Myanmar

**Myanmar** (), formerly and occasionally called **Burma** in English, is a country in Southeast Asia. Its full name is the **Republic of the Union of Myanmar**. Myanmar is the largest country in Southeast Asia that is not an island country. Its capital city is Naypyidaw and its largest city is Yangon. Myanmar is one of the most popular with natural resources gas, rich in minerals, and including metal ores.

It is bordered by China on the north, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, and India on the northwest, with the Andaman Sea to the south, and the Bay of Bengal to the southwest. There are over  of coastline.

## Government

Since 2021, Myanmar is again ruled by a junta. Min Aung Hlaing is (2025) the acting president, and SSPC chairman, and prime minister.

## The name, _Myamnar_

In 1989, the military junta officially changed the English version of its name from _Burma_ to _Myanmar_. It also made a new name in English for places in the country, such as its former capital city, from _Rangoon_ to Yangon. The official name of the country in the Burmese language, _Myanmar_ did not change, however. The renaming was controversial, seen by some as linguistically bad.  Accepting the name change in the English-speaking world has been slow, with many people still using the name _Burma_ to refer to the country.  Major news organizations like the BBC still call it Burma.  Some question the military junta's authority to "officially" change the name in English in the first place. Aung San Suu Kyi, however, calls the country Myanmar now.

## History

Myanmar had a strong kingdom in ancient times, but the nation was taken over by the British in the 1800s.  It was occupied by the Empire of Japan in the 1940s. Myanmar became independent in 1948 as the Union of Burma, and had a democratic government at first.  However, in 1962, a coup d'état brought the military into power, where it has been ever since. The founder of modern Myanmar, Aung San was assassinated months before independence.  His daughter Aung San Suu Kyi was placed under house arrest many times for leading the democracy movement.

In 1991, the military junta agreed to democratic elections, which were won by the National League for Democracy, and should have made Aung San Suu Kyi the Prime Minister. However, the dictatorship ignored the results of the elections and continued ruling. In November 2005, the military government stated that the national capital would be moved from Yangon to a location near Pyinmana, which was renamed Naypyidaw in March 2006.

Since independence in 1948 and the assassination of Aung San, Burma has had civil wars between its governments and minority ethnic groups like the Kachin, Karen, Shan and others. These conflicts are known as the Internal conflict in Burma.

### History about government

The country was ruled by a  military junta led by General Ne Win from 1962 to 1988. Its political system today stays under the tight control of its military government.  In 1991, Senior General Than Shwe began ruling the country. In 2011 Thein Sein was elected as a first president of the civilian government. In 2016 Htin Kyaw became the second elected civilian leader. Aung San Suu Kyi, who is prevented from becoming president by the constitution of Myanmar, will act as an advisor to Kyaw.

In March 2018, Win Myint became the country's tenth President.

## Land

Today, there are 14 sections. 7 are called states and the other 7 are called divisions.

The divisions are split into townships. The townships are divided into villages and wards.

## Economy

"Myanmar’s gross domestic product [or GDP] in the fiscal year ending March 2025 is expected to [... be lower than] a previous 1% growth forecast", according to the World Bank.

Inflation is 26% (in 2024).

## Crime

In regard to scam centers that do a lot of internet fraud: There is a "cluster of 27 [of those] around Myawaddy";  One of those scam centers had c. 2100 workers, according to media (2025's fourth quarter).

## Related pages

- List of rivers of Myanmar
- Myanmar at the Olympics
- Myanmar national football team

## Infobox (country)

- **conventional long name**: Republic of the Union of Myanmar
- **native name**: <span style="font-family:Padauk;"></span>
- **common name**: Burma
- **image flag**: Flag of Myanmar.svg
- **image coat**: Variant of the State seal of Myanmar (2011-2025).svg
- **symbol type**: State seal
- **national anthem**: _Kaba Ma Kyei_
_Till the End of the World_

- **image map**: Location Burma (Myanmar) ASEAN.svg
- **official languages**: Burmese language, Burmese
- **languages type**: Common languages
- **national languages**: English language, English
- **languages2 type**: Official scripts
- **languages2**: Burmese script
- **demonym**: BurmeseMyanma
- **capital**: Naypyidaw<sup>a</sup>
- **largest city**: Yangon, Yangon
- **government type**: Unitary state, Unitary Presidential system, presidential Constitutional republic, constitutional republic under a military junta
- **leader title1**: President of Myanmar, Acting President and State Security and Peace Commission, SSPC Chairman
- **leader name1**: Min Aung Hlaing
- **leader title2**: SSPC Vice Chairman and Deputy Prime Minister of Myanmar, Deputy Prime Minister
- **leader name2**: Soe Win (general), Soe Win
- **leader title3**: Prime Minister of Myanmar, Prime Minister
- **leader name3**: Nyo Saw
- **legislature**: State Security and Peace Commission
- **sovereignty type**: History of Burma, Formation
- **established event1**: Bagan Kingdom, Bagan Dynasty
- **established date1**: 23 December 849
- **established event2**: Taungoo dynasty, Toungoo Dynasty
- **established date2**: 16 October 1510
- **established event3**: Konbaung Dynasty
- **established date3**: 29 February 1752
- **established date4**: 4 January 1948
- **established event5**: 1962 Burmese coup d'état, Coup d'état
- **established date5**: 2 March 1962
- **established event6**: Constitution of Burma, New constitution
- **established date6**: 30 March 2011
- **area rank**: 40th
- **area km2**: 676,578
- **area sq mi**: 261,227
- **percent water**: 3.06
- **population estimate**: 60,280,000
- **population estimate year**: 2010
- **population estimate rank**: 24th
- **population census**: 33,234,000
- **population census year**: 1983
- **population density km2**: 73.9
- **population density sq mi**: 191.5
- **population density rank**: 119th
- **gdp ppp year**: 2012
- **gdp ppp**: $89.461 billion
- **gdp ppp per capita**: $1,405
- **gdp nominal**: $53.140 billion
- **gdp nominal year**: 2012
- **gdp nominal per capita**: $854
- **hdi year**: 2012
- **hdi change**: increase
- **hdi**: 0.498
- **hdi rank**: 149th
- **currency**: Burmese kyat, Kyat (K)
- **currency code**: MMK
- **official exchange rate**: 6 Kyat
- **exchange rate**: 954 Kyat
- **fec exchange rate**: 954 Kyat
- **time zone**: Myanmar Standard Time, MST
- **utc offset**: +06:30
- **drives on**: right<sup>b</sup>
- **calling code**: Telephone numbers in Burma, +95
- **cctld**: .mm
- **iso3166code**: MM
- **footnote a**: Some governments recognise Yangon, Yangon (Rangoon) as the national capital.
- **footnote b**: Road infrastructure is still for driving on the left.