coolest, with average temperatures of 21 °C (70 °F). Coastal and delta regions have an average maximum temperature of 32 °C (89.6 °F).
[25][
edit] Wildlife
The country's slow economic growth has contributed to the preservation of much of its environment and
ecosystems. Forests, including dense tropical growth and valuable
teak in lower Burma, cover over 49% of the country, including areas of
acacia,
bamboo,
ironwood and
michelia champaca.
Coconut and
betel palm and
rubber have been introduced. In the highlands of the north,
oak,
pine and various
rhododendrons cover much of the land.
[29] Heavy logging since the new 1995 forestry law went into effect has seriously reduced forest acreage and wildlife habitat.
[30] The lands along the coast support all varieties of
tropical fruits and once had large areas of
mangroves although much of the protective mangroves have disappeared. In much of central Burma (the Dry Zone), vegetation is sparse and stunted.
Typical
jungle animals, particularly
tigers and
leopards, occur sparsely in Burma. In upper Burma, there are
rhinoceros, wild
buffalo,
wild boars,
deer,
antelope, and
elephants, which are also tamed or bred in captivity for use as work animals, particularly in the
lumber industry. Smaller
mammals are also numerous, ranging from
gibbons and
monkeys to
flying foxes and
tapirs. The abundance of birds is notable with over 800 species, including
parrots,
peafowl,
pheasants,
crows,
herons, and
paddybirds. Among
reptile species there are
crocodiles,
geckos,
cobras,
Burmese pythons, and
turtles. Hundreds of species of
freshwater fish are wide-ranging, plentiful and are very important food sources
