Myanmar

• Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a country located in the western portion of mainland Southeast Asia
• In 1989 the country's official English name was changed from the Union of Burma to the Union of Myanmar
• In the Burmese language the country has been known as Myanma (or, more precisely, Mranma Prañ) since the 13th century
• The English name of the city that served as the country's capital from 1948 to 2006, Rangoon, was dropped in 1989 in favor of the common Burmese name, Yangon
• In 2005 the government began to shift its administrative center, first to the city of Pyinmana and then to Nay Pyi Taw (Naypyidaw), a newly constructed city near Pyinmana
• Nay Pyi Taw was proclaimed the capital of Myanmar in 2006
• Myanmar


  • Stretches from latitude 10° N to about 28° 30′ N
  • Shaped like a kite with a long tail that runs south along the Malay Peninsula
  • Bordered by China to the north and northeast, Laos to the east, Thailand to the southeast, the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal to the south and southwest, Bangladesh to the west, and India to the northwest
  • Total length from north to south is about 1,275 miles (2,050 km)
  • Width at the widest part, across the center of the country at about the latitude of the city of Mandalay, is approximately 580 miles (930 km) from east to west
• Myanmar's physical features


  • Slopes from north to south, from an elevation of 19,296 feet (5,881 meters) at Mount Hkakabo in the extreme north to sea level at the Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) and Sittang (Sittoung) river deltas
  • Mountain ranges generally run from north to south
  • Can be divided into five physiographic regions: the northern mountains, the western ranges, the eastern plateau, the central basin and lowlands, and the coastal plains
• Northern mountains


  • Consist of a series of ranges that form a complex knot at Mount Hkakabo
  • Mark the northeastern limit of the encroaching Indian-Australian Plate, which has been colliding with the southern edge of the Eurasian Plate for roughly the past 50 million years and thrusting up the mountain ranges of Myanmar and beyond
  • Contains the sources of several of Asia's great rivers, including the Irrawaddy, which rises and flows wholly within Myanmar, and the Salween (Thanlwin), which rises to the north in China
• Western ranges


  • Traverse the entire western side of Myanmar, from the northern mountains to the southern tip of the Rakhine (Arakan) Peninsula
  • Average elevation is about 6,000 feet (1,800 meters), although some peaks rise to 10,000 feet (3,000 meters) or higher
  • Consist of old crystalline rocks surrounded by hard, tightly folded sedimentary rocks on either side
  • From north to south, the Patkai Range, Naga Hills, and Chin Hills form the border between India and Myanmar
  • To the south are the Rakhine Mountains (Arakan Mountains), which lie entirely within Myanmar and separate the coastal strip from the central basin
• Shan Plateau


  • Occupies the eastern half of the country
  • Deeply dissected, with an average elevation of about 3,000 feet (900 meters)
  • Formed during the Mesozoic Era (about 252 to 66 million years ago)
  • Shows more-recent and intensive folding, with north-south longitudinal ranges rising steeply to elevations of 6,000 to 8,600 feet (1,800 to 2,600 meters) above the plateau surface
  • Merges into the northern mountains northward and continues into the Dawna Range and the peninsular Tenasserim Mountains (Tanintharyi Mountains) southward
• The central basin and lowlands of Myanmar are located between the western ranges and the Shan Plateau
• Arakan Mountains


  • Lie entirely within Myanmar
  • Separate the coastal strip from the central basin
• Shan Plateau


  • Rises abruptly from the central basin, often in a single step of some 2,000 feet (600 meters)
  • Occupies the eastern half of the country
  • Deeply dissected, with an average elevation of about 3,000 feet (900 meters)
  • Formed during the Mesozoic Era (about 252 to 66 million years ago)
  • Shows more-recent and intensive folding, with north-south longitudinal ranges rising steeply to elevations of 6,000 to 8,600 feet (1,800 to 2,600 meters) above the plateau surface
  • Merges into the northern mountains northward, and continues into the Dawna Range and the peninsular Tenasserim Mountains (Tanintharyi Mountains) southward
• Central basin and lowlands

  • Lying between the Rakhine Mountains and the Shan Plateau
  • Structurally connected with the folding of the western ranges
  • Deeply excavated by the predecessors of the Irrawaddy, Chindwin, and Sittang rivers
  • Valleys now occupied by these rivers, which cover the ancient soft sandstones, shales, and clays with alluvial deposits
  • Deltaic regions formed by the Irrawaddy and Sittang rivers are absolutely flat, with a few blocks of erosion-resistant rocks that are never more than 60 feet (18 meters) high
  • Divided into two unequal parts, the larger Irrawaddy valley and the smaller Sittang valley, by the Bago Mountains
  • Center of the basin is a line of extinct volcanoes with small crater lakes and eroded cones, the largest being Popa Hill, at 4,981 feet (1,518 meters)
• Coastal areas


  • Consist of the narrow Rakhine and Tenasserim plains
  • Backed by the high ranges of the Rakhine and Tenasserim mountains
  • Fringed with numerous islands of varying sizes
• Myanmar's main rivers


  • Run from north to south
  • About three-fifths of Myanmar's surface is drained by the Irrawaddy and its tributaries
  • Irrawaddy is navigable for nearly 1,000 miles (1,600 km)
  • At the apex of its delta, the Irrawaddy breaks up into a vast network of streams and empties into the Andaman Sea through multiple mouths
  • Chindwin drains the western region
  • Bassein River (Pathein River) drains the southern Rakhine Mountains and enters the Irrawaddy at the delta
  • Yangon River (Rangoon River) drains the Bago Mountains and enters the Irrawaddy at the delta
  • Sittang flows into the Gulf of Martaban of the Andaman Sea and has a large valley and delta
  • Salween River enters Myanmar from southern China, drains the Shan Plateau, and empties into the Gulf of Martaban southeast of the Sittang
  • Rakhine coastal plains are drained by short, rapid streams that flow into the Bay of Bengal
  • Tenasserim plains are drained by short and rapid rivers that enter the Gulf of Martaban
• Myanmar's major lakes


  • Indawgyi Lake in the northern hills is one of the largest natural inland lakes of Southeast Asia
  • Inle Lake on the Shan Plateau is fed by dozens of streams
• Highland regions of Myanmar

  • Covered with highly leached, iron-rich, dark red and reddish brown soils
  • Absorb heavy rain when protected by forest cover, but erode quickly once the forest has been cleared
• Lowland regions of Myanmar

  • Covered with alluvial soils - mainly silt and clay
  • Low in nutrients and organic matter, improved by fertilizers
• Dry belt of the central region


  • Red-brown soils rich in calcium and magnesium
  • When soil has low clay content, becomes saline under high evaporation and is recognizable by its yellow or brown color