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1. COUNTRY
Located in Southeast
Asia, Myanmar is formerly known as Burma. The
change in name happened in 1989 and although it
is recognized by the the United Nations. there
are still some countries that do not acknowledge
the change of name as they do not recognized the
military government which instituted the name
change.
Myanmar is divided
into:-
i) seven divisions:
Ayeyarwady, Bago, Magway, Mandalay, Sagaing,
Tanintharyi and Yangon
ii) seven states:
Chin State, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah
State, Mon State, Rakhine State and Shan State.
2.
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Myanmar, roughly diamond-shaped
with long, narrow Tanintharyi as its tail, is bounded by
Laos and Thailand on the east, by China on the northeast,
and by Bangladesh and India on the northwest and by the
Andaman Sea on the south, and the Bay of Bengal on the
southwest and extends the country for about 2,170 km from
north to south. Myanmar is located between 100
and 280N latitude.
3. AREA
678,033 sq km
4. POPULATION
46.8 million
5. CAPITAL
Yangon (formerly known as
Rangoon)
6. PEOPLE
Myanmar's population is made up
of several ethnic groups including the majority group of the
Burman (Bamar) with over 60% and the Shan, Kayin (Karen),
Mon, Kachin, Chin, Kayah and Rakhaing making up the rest.
Shwedagon Pagoda
7. LANGUAGE
The main language spoken in
Myanmar is the Burmese language, a member of the
Tibeto-Burman language family, which is in turn a sub-group
of Sino-Tibetan. While eighty percent of Myanmar's
population speaks this language, there are more than 100
distinct languages and dialects spoken in different parts of
the country. The great variation in cultural histories of
the ethnic groups can be seen in their languages.
8. RELIGION
Almost 90% of Myanmar's
population are Theravada Buddhists. However, the
pre-Buddhist practice of nat-worship, Hinduism, Islam,
Christianity are also being practised freely.
9. GOVERNMENT
Myanmar has been under military
rule since 1988. The current head of state also holds the
title of 'Chairman of the State Peace and Development
Council' and appoints a prime minister to look into the
daily affairs of the country while almost all cabinet posts
are held are held by military officers.
Opposition parties are not
tolerated and there is no independent judiciary in Myanmar.
Aung San Suu Kyi, an activist for democratic rule to return
to Myanmar, was prevented by the military from taking office
as the prime minister of Myanmar after winning the
elections, has been repeatedly being placed under house
arrest.
10. CLIMATE
Located in a monsoonal region,
Myanmar's year is divided into three seasons. It starts to
rain in May, and becomes most intense between June and
August. This is a time of high humidity, especially intense
in the coastal and delta regions as monsoonal winds carry
the moisture in off the Indian Ocean. The central inland is
drier than other parts of the country, but is still subject
to considerable rain during the season.
The rain starts to let up in
October. The ensuing cool season from November through
February is definitely the best time time to visit Myanmar.
The average temperature along the Irrawaddy plain, from
Yangon to Mandalay, is between 210C and 280C,
although the temperature is very much lower in the mountains
on the north and east.
Myanmar's dry season is usually
between March and April. The temperature in the central
Myanmar plain around Bagan can go up to as high as 450C.
Annual rainfall along the coasts
of Arakan and Tennasserim ranges from 300 cm to 500 cm while
the Irrawaddy Delta gets about 150 cm to 200 cm. The central
Myanmar region has the less rain with only about 50 cm to
100 cm of rain each year. In the far north, the melting
snows of the Himalayan foothills keep the nearby rivers fed
with water.
11. HISTORY
AND CULTURE
From an independent kingdom led
by Bamar King Anawrahta in the 11th century, Myanmar was
captured by Kublai Khan during the Mongol invasions in 1287.
However by mid 18th century, a new dynasty under King
Alaungpaya was established.
Myanmar was annexed by the
British Empire to the colony of India in 1886. During World
War II, Myanmar was invaded and occupied by the Japanese
Empire but was liberated once the war ended. In 1948, it
became sovereign as the independent Union of Burma.
