Myanmar formerly known as

Burma, is a country in Southeast

Asia that shares borders with
China, India , Laos Bangladesh
and Thailand.
Geography
Geography of
of Myanmar
Myanmar

Area: 676,578 sq km (slightly
smaller than Texas)

Population: 56,890,418 (July
2016 est.)

Median age: 28.6 years

Capital: Naypyidaw is the

administrative capital
Ethnic Groups: Burman 68%,
Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine
4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%,
Mon 2%, other 5%

Religion: Buddhist 87.9%, 
Christian 6.2%, Muslim 4.3%,
Animist 0.8%, Other .2%

Monetary Unit: Myanmar kyat

(K)
History of Myanmar

Anawrahta (1044-1077) was the

first great unifier of Myanmar.

•Through the Anglo-Burmese

War in 1824-1826 and
subsequent wars, the British
East India Company expanded
to the whole Burma.
The first written reference to
Myanmar, a term meaning fast
and strong people, appears on
an inscription in 1102

By 1886, Burma was annexed

to India, then became a
separate colony in 1937.
The British "imperial tongue"
stumbled over Myanmar and
adopted Burma, reportedly
similar to the name Birmania
given to the country by
Portuguese traders.
At independence in 1948, the
country's international name
remained Burma, although in
Burmese, the mother tongue of
68 percent of the population, it
was known formally as
"MyanmaNaingngan" and more
colloquially as "Bamapyi."
Myanmar Flags, Symbols and
National Anthem
 Myanmar Flag
Union of Myanmar adopted a
new state flag on October 21,
2010 to replace the former flag
in use since 1974.

The design of the new flag

consists of three equal
horizontal stripes of yellow (top),
green, and red; centered on the
green band is a large white five-
pointed star that partially
overlaps onto the adjacent
colored stripes.
The design revives the tribe and
colours used by Burma from
1943-45, during the Japanese
occupation. That flag had a
peacock in the middle of it.
Symbols
 The chinthe
Mythical lion, favored by military regime and put on
Myanmar banknotes and coins after 1988
 The peacock
One of the national animals of Burma, is strongly
associated with the Konbaung monarchy and the
anti-colonial nationalist movements
 White elephant
Another symbol associated with defunct Burmese
monarchy. The white elephant prized in Theravada
Buddhist and also revered in Thailand.
National Anthem

"Kaba Ma Kyei" (Till the End of

the World, Myanmar) with lyrics
and music by Saya Tin. Adopted
1948, it is one of the few
anthems rooted in indigenous
traditions.

The beginning part is a

traditional Burmese anthem.
Later it changes into a Western-
style orchestrated work.
 Government of Myanmar

Government type:

Parliamentary government led by a military-

backed political party took power in March 2011.
Before that Myanmar was led by a military junta.
Myanmar is still largely under the control of
centralized bureaucracy run by the army and its mass
organization.
•GeneralSaw Muang formed a new military regime
known as the State Law and Order Restoration Council
(SLORC) and abolished much of the socialist system.

•Elections
were held for the 485-member People's
Assembly in 1990.

•Theopposition National League for Democracy (NLD)

won 396 seats, while the military-backed party won only
10.
•The People's Assembly was never convened, and many
of its leaders were arrested or forced into exile.

•The military began drafting a new constitution in 1992,

but this task has not been completed and the regime
changed its name to the State Peace and Development
Council (SPDC) in 1997.
•The
council included a chairman and twenty other
members.

•The government formed by the council consists of a

prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, and thirty-
seven ministers.
 The New Government in
Myanmar

 Myanmar’s parliament
convened in January
2011 and selected
former Prime Minister
TheinSein as
president.
•General election was held in Myanmar on November 7,
2010, in accordance with the new constitution which
was approved in a referendum held in May 2008.

•Thirty-seven parties contested places in the bicameral

national parliament and 14 regional assemblies. United
Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), which is
allied to the military regime, won 80 percent of
contested seats.
•Atotal of 498 of the 664 seats in both houses of
parliament were up for grabs in the 2010 election.

•Atotal of 330 of the 440 seats in the PyithuHluttaw

(House of Representatives) were up for election.
•The remaining 110 seats (25 percent) were
not elected, and instead reserved for military
appointees (taken from Defense Services
personnel, technically called Army
Representatives (AR).

•A total of 168 of the 224 seats in the

AmyothaHluttaw (House of Nationalities)
were up for election.
•The remaining 56 seats (25 percent) were not elected,
and instead reserved for military appointees (taken from
Defense Services personnel, technically called Army
Representatives, AR.
The President of the republic of the Union of Myanmar

Incumbent Htin Kyaw since March 3o 2016

•ThePresident is elected by
members of parliament not by
general population.

•The Presidential Electoral

College, a three committee
body, elects the president.
•Each of the three committees,
made up of Amyotha Hluttaw,
Pyithu Hluttaw members of
parliament or military appointed
lawmakers, nominates a
candidate for presidency.
•The candidate with the highest
number of votes from Electoral
College is elected president,
while the two other candidates
become vice-president.

•Term length of President is five-

years, renewable once.
Prime Minister of Myanmar
Aung San Suu Kyi
•The position of Prime
minister was created in
1948, when Burma gained
independence from the
United Kingdom.

•The actual power of Prime

Minister has considerably
varied over time, differing
based on who holds the
office.
In 2004, a power struggle
between the then Head of state,
Senior General, Chairman of the
state Peace and Development
Council, and his Prime Minister
General Khin Nyunt resulted in
the Prime Minister being
dismissed and arrested.
•According to the current
Constitution (adopted in
2008).It provided that the
President is both the head of
state and head of
government.

•After the 2015 general

election, as Aung San Suu Kyi
was constitutionally barred
from becoming President, a
position called state
Counselor similar to Prime
Minister, was established for
her on April 6, 2016.
 Interesting Facts About Myanmar (Burma)

•A typical meal in Myanmar includes steamed rice, fish, meat,

vegetables and soup served at the same time.

•Major credit cards are not always accepted in Myanmar, and

there are few ATMs, so visitors need to bring plenty of U.S.
dollars.

•You will see small children wear holy thread around their neck
or wrist for protection from bad spirits or spells.

•When the locals in Myanmar want to get a waiter’s attention,

they make a kissing sound, usually two or three short kisses.
It’s the sort of sound you might make if calling a cat.