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Tuesday, January 4 9:44 AM SGT
Long history of a diverse landMYANMAR is the name long used by its people to describe their homeland. It is also known as the Golden Land for its rich soil and the wealth of its agriculture and minerals.Geographically, Myanmar is the largest country on the Southeast Asian mainland, sharing borders with Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand. With an area of 676,577 sq kms, it is twice the size of Vietnam. Climate _ Myanmar enjoys a tropical climate with three general seasons: the rainy season during the south-west monsoons from mid-May to mid-October, the dry cool season from mid-October to mid-February and the hot season from mid-February to mid-May before the rains begin. The best time to visit is from October to February. The People _ Myanmar is a union of 135 ethnic groups. The term Myanmar embraces all nationalities: the Barmar, Chin, Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Mon, Rakhine and Shan. Sixty-eight per cent of the total population of over 46 million is Bamar. Religion _ Theravada Buddhism is the predominant religion, embraced by over 80 per cent of the people. There are Christians, Muslims, Hindus and animists. Historic Background _ In the 11th century King Anawrahta consolidated the country into the first Myanmar Empire in Bagan (Pagan). This collapsed with the invasion of the Mongols under Kublai Khan in the 13th Century. King Alaungpaya founded the Third Myanmar Empire in 1752. Myanmar became a British colony after three Anglo-Myanmar Wars between 1824 and 1885. During World War II, it was occupied by the Japanese from 1942 until 1945. Myanmar became independent on 4 January 1948. Culture _ Myanmar lies in a meeting place of two great civilisations _ China and India. Its culture is that of neither exclusively, but a blend interspersed with native traits and characteristics.
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