Myanmar

I

Introduction

Myanmar or Burma, republic in South East Asia, bordered on the north by China; on the east by China, Laos, and Thailand; on the south by the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal; and on the west by the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh, and India. The country was known as Burma until June 19, 1989, when the military government changed its official name to the Union of Myanmar (Myanma Naingngandaw); this name is recognized by the United Nations, but not by all governments and in this article Myanmar will be used for post-June-1989 references. The coastal region is known as Lower Myanmar, while the interior region is known as Upper Myanmar. The total area of the country is 676,552 sq km (261,218 sq mi). Rangoon (Yangon) was formerly the capital of Myanmar. In November 2005 the military government relocated the national capital to the central city of Naypyidaw. Rangoon continues to be the largest city of Myanmar.

II

Land and Resources

A horseshoe-shaped mountain complex and the valley of the Irrawaddy river system are the dominant topographical features of Myanmar. The mountains of the northern margin rise to 5,881 m (19,296 ft) atop Hkakabo Razi, the highest peak in south-eastern Asia. The two other mountain systems have north-south axes. The Arakan Range, with peaks reaching more than 2,700 m (9,000 ft), forms a barrier between Myanmar and the subcontinent of India. The Bilauktaung range, the southern extension of the Shan Plateau, lies along the boundary between south-western Thailand and south-eastern Lower Myanmar. The Shan Plateau, originating in China, has an average elevation of about 910 m (3,000 ft).

Generally narrow and elongated in the interior, the central lowlands attain a width of about 320 km (200 mi) across the Irrawaddy-Sittang delta. The deltaic plains, extremely fertile and economically the most important section of the country, cover an area of about 46,600 sq km (18,000 sq mi). Both the Arakan (in the north-west) and the Tenasserim (in the south-west) coasts of Myanmar are rocky and fringed with islands. The country has a number of excellent natural harbours.

A

Climate

Most of Myanmar lies within the tropical zone. Myanmar has three seasons: a hot and wet season from mid-May to October, a cooler season from late October to mid-February, and a very hot season from mid-February to early May. During the hot-wet season, the period of the South-West Monsoon, rains usually fall every day and sometimes all day, bringing almost all the annual average of about 5,080 mm (200 in) of rain to Lower Myanmar and about 760 mm (30 in) to Upper Myanmar, while temperatures average around 29° C (85° F) in Mandalay and 27° C (80° F) in Rangoon. In the cooler season, January temperatures average around 20° C (68° F) in Mandalay and 25° C (77° F) in Rangoon. By the end of the hot season, average temperatures have risen to over 37.8° C (100° F) in many parts of Myanmar. Temperatures are generally lower in mountainous regions.

B

Natural Resources

The most important resources of Myanmar are its soils and forests. Approximately 250 commercially useful kinds of trees are found, 50 of which have been exploited. The principal forest resource is teak, of which the country holds the majority of the world’s remaining supply. Important mineral deposits are oil and natural gas, along with lead, zinc, tin, tungsten, coal, iron ore, copper, and some marble and limestone. Myanmar is an outstanding source of jade and natural rubies.

The richest soils are found in a narrow alluvial strip along the Bay of Bengal, where mountain streams irrigate the land; in the wide river valleys; and in the alluvial deposits of the Irrawaddy delta and valley. These deep deposits form a vast, fertile belt especially suitable for rice cultivation because of the abundant moisture.