JOCELYN DELA PENA

Map of Burma

Official Name:
Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw
short form: Myanma
int'l long form: Union of Myanmar
int'l short form: Myanmar
formerly: Burma
ISO Country Code: mm
Country Calling Code: +95
Capital City since 6 November 2005: Naypyidaw(Nay Pyi Taw)
Other Cities:
Yangn (Rangoon, pop. 5 million), Mandalay (pop. 700 000)
Government:
Type: nominally civilian government (since 29th March 2011, when
Burma's military handed over power). The new political system came into
effect after an election in November 2010.
Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988 when
latest junta took power). Burma has been under military authority since
1962.

Geography:
Location: Southeast Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay
of Bengal.
Area: 676,578 km (261,228 square miles).
Terrain: A land of hills and valleys rimmed in the north, east and
west by mountain ranges forming a giant horseshoe. Enclosed
within the mountaion barriers are the flat lands of Ayeyarwaddy,
Chindwin and Sittaung River valleys where most of the country's
agricultural land and population are concentrated.
Climate:Tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers
(southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant
rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter
(northeast monsoon, December to April).

People:
Nationality: Burmese.
Population: 48 million (2010 estimate)
Ethnic groups: according to Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs there are 8 Major
National Ethnic Races in Myanmar, which all comprises different ethnic groups: the
Kachin, the Kayah, the Kayin, the Chin , the Mon, the Bamar, the Rakhine, and the
Shan.
according to the CIA World Factbook the ethnic groups are: Burman 68%, Shan 9%,
Karen 7%, Arakanese 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%.
Religions: Buddhism (89.2%), Christianity (5.0%), Islam (3.8%), Hinduism (0.5%),
Spiritualism (1.2%) and others (0.2%).
Languages: Burmese; Myanmar is a union of 135 ethnic groups with their own
languages and dialects.
Literacy: 90% (2003 official Government of Burma statistics); estimates of functional
literacy are closer to 30%
Natural resources: Timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal,
limestone, precious stones like jade, ruby and sapphires, natural gas, hydropower,
and some petroleum.
Agriculture Products: Rice, pulses, beans, sesame, groundnuts, sugarcane,
hardwood

Early History
It is believed that the Mon people were the first

to migrate into the Ayeyarwady Valley. This

occurred in approx. 1500 BCE. The Mon were
Theravada Bhuddists and dominated the
southern areas of Burma.
Following the Mon was the Pyu ( now known as
Burmese) peoples who arrived in Burma in 1 st
century BC.
These kingdoms declined in the 9 th AD when what
is present Yunnan attacked.
Note: the Mon are still a prominent peoples in
Burma, making up the 2nd largest population in
the nation after the Burmese.

Modern Day Mon Children

King Anawrahta (1044-1077

AD)
King Anawrahta was the first King to rule over

Myanmar as a single kingdom. He united the

Burmese and the Mon into one nation and
made Theravada Buddhism the national
religion. His capital was at Bagan in the
Ayeyarwaddy Valley and it flourish as a
religious center filled with pagodas and
shrines.

Anawrahtas Bagan

Ananda Temple (Bagan)

Kublai Khan/The
Mongols/Tai-Shan
In 1277 Kublai Khans forces began invading

Burma, ending the Bagan kingdom.

With the Mongols came the Tai-Shan ( of
Yunnan ) who spread out into the areas of
Burma, Thailand, and Cambodia.
The Mongols leave in 1287, but the Kingdom of
Bagan has been irreversibly split into four main
kingdoms : Ava or Inwa ( controlling the
Burmese upper state), the Mon kingdom of
Hanthawady founded by King Wareru
( controlling lower Burma ), the Rakhine
kingdom in the west, and the Shan states.

Kublai Khan

Taungoo (1531-1752)
Led by the young king Tabinshweti, age nine,

Taungoo defeated the power Mon kingdom at

Bago, reunifying Southern Burma by 1540.
Tabinshwetis son, Bayinnnaung , continues on
the kingdom by conquering Upper Burma,
Manipur, the Shan States, Chiang Mai ( part of
what is now northern Thailand ), Ayutthaya (part
of Thailand), and Lan Xang ( a section of Laos. )
However, Bayinnaungs empire unraveled
almost immediately after his death in 1581.

Taungoo (contd)
However, Bayinnaungs grandson

Anaukpetlun regrouped and reestablished a

smaller kingdom covering Upper Burma,
Lower Burma, and the Shan States.
After Anaukpetlunson Thaluns reign (16291648) the kingdom slowly declined for the
next hundred years until, with the help of the
French and the Siamese, the Mon successfully
rebel and finally divided the remains of the
kingdom.

Taungoo

Konbaung (1752-1885)
Founded by King Alaungpaya who also founded

Yangon (also known as Rangoon.)

The Qing dynasty of China attempted to invade
Burma four times from 1765-1769 and failed each
time.
(1824-1826) British defeat Burma in the first AngloBurmese War. As a result Burma had to cede its
land in Manipur, Assam, Rakhine, and Tanintharyi.
After the Second Anglo-Burmese War, Britain
captured the territories of Ayeryawaddy, Yangon,
and Bago.

Konbaung Contd
King Mindon founds Mandalay and makes it

his capital in 1859. One of the most revered

kings in Burmese history, Mindon successfully
balances the growing threats of French and
British conquests.
In 1885 Britain officially lays claim to Burma,
capturing Mandalay and exiling the royal
family to India.

