 Myanmar
Burma's Major
Cities
Yangon
Mandalay
Bagan
Myanmar, officially the Union of Myanmar is the largest country by
geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia. It is also known as Burma.
As the "Union of Burma," Myanmar achieved independence from the United
Kingdom on 4 January 1948. It became the "Socialist Republic of the Union
of Burma" on 4 January 1974, before reverting to the "Union of Burma" on
23 September 1988. On 18 June 1989, the State Law and Order Restoration
Council adopted the name "Union of Myanmar."
Myanmar is bordered by the People's Republic of 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. One-third of Myanmar's total perimeter, 1,930 kilometres
(1,199 mi), forms an uninterrupted coastline.
Myanmar's diverse population has played a major role in defining its
politics, history and demographics in modern times. Its political system
remains under the tight control of the State Peace and Development
Council, the military government led, since 1992, by Senior General Than
Shwe. The Burmese military has dominated government since General Ne Win
led a coup in 1962 that toppled the civilian government of U Nu. Part of
the British Empire until 1948, Myanmar continues to struggle to mend its
ethnic tensions. The country's culture, heavily influenced by neighbours,
is based on Theravada Buddhism intertwined with local elements.
The name "Myanmar" is derived from the local short-form name Myanma
Naingngandaw. This name was used as early as the 12th century, but its
etymology remains unclear. A derivation from the Sanskrit "Brahmadesh,"
land of Brahma, the Hindu god of creation, is accepted by some scholars,
though not all. The adjectival form is "Myanma."
In 1989, the military junta officially changed the English version of its
name from Burma to Myanmar, along with changes to the English versions of
many place names in the country, such as its former capital city from
Rangoon to Yangon. However, the official name of the country in the
Burmese language, Myanma, did not change. Within the Burmese language,
Myanma is the written, literary name of the country, while Bama (from
which "Burma" derives) is the oral, colloquial name. In spoken Burmese,
the distinction is less clean than the English transliteration suggests.
The renaming proved to be politically controversial. Burmese opposition
groups continue to use the name "Burma" since they do not recognize the
legitimacy of the ruling military government nor its authority to rename
the country. Some western governments, namely those of the United States,
Australia, Ireland, and Britain, continue to use "Burma," while the
European Union uses "Burma/Myanmar" as an alternative. The United Nations
uses "Myanmar."
Use of "Burma" and its adjective "Burmese" remains common in the United
States and Britain. News organisations, such as the BBC, Wall Street
Journal and The Financial Times, still use these forms. CNN, The
Economist, and The New York Times use "Myanmar" as the country name and
"Burmese" as the adjective.
Yangon
Mandalay
Bagan |
