Lets Explore Myanmar

Myanmar has a wide range of Ethnic diversity. Half of the population of Myanmar is the Burmans. A large percentage of Burmans lived in the area around the Irrawaddy River and the coastal regions. It has a small population as compared to the other countries. Theravada Buddhism is the most widely followed religion in Myanmar. The name Myanmar was not always the same. It changed from Burma to Myanmar. Burma was the name given by the Britishers, which was later changed to Myanmar. 

Myanmar

• Myanmar is often called Burma. It is a part of the Asian continent and lies in the Southeast region of Asia. 
• Earlier it was given the name Union of Burma, which changed to Union of Myanmar in the year 1885. 
• Myanmar, when seen from the map, forms a kite-like shape. Myanmar shares its land with China in the North and the  Northeast, with Laos in the East. 
• Thailand in the Southeast, Andaman sea and Bay of Bengal to the west, and India to the Northwest.
• The total area of Myanmar is about 2,050 kilometres long and 930 kilometres wide from east to west.
• The rivers in Myanmar cover three-fifth of Myanmar’s land alone.
• Irrawaddy, along with its tributaries, goes through the land of Myanmar and empties into the Andaman Sea.
• The two major lakes in Myanmar are the Indawgyi Lake and the Inle Lake.
• Indawgyi Lake: it is located in the Northern hills of Myanmar. It is 24 kilometres long and 13 kilometres wide and is one of the largest Natural lakes in Southeast Asia.
• Inle Lake: is about 22 kilometres long and 11 kilometres wide. Inle lake is situated on the Plateau called Shan. A dozen of streams collectively form the Inle Lake in Southeast Asia.

Climate of Myanmar

The geographic positioning of Myanmar contributes to its climate. It is in the monsoon region. There are three seasons in Myanmar:

1. The cool and dry monsoons start in late October and end in mid-Feb.
2. The hot and dry monsoons start mid-Feb and end in May.
3. The rainy monsoons start in mid-May and end late in October.

The Plant and Animals  of Myanmar

Myanmar has half of its land covered in jungles and forests. There are no grasslands found in Myanmar. But coarse grass is found in areas that have been abandoned after cleaning. The jungles and forests of Myanmar have Parrots, wild owls, bears, tigers, leopards, and numerous elephants. The deltas of Myanmar have a variety of snakes, such as pythons, cobras, and vipers.

Capital of Myanmar

Naypyidaw is the capital of this country. The state Naypyidaw was constructed in an isolated city near Pyinmana. The then newly built city Naypyidaw had apartments, an airport, luxury hotels, and Government buildings. The city was only accessed through vehicles by road or through trains from Yangon, as the airports were limited to the military personnel only. Before Naypyidaw, Yangon was the capital city of Myanmar. Naypyidaw has a  man-made beach in Nagalaik Lake. It also has an eco-resort with a spa, beach, and water slides.

Twin Towers

Twin Towers are skyscrapers. Like the 110 stories tall skyscrapers of New York. Which got destroyed in the 9/11 attack by the terrorists. Myanmar also has many tall buildings. Some of them are:

• Junction City Tower
• Centre Point Hotel Tower
• Pan Pacific Yangon
• Diamond Inya Palace
• Centre Point Office Tower

Interesting Facts

• Myanmar was known by the name Burma between 1824 to 1948. The name  Burma was taken from a Bamar ethnic group that dominated the population of Myanmar. This was the name given by the Britishers to Myanmar.
• Myanmar has a very famous festival of water that is hugely celebrated by the people of Myanmar. It is known as Thingyan.
• Longyi is a piece of clothing in Myanmar with traditional importance. Both men and women wear it. A longyi is a two-metre cloth that is wrapped in the lower half of the body. The only difference between a man’s longyi and a woman’s is in the knot.
• People of Myanmar carry things on their heads usually, rather than carrying them in their hands. This is quite popular among the people of Myanmar, and they find it very convenient.
• Yangon, the capital of Myanmar, was changed to Naypyidaw, which was built in secret without telling the public about its construction information.
• In Yangon, there is a large pagoda, which is an iconic pilgrim site. The exterior part of the pagoda is made up of more than 60 tonnes of gold, with a giant diamond of 15 grams on top of the pagoda.

Conclusion  

In this section, we learned about the geographical positioning of Myanmar and the countries that surround the lands of this nation, like India and Afghanistan. Myanmar has a wide range of Ethnic diversity. Half of the population of Myanmar is the Burmans. A large percentage of Burmans lived in the area around the Irrawaddy River and the coastal regions. It has a small population as compared to the other countries. Theravada Buddhism is the most widely followed religion in Myanmar. The name Myanmar was not always the same. It changed from Burma to Myanmar. Burma was the name given by the Britishers, which was later changed to Myanmar.