Democratic rule ended in 1962 with a military coup led by
General Ne Win, bringing in harsh Marxist reform in his 26
years rule whereby he nationalised everything, including
retail shops and thus crippling the country's economy and in 1974, it took the name of Socialist
Republic of the Union of Burma.
In 1988, after years of
mismanagement by the then Burma Socialist Programme Party,
finally brought on a popular uprising led by students and
monks who packed the streets. Brutual suppressions of the demonstrations brought
the political upheaval to a halt. After the loss of
thousands of lives, the government concluded that some
political concessions ware necessary. The stunned government
quickly formed the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC)
and declared martial law. and promised democratic elections.
SLORC then changed the country's name from Union of Burma to
the Union of Myanmar.
In 1990 free elections were held
whereby the oppositions movements campaigned under the
banner of the National League for Democracy (NLD) with its
charismatic leader Aung San Suu Kyi winning the elections
with almost 80% of the seats in the National Assembly.
However, the election was voided by the military which
refused to step down and subsequently put Aung San Suu Kyi
under house arrest. In 1991, Aung San Suu Kyi was awarded
the Nobel Peace Prize and was released from house arrest in
1995. She was rearrested again and released and then
rearrested again.
Myanmar was finally admitted as
a member of the Association of South East Asian Nations
(ASEAN) in 1997 thus gaining an appreciable measure of
international legitimacy. Troubled by their image abroad and
the economic sanctions that have been imposed on them,
military leaders are finally making signs of moving towards
more internationally acceptable governance.
Buddhism, part of Myanmar's
culture from very beginning, has been the guiding principle
for most of its population. The most obvious manifestation
of Buddhist culture is shown by Myanmar's many temples and
monasteries. A typical Burmese value meditation and gives
alms freely and the social ideal for most Burmese is a
standard of behavior commonly termed as bamahsan chin
whereby showing respect for the elders, acquaintance with
Buddhist scriptures and discretion in behavior towards the
opposite sex are among some its characteristics.
12. MAJOR HOLIDAYS
Independence Day (January 4),
Union Day (February 12), Armed Forces Day (March 27),
Buddha's Birthday (April/May), Thingyan - Water Festival
(April/May), Worker's Day (May 1), Martyr's Day (July 19),
Thadingyut - Festival of Lights (September/October),
Christmas Day (December 25)
13. ECONOMIC PROFILE
Major agricultural
exports include teak, rice, jute and illegal
opium poppies.
14. ENTRY
REQUIREMENTS
A valid passport is required by
all tourists and tourists visas for stays of twenty eight
days, valid for one month from the date of issue, are
readily available through most of Myanmar embassies or
consulates abroad and cost around USD15.00
Business visas, requiring the
recommendation of the Myanmar government, are valid for
three months from the date of issue for stays of four weeks
in Myanmar and extendable up to three to twelve months on a
case by case basis.
At the embassy in Thailand -
Bangkok, it takes anywhere from one to three days to process
a visa. Once inside Myanmar, you can extend your visa by up
to fourteen days at the discretion of the Department of
Immigration in Yangon. The cost is about USD36.00 and you
will need two passport sized photographs. Extensions of
longer than two weeks can sometimes be obtained, although it
usually takes the services of a local travel agency, in
Yangon, to cut through the red tape.
Another easier way is to
overstay your visa and pay a fine of a USD3.00 processing
fee plus USD3.00 per day overstayed on your departure at the
Yangon Airport.
Tourists are allowed to travel
freely in or near Yangon, Mandalay, Bagan, Inle and as far
south as Mawlamyine and may also visit other areas but
overland routes to reach them are often restricted. Travel
to other areas of Myanmar needs a permit issued by the
Ministry of Hotels and Tourism and approved by the Ministry
of Defence.
15. CURRENCY
The Myanmar unit of currency is the
Kyat. Although the government has lifted the long standing
requirement for visitors to buy USD200.00 worth of Foreign
Exchange Certificates (FEC) upon entering the country,
visitors still need FEC to pay for most accommodation and
transportation costs. Kyat is used for everyday expenses
such as food. US dollars are accepted in some places too.
16. BANKING
HOURS
Monday - Friday: 8.00am to 4.30pm except on public holidays.
