Myanmar, also known as Burma, is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia, set between India, China, and Thailand on the Bay of Bengal. A land of great rivers, tropical forests, and thousands of Buddhist temples, it has a rich and ancient civilisation. After decades of isolation under military rule, it remains one of the region's more troubled nations, marked by political upheaval and conflict among its many peoples.
Myanmar's history is one of powerful kingdoms centred on the valley of the Irrawaddy River. The kingdom of Bagan, from around the eleventh century, built thousands of temples that still stand, and later dynasties such as the Toungoo and Konbaung ruled large empires. In the nineteenth century the British conquered the country in a series of wars and made it part of their Indian empire. Burma gained independence in 1948 but soon fell under long periods of military rule.
Myanmar is shaped by the Irrawaddy River, which flows the length of the country from the northern mountains to a vast delta on the Bay of Bengal. Forested highlands and ranges, home to many ethnic peoples, ring a central lowland of rice fields and historic cities. The north reaches into the eastern Himalayas, while the long coastline and the fertile delta have made the country, historically, one of the great rice-growing regions of Asia.
The flag of Myanmar has three horizontal bands of yellow, green, and red, with a large white five-pointed star in the centre. Adopted in 2010, its colours are said to represent solidarity, peace and the lush land, and courage, while the white star stands for the union of the country. The flag replaced an earlier socialist-era design, marking a change in the symbols of a nation that has often changed its rulers.
Myanmar is one of the most devoutly Buddhist countries in the world, with the great majority following the Theravada tradition that shapes daily life, the landscape of gilded pagodas, and the saffron-robed monks who are deeply respected. Buddhist festivals and merit-making are woven into the calendar. The country is also home to Christian, Muslim, and Hindu minorities, and tensions between religious and ethnic communities have at times turned to serious conflict.
Burmese cuisine draws on its neighbours in India, China, and Thailand while keeping a character all its own. Rice is the staple, eaten with a variety of curries milder than those of India, and soups. The unofficial national dish is mohinga, a fish-based noodle soup eaten for breakfast, and a distinctive speciality is lahpet, a salad of fermented tea leaves, an unusual dish that reflects the country's old tradition of consuming, not just drinking, tea.
Agriculture is the foundation of Myanmar's economy, employing a large share of its people, with rice by far the most important crop. The fertile Irrawaddy delta once made the country the world's leading exporter of rice, and although decades of isolation reduced its output, farming remains central. Pulses and beans are major exports, and the country is also a traditional source of fine teak timber from its forests.
The temple-building kingdom of Bagan and the later Burmese empires mark the heights of the country's history. British conquest in the nineteenth century, and the brutal fighting in Burma during the Second World War, reshaped it. Since independence in 1948 Myanmar has been dominated by the military, with long years of isolation, a brief democratic opening, and then a coup in 2021 that returned the army to power and plunged the country into renewed crisis.
Myanmar has a population of around 54 million people, made up of the majority Bamar, or Burmese, and a great many ethnic minorities living mainly in the hills and borderlands, including the Shan, Karen, and others, several of whom have long sought greater autonomy. This diversity has been a source of both cultural richness and persistent conflict. The largest city is Yangon, while the military built a new capital, Naypyidaw, in the interior.
