The Union of Myanmar with its capital city Yangon has a land area of 676,577
square kilometres and is located in South-East Asia. The country shares international
borders with Bangladesh and India to the west; and China, Lao People’s Democratic Republic and Thailand to the east. The Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Martaban are
situated to the south of the country and the Bay of Bengal is to its west. Myanmar has a
2,228-kilometre coastline, which includes the Rakhine Coast, the Delta Region and the
Tanintharyi Coastal Strip.
Two-thirds of the total area of Myanmar lies in the Tropical Zone and the
remaining one third is situated in the Temperate Zone. The country’s three seasons are
the hot, rainy and cold. The total estimated population of Myanmar was 47,250,000
inhabitants in 1998 and males outnumbered females by 330,000. The population
structure consisted of 15,240,000 people under 15 years of age; 26,860,000 persons
between the ages of 15 and 59 years; and 3,460,000 citizens exceeding 60 years of age.
Myanmar is made up of 135 ethnic groups of which the major ones include
Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Bamar, Mon, Rakhine and Shan. According to the 1983
Census, the Bamar accounted for 69 per cent of the total population. Myanmar, the
country’s official language, is spoken in every region but all ethnic groups also have
their own language or dialect. Almost 90 per cent of the population embraces
Theravada Buddhism while the remaining 10 per cent practice Christianity, Islam,
Hinduism or Animism.