About Myanmar

Location

Myanmar, officially called the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is the largest country in South East Asia having its border with 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. The total area of the country is 676,552 square km (261,218 square miles) with over 2,000 kilometers (1,243 mi) of coast line.

Climate

Myanmar has three main seasons, hot, rainy and cold season. Hot season is from March to May, rainy season is from June to October and cold season is from November to February. The tropical monsoon is usually cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers and less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter.
Natural resources

Myanmar is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. Myanmar is rich in natural resources such as petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, and hydropower.

People and religion

Myanmar is made up of 135 national races, of which the main national races are Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Bamar, Mon, Rakhine and Shan. Population is estimated to be over 60 million. The nationality is Myanmar. There are more than 100 ethnic groups in Myanmar. Some of the Ethnic groups are listed as Akha, Palaung, Padaung, Naga, Taron, Eng and many more near extinct tribes. The religions are Buddhist, Christian, Hindu and Muslim. The major language is Myanmar, but minority ethnic groups have their own languages.  English is widely spoken and understood.
History

The earliest primates known today as Pondaung Man, resided in Pondaung, northern Myanmar about 40 million years ago. After those era, many city states emerged, and then came the 3 empires. In the third century BC, Myanmar was already unified into one strong empire. The first Myanmar Empire was created by King Anawrahta of the Bagan Dynasty (1044-1077 AD). The second Myanmar Empire was created by King Bayinnaung of the Taungoo Dynasty (1551-1581 AD). The third Myanmar Empire was led by King Alaungpaya of the Konbaung Dynasty (1752-1760 AD). These three great kings were well-known in the Myanmar history for their bravery and good leadership. In 1885, King Thibaw, Queen SupayaLatt and the royal family were taken to Ratanagiri, India and Myanmar fell under the British Rule. Myanmar became a British Colony from 1885 until 1948.

Neighbouring Countries

Myanmar has many neighbouring countries, Bangladesh is located in the West, India in the Northwest, China in the Northeast, Laos and Thailand in the East.