The Land & Geography

The land was also known as Suvannabhumi, Golden Land- in ancient times, and today, with its rich natural resources and diversity of attractions, it still deserves to be called the Golden Land.

With a land area of 676, 577 sq.km., Myanmar is the largest country in the Southeast Asia region, bounded by mountain complex in the north, east and west, and enclosed by the Andamen Sea and the Bay of Bengal in the South, Southwest, and West. Myanmar shares borders with Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand. Situated between latitudes 9. 30’ N and 28. 30’ N and between longitudes 92. 10’ E and 101. 10’ E the country stretches 2090 km North to South, and 925 km East to West and has a varied Photography which includes islands, extensive rice plains, river valleys and forested hills and mountains.

It has a 2,832 km long coastline on the Indian Ocean. Myanmar's highest mountains, situated in the far north, include Hkakabo Razi, the highest peak, which rises 5,881 km above sea level. The two other mountain systems: a group of low mountains called the Rakhine Yoma stands in the west forming a border with the Indian Subcontinent, and the hilly Shan Plateau separates Myanmar from China, Laos and Thailand.

The central lowland region of Myanmar consists of the Ayeyarwaddy (Irrawaddy) and Sittaung river valleys. Ayeyarwaddy is the longest river in the country, running for 2,010 km from the northern region to the Bay of Bengal, and serves as the principle transportation route and as the main source of water supply for the central dry zone.