17. POST
OFFICES
Myanmar's mail service is
sometimes unreliable and it is advisable to send important
documents by DHL Worldwide Express through its offices in
Yangon and Mandalay.
18. TIME
Six and a-half hours ahead of Greenwich
Mean Time (GMT)
19.
ELECTRICITY
Voltage is 220 volt AC at 50
cycles per second.
20. WEIGHTS
AND MEASUREMENTS
Myanmar follows the metric
system in weight and measures.
21. TELEPHONES
International Direct
Dial (IDD) is available to most guesthouses in
the main cities but the rates are higher than
from a Central Telephone and Telegraph (CTT)
Office.
For domestic calls,
the larger cities with area codes can be dialed
directly while manual switchboards are still
being used in smaller towns, so you will have to
ask the national operator to connect you to a
specific town operator, and than request the
local number.
Emergency Telephone
Numbers:-
Police: 199
Fire: 191
Ambulance:
192
22. GETTING
THERE
BY AIR
The main gateway to Myanmar is
through Yangon using the Yangon International Airport because it is directly connected
to Bangkok, Singapore, Jakarta, Bangladesh, Calcutta,
Kunming and Moscow. The most common way to fly to Myanmar is
to travel out and back from Bangkok, Thailand.
Myanmar Airways International
(MAI) flies between Yangon, Bangkok, Singapore and Kuala
Lumpur. Biman Bangladesh Airlines flies
Bangkok-Yangon-Dhaka. Air China flies between Kunming and
Yangon. Indian Airlines Limited flies from Yangon to
Calcutta while Malaysia Airlines flies between Kuala Lumpur
and Yangon. Silk Air flies to Yangon daily from Singapore.
BY ROAD
From Thailand, it is possible to
enter Myanmar through the border between Mae Sai in Thailand
and Tachilek. However, overland travel form this crossing is
limited to Kyaingtong and Mong La near the Chinese border.
BY SEA
From Ranong, Thailand, you can
enter Myanmar at Kawthoung by boat.
23. GETTING
AROUND
BY AIR
Flying in Myanmar is the most
efficient way of moving within Myanmar as there are over 60
airstrips around the country but it is important to know
that airlines schedules for Myanmar Airways International
often change without notice. Therefore, it is advisable to
use Air Mandalay or Yangon Airways which also operate
domestic flights.
BY ROAD
Traveling by bus is both cheap
and frequent and the buses are mostly operated by the
state-owned Road Transport Enterprise. However, the buses
here tend to break down frequently and could be at times
packed to the ceiling. The main lines are from Yangon to
Meiktila, Pyay, Mandalay and Taunggyi.
BY TRAIN
The state-run railway, Myanmar
Railways provide services on several routes with the
Yangon-Mandalay line being its main line. The Mandalay-Lashio
line, which passes through Pyin U Lwin and Hsipaw is
recommended as it is both scenic and comfortable.
BY SEA
Since there are more than 8,000
km of navigable river in Myanmar, the best way to look at
Myanmar is by boat. Boats can travel from the north of the
delta to Bhamo while the Mandalay-Bagan service is the
tourists' favorite.
24.
ACCOMMODATION
Myanmar has a wide range of
accommodation such as hotels and guesthouses although they
may be more expensive than in neighboring countries.
25. DO'S AND
DON'TS
Don't touch a person's head, nor
ruffle his hair. The head is the noblest part of the body. A
sincere apology should be offered immediately if you touch
someone's head unintentionally.
Avoid placing your feet on the
table while sitting. Never use your foot to point things out
or to touch any part of the body of anyone, which is
considered rude.
Don't hand things to people with
the left hand as it is considered rude. The best way is to
use the left hand to touch the right forearm when giving or
receiving things.
Dress properly when entering a
Buddhist temple. Mini skirts and shorts are not allowed.
Take your shoes off before going inside the hall of worship.
Buddha images are considered
sacred objects, so don't pose in front of them for pictures
and do not climb onto them.
Most Burmese are modest people
and therefore you must wear a longyi if you ever find
yourself having to bathe in a public area.
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