Burma (Myanmar) – country information

Country name	Barma (Myanmar)
Official name	Burma (Myanmar) Union
Capital	Naypyidaw
continent	Asia
Area	676 578 km
Population	53 259 000 (2013)
Foundation of a state	4. 1. 1948
The highest mountains	Hkakabo Razi 5881 m
Longest rivers	Salwin 2820 m (in the country 1200 km), Irrawaddy 2150 km
State system	military regime
The biggest cities	Rangoon (capital) 3,600,000, Mandalay 825,000, Moulmein 325,000
Official language	Burmese
Ethnicity/National Composition	Burmese 71%, Shan 8.5%, Karen 6%, Rakhine 4.5%, Mon 2.2%, Chin 2.1%, Kachin 1.2%, others 4.5%
Religious affiliation	Buddhists 90%, Christians 4.5%, Muslims 3.5%, others 2%
Currency	1 kyat (K) = 100 pya
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$1,612 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	men 56 years, women 60 years (2006)
Structure of GDP	agriculture, forestry and fishing 55%, mining 0.5%, industry 9%, construction 1.5%, services 34%

Burma (Myanmar) – neighboring states

State	Capital	Area	Populace
Bangladesh	Dhaka	143,998 km	152 518 015
China	Peking	9,640,820 km	1 363 350 000
Indie	Delhi	3,287,260 km	1 241 610 000
Laos	Vientiane	236,800 km	6 580 800
Thailand	Bangkok (Krung Thep)	513 115 km	65 926 261

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Burma is located in Southeast Asia along the coast of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. It borders Bangladesh and India to the west, China to the northeast, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the southeast. In 1989, the military government changed the official name of the state to the Union of Myanmar, but it is now no longer in use.

Myanmar is a country of golden pagodas (Burma until 1989). State in Southeast Asia. The word Myanmar means fast, strong. Common borders in the west – with India, Bangladesh, in the northeast – with China, in the east – with Laos, in the southeast – with Thailand.

The capital is Naypyidaw. The official language is Burmese. Currency – Myanmar kyat. Religion – Buddhism.

The climate is tropical monsoon and subequatorial. Heat – February-May, rains – May-October. Temperature in winter +20*С, in summer +35*С.

Most of the country is occupied by mangrove forests and savannah vegetation. Here you can meet rhinos, elephants and wild bulls. The best time to travel to Myanmar is October-March, while the rest of the time it rains in the country.

Attractions Myanmar (Burma)

Burma is a country of ancient original culture that attracts tourists from all over the world. This is facilitated by a large number of holidays in Burma – colorful and memorable events celebrated mainly during full moons. In these days of general fun, boats with music are moving quickly everywhere, colorful fairs are noisy and stalls with refreshments are everywhere. If you ask a Burmese how many holidays there are in a year, he will not be able to answer right away and will start counting.

From the time of school geography lessons and the TV show The Travelers’ Club, many people have memories that somewhere in Asia there is a country called Burma. There lives a strange tribe in the jungle whose women wear golden rings around their necks to make their necks stretch out as long as possible (a sign of beauty).

In the former capital of Burma, Yangon (or as we know – Rangoon, which means – the end of hostility) on a hilltop is the wonderful golden pagoda of Shwedagon Paya (shwe means gold, dagon is the former name of Yangon). This is the main shrine of Buddhists. The height of this gilded stupa is 98 meters; you cannot enter the temple not only in shoes, but even in socks. This monument is better to see once. It is decorated with tons of gold, and there are a large number of sculptures, bells and temples around. This is a magical place.

There are 2,500,000 pagodas in the country. To build a pagoda for a Burmese is the highest merit before the Buddha and an opportunity to advance on one’s path to nirvana.

Interesting Facts

The country is the world’s second (after Afghanistan) producer of illicit opium.

The country’s natural wealth is oil, natural gas, coal, marble, lead, precious stones.

There is a military regime in the country now. The spread of the Internet does not exceed 1% and therefore most citizens get access to the network only through Internet cafes. The activities of Internet cafes are tightly regulated, censorship is introduced, the authorities look through e-mail and monitor users of Internet blogs. And some bloggers are already in jail. In short, worse than in China.

Country data

Location: Southeast Asia

Time zone: CET + 5.5 (during summer time: CET + 4.5)

Total area: 676,578 km²

Land area: 653,508 km²

Water area: 23,070 km²

Length of the state border: 6,522 km

including:
Bangladesh: 271 km
China: 2,129 km
India: 1,468 km
Laos: 238 km
Thailand: 2,416 km

Coastline: 1,930 km

Capital: Naypyidaw

Regions: 14
Chin State, Ayeyarwady, Bago, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway, Mandalay, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing, Shan State, Tanintharyi, Yangon

Electric current: 220 V / 50 Hz

Telephone code: 00 95 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Gamlang Razi 5,870 m

Population

Population: approx. 55.7 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 0.7% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 82

Life expectancy: 54 (male), 56 (female)

Official language: Myanmar

Religions:

• 85% Buddhists
• 5% Christians
• 10% other

Climate

Myanmar distinguishes three different seasons:

The hottest time (25-35 ° C) lasts from the beginning of March until May, which brings high humidity and little rain.

After that, the rainy season applies until the end of October / beginning of November. During these months a heavy monsoon rain falls almost every day. The temperatures are around 22-27 ° C.

From mid-November to the end of February it is relatively cool and very dry at 20-25 ° C.

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Kyat (MMK)

Classification: 1 kyat = 100 pya

ATMs: There are only individual machines in the capital.

International credit cards: These are very rarely accepted.

Regulations: The import and export of national currencies is prohibited. There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. The export is limited to the amount of the declared import.

Upon entry, there is a compulsory exchange of at least US $ 200 that you cannot exchange back.

The declaration form and all receipts received for purchases must be kept until departure.

All currency exchange and payments with foreign currencies in the country are noted on this form.

US dollar bills carried should be recent and undamaged.

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

The export of antiques of any kind is prohibited.

Often all baggage is searched by hand. Plan for appropriate time delays in the travel process.

Travel advice

Travel to the following regions should not take place due to the difficult internal political situation there:

• Kachin State
• Kayah State
• Rakhine State
• Shan State

There is also a particular danger here in the unmarked minefields.

Behavioral advice

Military facilities and people, as well as public buildings, may not be photographed.

The water quality is often very bad. It is therefore advisable to boil this before use.

Political activities of all kinds should be avoided.

Drug possession is severely punished.

Economy

Agriculture is particularly important for Myanmar, as it enables the country to support itself.

Other industries are not particularly developed due to years of mismanagement.

Industries: building materials, mining, ore processing, wood processing, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, textiles

Natural resources: antimony, lead, natural gas, petroleum, wood, limestone, coal, copper, hydropower, zinc, tin

Land use:

• Usable land: 15%
• Grain cultivation: 1%
• Pasture area: 1%
• Forests: 49%
• other: 34%

Plants

The teak tree and the banyan tree are most common in Myanmar. A large part of the country’s area is covered by the existing tropical rainforest.

Many different grasses, bushes and shrub species grow especially in the rainy, cooler season.

Animals

Many thousands of elephants and tigers are still at home here. The elephants are often used for work. There are also a lot of monkeys, bears, deer and turtles.

A large number of exotic animals in the air and in the waters complete the species-rich picture.