Burma - Tourism and Travel

Burma or Myanmar, officially known as the Union of Myanmar, is a country in Southeast Asia. It borders the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

Part of the isthmus of Kra, the bridge of land that connects the Malay Peninsula with the rest of Asia, is in Burma.

Burma has an area of 261,228 square miles (676,577 square kilometers).

The Irawaddy River and the Mekong River run through Burma.

A large portion of Burma is covered in tropical rainforest.

The climate of most of Burma is hot, with monsoons.

Part of the Himalayas, the world's highest and most extensive mountain range, is in northern Burma. The Himalayas were formed when the Eurasian and Indian plates collided about 65 million years ago.

Hkakabo Razi, on the border between Burma and China, is part of the Himalayas. Hkakabo Razi is the highest mountain in mainland Southeast Asia. It is 19,300 feet (5,885 meters) above sea level.

Burma was once a British colony.

The commercial capital of Burma is Yangon and the administrative capital is Nay Pyi Taw.

50,020,000 people live in Burma.

Most of them live in the valley of the Irawaddy Delta.

68% of the population is Burman (or Bamah), 9% is Shan, 6% is Karen and 4% is Rakhine.

Burmese is the official language. Shan, Karen, Rakhine, Mon, Chin, Yangbye and Kachin are also spoken.

87% of the people are Buddhist, 6% are Christian, 4% are Muslim and 1% are Hindu.

The majority of the workforce is involved in agriculture.

Burma has reserves of silver, copper, zinc and lead.

The economy is based on agriculture and raw material processing.

Fishing and rice growing take place in the Irawaddy Delta valley.

Economic development has been hindered as a result of political and social unrest.

The official currency of Burma is the kyat, which equals 100 pyas.