Destination Myanmar

Location and Geography

Myanmar shares borders with Thailand, Laos, China, India and Bangladesh. Southern Myanmar borders the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Seam, with a coastline of over 2000 kilometres. Wide rivers and expansive plains characterize the central part of the country.

The major river, the Ayeyarwaddy (formerly spelt Irrawaddy) is navigable for 1600km (900mi) of its length and its flood plains form the country’s main agricultural centre.

Mountains rise to the east along the Thai border and to the north to meet the eastern end of the Himalayan range. The highest peak, Hkakabo Razi (5881m/19,290ft), is on the Myanmar-Tibet border and is the highest peak in South-East Asia.

With an area of 680,000 square kilometres, Myanmar is roughly equal in size to France and United Kingdom together and is inhabited by a population of over 57 million people belonging to 135 national races.