Claim: Yangon is Myanmar's is its most important commercial center and it is a cultured place.

Myanmar -LRB- -LSB- mjəmà -RSB- -RRB- , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar -LRB- ပ ည ထ င စ သမ မတ မ န မ န င င တ , , -LSB- pjìdàʊɴzṵ θàɴməda̰ mjəmà nàɪɴŋàɴdɔ̀ -RSB- -RRB- , also known as Burma , is a sovereign state in the region of Southeast Asia . Myanmar is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west , Thailand and Laos to its east , and China to its north and northeast . To its south , about one third of Myanmar 's total perimeter of 5,876 km -LRB- 3,651 miles -RRB- forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea . The country 's 2014 census counted a much lower population than expected , with 51 million people recorded . Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometres -LRB- 261,227 sq mi -RRB- in size . Its capital city is Naypyidaw and its largest city and former capital city is Yangon -LRB- Rangoon -RRB- . Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations -LRB- ASEAN -RRB- since 1997 .   Early civilisations in Myanmar included the Tibeto-Burman-speaking Pyu city-states in Upper Burma and the Mon kingdoms in Lower Burma . In the 9th century , the Bamar people entered the upper Irrawaddy valley and , following the establishment of the Pagan Kingdom in the 1050s , the Burmese language , culture and Theravada Buddhism slowly became dominant in the country . The Pagan Kingdom fell due to the Mongol invasions and several warring states emerged . In the 16th century , reunified by the Taungoo Dynasty , the country was for a brief period the largest empire in the history of Mainland Southeast Asia . The early 19th century Konbaung Dynasty ruled over an area that included modern Myanmar and briefly controlled Manipur and Assam as well . The British took over the administration of Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony . Myanmar was granted independence in 1948 , initially as a democratic nation and then , following a coup d'état in 1962 , a military dictatorship .   For most of its independent years , the country has been engrossed in rampant ethnic strife and Burma 's myriad ethnic groups have been involved in one of the world 's longest-running ongoing civil wars . During this time , the United Nations and several other organisations have reported consistent and systematic human rights violations in the country . In 2011 , the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election , and a nominally civilian government was installed . This , along with the release of Aung San Suu Kyi and political prisoners , has improved the country 's human rights record and foreign relations , and has led to the easing of trade and other economic sanctions . There is , however , continuing criticism of the government 's treatment of ethnic minorities , its response to the ethnic insurgency , and religious clashes . In the landmark 2015 election , Aung San Suu Kyi 's party won a majority in both houses . However , the Burmese military remains as a powerful force in politics .   Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems , oil , natural gas and other mineral resources . In 2013 , its GDP -LRB- nominal -RRB- stood at US$ 56.7 billion and its GDP -LRB- PPP -RRB- at US$ 221.5 billion . The income gap in Myanmar is among the widest in the world , as a large proportion of the economy is controlled by supporters of the former military government . , according to the Human Development Index -LRB- HDI -RRB- , Myanmar had a medium level of human development , ranking 145 out of 188 countries .