The country that I am visiting right now is Myanmar or Burma. Burma was the name given by the British during the colonial rule and, later in 1989, the military government changed it to Myanmar. The military government is an anti-democratic government that killed thousands of people in many pro-democratic riots. For this reason, the U.S. insists on calling the country Burma. Right now, as I am writing this post, I am having difficulty deciding what I should refer to the country as, Myanmar or Burma. I could call it Burma because it is the name the U.S. uses, or I could call it Myanmar because that is the official name of the country. I have finally decided to call it Myanmar mostly because that is how I hear the locals referring to the country, and I want to use the name that they prefer.
Myanmar is 260,000 square miles and the coastline measures 1200 miles. The capital of Myanmar's Nay Pyi Daw (pronounced naypito). Nay Pyi Daw is located in central Myanmar and no one lives there, except for the government. The population of Myanmar is 50 million based on the 2013 record. There are 5 main religions in Myanmar: Buddhists-89.3%, Christian-5.6%, Muslim-3.8%, Hindu-5%, Animist-2%. So far, I haven’t met anyone who isn’t Buddhist, but then again I have only visited Pagodas. Due to the strong relationship that Myanmar has with Sri Lanka, the country has remained Buddhist. Sri Lanka is one of the most important Buddhist countries because of all of the Buddhist schools and monasteries that they have there. The four main rivers in Myanmar are Ayeyarwaddy (1238 miles), Than Win (55 miles), Sittaung, and Chindwin. The only river that I have been to so far is Ayeyarwaddy River; this is where I watched the sunset on my first day in Bagan.
The main 8 races are Kachin, Kayah, Kayin, Chin, Mon, Burma, Rakhine, and Shan. Myanmar shares borders with China to the northeast, Laos to the east, Bangladesh to the west, India to the northwest, and Thailand to the south. The currency is Kyats. The literacy rate is 94%, the dropout rate is 40%, and the number of people that go to university is 33%. There are 3 seasons: the hot season (March-May), the cold season (October -February), and the rainy season (June-September). In the north they produce gemstones, in the east they produce vegetables and fruit, in the south they produce rice, in the west they produce fish, and in the middle they produce onions, peanuts, sesame, garlic, and chilli.
This is a little history of Myanmar. From the 1st century to the 9th century there was a kingdom made up of Pyu cities.The Bagan era began in the 11th century and Bagan’s emperors ruled from the 12th century to the 13th century until the Mongol invasions in 1277 through 1301. After this invasion, the capital moved several times. First, the capital moved to Inwa in the 14th century. Then Hanthawaddy from the 14th -16th century. Then there was a 40 year long war between Inwa and Hanthawaddy (1385-1424). Then in the 14th-17th centuries Rakhine became the capital. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the capital was moved from Amarapura to Inwa to Mandalay to Sagain. Then in 1824 there was the first Anglo-Burmese war. In 1826, the second Anglo-Burmese War was fought. In 1885 Myanmar lost independence. Then the Japanese invaded in 1942 until 1946. In 1947, General Aung San becomes the first Prime Minister, and in the same year, he was assassinated by his political rivals in a cabinet meeting. January 4th 1948 is the Burmese independence day. U Nu succeeded Aung San. Political and Ethnic conflicts arise in 1958, but are taken care of by the government. In 1960 U Nu wins another election. In 1962, U Nay Win declares that the unity of the country is in danger, so he seizes power. In 1962, soldiers kill hundreds of students who were protesting against the new regime. A few years later Nay Win got rid of the parliamentary system and established a military government that concentrated all the power in his hands. Nay Win banned all political parties and set up one party-- the Burma Socialist Party. The newspapers were shut down and farmers were forced to sell their produce at the government's controlled prices. He closed Myanmar to the outside world and banned tourists. In 1974 the U-Thant Riot took place, and in 1988 there was a political uprising. From 1988-2010, the military government was still in power. In September 2007 there was a monk uprising, and one year later Cyclone Nargis hit. In 2010 the country opened up, and in 2015 there was a flood. In November 8, 2015 there was the first election. From 2016-2020 the National League for Democracy (NLD) will rule.
Prominent Burmese Kings:
- Anamahta (1044-1077)
- Kyansittha (1084-1112)
- Bayint Naung (1551-1581)
- Alaung Paya (1752-1760)
Recipes:
Thanakha (sun-block)
-trees grow in Thailand and Myanmar
-chop the tree at 3 years old or 10 years old
-grind on circular stone with water and put on whole body
Betel
-betel leave
-betel nut
-tabaco
-slaked lime
-spices
Tea Leaf Salad
Mix all together:
-green tea leaves
-peanuts
-cabbage
-tomatoes
-chillies
-seseme
-chick peas
-butter bean
-lime
-salt
-chicken powder
-cooking oil
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