British Capture of Mandalay

Colonnial Period (18861948)

Burma is administered as a province of British

India prior to becoming a self-governing colony in

1937.
In a failed attempt to facilitate trade, Britain
opened Burmas borders to India and China.
However, soon the new immigrants displaced the
native Burmese in the larger urban areas.
October 1919: Violence breaks out at the
Eindawya Pagoda in Mandalay when Burmese
monks try to prevent non-buddhist Britsh from
entering. The head monk is sentenced to life in
prison. Monks such as U Wisara become martyrs in
new protests and uprisings against British Rule.

Burmese Monk

Colonial Burma

Using Burmese Labor to build Thai-Burmese

Railway

Writer George Orwell is stationed as a police

in Burma for five years. His story Upon

Shooting an Elephant is a result of his years
in the colony.
( Orwells station in
Burma )

Colonial Flag of
Burma

February 12 , 1947
The Panglong Agreement : Aung Sans

administration reaches an agreement with the

Shan, Kachin, and Chin peoples. It declared
full autonomy in internal administration for
the Frontier Areas. This agreement also
established the Kachin State, the
northernmost state in Burma. A Chin State
was also brought into being the following year.

Aung San

January 4th 1948

Burma is given its independence and

becomes a republic known as the Union of

Burma. Unlike most of the previous British
colonies, Burma did not become part of the
Britsh Commonwealth of Nations.
The New Republic developed a bicameral
parliament made up of a chamber of deputies
( lower house )and a chamber of nationalities (
upper house ).

Flag of Independent
Burma

Ne Wins Coup

Democratic rule of Burma is ended with the coup

detat of General Ne Win. Originally the Burmese

Prime Minister, Ne Win overthrew the government
and took the titles of Chairman, Head of State,
and leader of the Revolutionary Council.
Though the coup was recorded as bloodless in
the global media, the former presidents young
son was shot dead by a soldier and
demonstrations were violently suppressed.
Ne Win makes a public statement over the radio
stating : "if these disturbances were made to
challenge us, I have to declare that we will fight
sword with sword and spear with spear".

Ne Wins Coup Contd

July 7, 1962 : Rangoon University students try

to speak out against the new leadership of Ne

Win. Ne Win sends his troops to disperse the
peaceful demonstration resulting in the
shooting of approx 100 unarmed students.
The next morning the Rangoon University
Student Union Building is blown up.
Ne Win denies any connection to the
dynamiting of the Student Union Building.
All universities closed for the next 2 years.

General Ne Win

Burmese Way To Socialism

(1962-1988)
Ne Win begins an agenda of nationalization of

industries, repression of minorities, and a police

state. These ideals led to expulsion of foreigners,
isolationism, and closing off the economy. Tried
to enforce a state-sanctioned form of Buddhism.
This agenda increased Burmas stability and
kept it separated from getting entangled in
Asian Cold War conflicts. However, it also lead to
a great increase in poverty and a military revolt.
Ne Win develops government as a Military Junta.

Military Coup of 1988

In Ne Wins farewell speech at his resignation, he

threatened that even though he was stepping

down from office, protestors would not be
welcome in Burma and that the soldiers meant to
put them down would shoot straight to hit.
Tatmadaw Troops upheld this promise,
systematically killing and maiming hundreds of
protestors throughout the country.
September 18, 1988 : General Saw Maung
brutally crushes protestor uprisings in Yangon.
There is rumor that Ne Win has helped to plan and
execute the coup from the background.

General Saw Maung

May 1999
The Burmese Government holds its first free

elections in 30 years. The National League for

Democracy, the party of female Burmese hero
Aung San Suu Kyi won by a landslide, however
the Military Juntas party, the State Peace and
Development Council, annulled the results,
refusing to step down. Aung San Suu Kyi was
put under house arrest soon after and remains
so today.

March 4, 2002
An alleged plot to overthrow the military junta

developed by Ne Wins son-in-law Aye Zaw

Win was exposed. Aye Zaw Win and his wife
(Ne Wins daughter ) Sandar Win were put
under house arrest along with Ne Win himself.
That September Aye Zaw Win and his three
sons were found guilty of treason and
sentenced to death. They are still awaiting
execution in Rangoons Insein Jail.

2007 Uprisings
The uprisings in August were led by well-known

rebels such as Min Ko Naing, who obtains the

nom de guerre king of kings. The Military
crack down on the uprisings quickly and still
refuses to allow the Red Cross to see Min Ko
Naing who is in custody at Rangoons Insein
Prison after being severely tortured.
In that September several hundred monks
staged protest marches in Rangoon and Sittwe.
When the protests came into conflict with Junta
soldiers, the violence that ensued resulted in a
number of deaths and injuries. National reporters
were warned not to report about the protests.

Monks Protesting in
Sittwe

Protestors in Yangon

Cyclone Nargis
May 3rd, 2008 : Cyclone Nargis devastated Burma

when it struck the densely populated rice-farming

area of Irrewaddy. Current reports suggest that
more than 130,000 people are either missing or
dead from the disaster. It is on record as the
worst disaster in Burmese history. The Burmese
Government failed to allow large-scale foreign aid
services into the country, however news stories
state that the foreign aid that was provided to
disaster victims was modified to make it appear
as if it was from the military regime, with all
media running photos of General Than Shwe
ceremonially handing out disaster relief.

Victims of the Storm