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GEOGRAPHY Myanmar is situated in Southeast Asia and is bordered on the north and northeast by China, on the east and southeast by Laos and Thailand. on the south by the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal and on the west by Bangladesh and India. The country covers an area of 676,577 square kilometers (261,228 square miles) in the shape of a diamond, 936 kilometers (582 miles) from east to west and 2,051 kilometers (1,275miles) from north to south. It is a land of hills and valleys and is rimmed in the north, east and west by mountain ranges forming a giant horseshoe. Enclosed within the mountain barrier are the flat lands of Ayeyarwady, Chindwin and Sittaung Rivers valleys where most of the country's agricultural land and population is concentrated. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND Archaeological findings reveal that park to Myanmar were inhibited some five thousand years ago. The ancestors of present day Myanmar, the Pyus and the Mons established several kingdoms throughout the country from the 1st century A.D to the 10th century A.D. From that early beginning, there are today a fascinating 135 race of nations who call Myanmar home. Myanmar history dates back to the early 11th Century when King Anawrahta unified the country and founded the First Myanmar Empire in Bagan, more than 20 years before the Norman Conquest of England in 1066(i.e.1044A.D.). The Bagan Empire encompassed the areas of the present day Myanmar and the entire Menam Valley in Thailand and lasted two centuries. The second Myanmar Empire was founded in middle of 16th Century by King Bayinnaung (1551-1581). King Alaungpaya founded the last Myanmar Dynasty in 1752 and it was during the zenith of this Empire that the British moved into Myanmar, like India, Myanmar become a British colony but only after there Anglo-Myanmar Wars in 1825, 1852 and 1885. During the World War II, Myanmar was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 till the return of the Allied Forces in 1945. Myanmar has become a sovereign independent state since 4th January 1948 after more than 100 years under the colonial administration. NATIONAL FLAG The dominating color of the national flag is red. The rectangular space at the upper left corner is blue. In it could be seen the figure of a paddy stalk and a pinion encircled by 14 white stars of uniform size. The paddy represents the peasants while the pinion stands for the workers who form the majority of the people in the country. 14 uniform white stars symbolize the equal status and union spirit of the 7 States and 7 Divisions that constitute the Union of Myanmar. The white in the flag signifies purity; the red indicates bravery and upright nature of the people; and the blue stands as a symbol of peace and stability in the country.
Buddhism is the national religion in Myanmar and consequently about 85% the population are Buddhists, 6.2% are Christians and 4.8% are Muslims. In Myanmar, to earn a family merit for the afterlife, every male is expected to become a monk temporarily of a short period of time at least once in his lifetime. Young boys undergo a ordination ceremony whereby their head will be shaven as they enter into their first period of temporary monastic residence. The ordination ceremony is very grand, beside engaging high monks, relatives and friends will also be there to celebrate the boys going into their manhood. There are also a lot of pagodas in Myanmar, it was once mentioned that if all the pagoda are lined up, they could length as far as 1,300km, the peoples also enjoyed using gold foil to decorate the Buddha's images and pagodas. So, Myanmar also well know as "Golden Land". CLIMATE The climate of Myanmar is roughly divided into three seasons: Summer with highest temperature during March to middle of May, in Central Myanmar up to above 110°F(43.3°C) while in Northern Myanmar it is about 97°F(36.1°C) and on the Shan Plateau between 85°F(29.4°C) and 95°F(35°C). Rainy season from middle of May to end of October, with annual rain fall of less than 30 inches in Central Myanmar, while the coastal regions of Rakhine and Tanintharyi get about 200 inches. Winter which starts from November to end of February. The upper Myanmar with temperature in hilly areas within an elevation of over 3000 feet drops below 32°F(0°C). In the lower Myanmar temperature is between 68°F(22°C) to 77°F(28°C) is the good time visit to Myanmar.
Myanmar is union of many races as many as 135 groups, with their own languages and dialects. The eight major representative groups are: the Myanmar, the Chin, the Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Mon, the Rakhine and the Shan. Each of them belongs to one of the three major racial groups: the Monkhmers, the Tibeton Bamars and the Thai Shans. According to the statistics of 2001, the population of the country is estimated at 51.40 million and the population growth rate is 1.84%, males constitute 25.55million, forming 49.71% and females constitute 25.85million, forming 50.29%. LANGUAGE Burmese is the predominant language in Myanamr, although substantial tribal minorities speak Karen, Chin, and various Kachin dialects. English is also quite widely spoken although as in other Asian countries. It's easy to be deceived in the cities into believing that English is more widespread than it actually is. It doesn't take along bus ride into the country to raise a few communication problems. If you do find difficulty in making yourself understood, a simple rule of thumb is to look for somebody older. There are more likely to be English-speakers amongst the older generation.
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