Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region (formerly Yangon Division). Although the
military governmentThe State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....
has officially relocated the capital to
NaypyidawNaypyidaw is the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. It is administered as the Naypyidaw Union Territory, as per the 2008 Constitution. On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a greenfield 3.2 km west of Pyinmana, and approximately...
since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial centre.
Yangon's infrastructure is undeveloped compared to those of other major cities in
Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. Yangon has the largest number of colonial buildings in Southeast Asia today. While many high-rise residential and commercial buildings have been constructed or renovated throughout downtown and Greater Yangon in the past two decades, most satellite towns that ring the city continue to be deeply impoverished.
Etymology
Yangon is a combination of the two words
yan and
koun , which mean "enemies" and "run out of" respectively. It is also translated as "End of Strife". "Rangoon" most likely comes from the British imitation of the pronunciation of "Yangon" in the
Rakhine dialectThere are a number of mutually intelligible Burmese dialects in the Burmese language, with a largely uniform standard dialect used by most Burmese speakers, who live throughout the Irrawaddy River valley and more distinctive non-standard dialects that emerge as one toward peripheral areas of the...
(Arakanese) of
BurmeseThe Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
, which is [rɔ̀ɴɡʊ́ɴ].
Early history
Yangon was founded as
DagonDagon Township is located immediately north of downtown Yangon. The township comprises five wards, and shares borders with Bahan township in the north, Ahlon township in the west, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the east, and Lanmadaw township, Latha township and Pabedan township in the south.Dagon...
in the early 11th century (c. 1028–1043) by the
MonThe Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...
, who dominated Lower Burma at that time. Dagon was a small fishing village centred about the Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1755,
King AlaungpayaAlaungpaya was king of Burma from 1752 to 1760, and the founder of the Konbaung Dynasty. By his death in 1760, the former chief of a small village in Upper Burma had reunified all of Burma, subdued Manipur, recovered Lan Na, and driven out the French and the English who had given help to the...
conquered Dagon, renamed it "Yangon", and added settlements around Dagon. The
BritishThe British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
captured Yangon during the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26) but returned it to Burmese administration after the war. The city was destroyed by a fire in 1841.
Colonial Rangoon
The British seized Yangon and all of
Lower BurmaLower Burma is a geographic region of Burma and includes the low-lying Irrawaddy delta , as well as coastal regions of the country ....
in the
Second Anglo-Burmese WarThe Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....
of 1852, and subsequently transformed Yangon into the commercial and political hub of British Burma. Based on the design by army engineer Lt. Alexander Fraser, the British constructed a new city on a grid plan on delta land, bounded to the east by the Pazundaung Creek and to the south and west by the Yangon River. Yangon became the capital of all British Burma after the British had captured
Upper BurmaUpper Burma refers to a geographic region of Burma , traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery , or more broadly speaking, Kachin and Shan States....
in the
Third Anglo-Burmese WarThe Third Anglo-Burmese War was a conflict that took place during 7–29 November 1885, with sporadic resistance and insurgency continuing into 1887. It was the final of three wars fought in the 19th century between the Burmese and the British...
of 1885. By the 1890s Yangon's increasing population and commerce gave birth to prosperous residential suburbs to the north of
Royal LakeKandawgyi Lake , is one of two major lakes in Yangon, Burma . Located east of the Shwedagon Pagoda, the lake is artificial; water from Inya Lake is channelled through a series of pipes to Kandawgyi Lake. It was created to provide a clean water supply to the city during the British colonial...
(Kandawgyi) and
Inya LakeInya Lake is the largest lake in Yangon, Burma , a popular recreational area for Yangonites, and a famous location for romance in popular culture...
. The British also established hospitals including
Rangoon General HospitalThe Yangon General Hospital is a major public hospital in Yangon, Myanmar. Located in a 14-hectare compound, the 1500-bed hospital consists of three Medical Wards, three Surgical Wards, one Trauma and Orthopaedic Ward, and 24 Specialist Departments for inpatient care. The hospital also runs an ER...
and colleges including Rangoon University.
Colonial Yangon, with its spacious parks and lakes and mix of modern buildings and traditional wooden architecture, was known as "the garden city of the East." By the early 20th century, Yangon had public services and infrastructure on par with London.
Before
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, about 55% of Yangon's population of 500,000 was
IndianA Non-Resident Indian is an Indian citizen who has migrated to another country, a person of Indian origin who is born outside India, or a person of Indian origin who resides permanently outside India. Other terms with the same meaning are overseas Indian and expatriate Indian...
or South Asian, and only about a third was
BamarThe Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
(Burman). Karens, the
ChineseThe Burmese Chinese or Chinese Burmese are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Burma . Although the Chinese officially make up three percent of the population, the actual figure is believed to be much higher...
, the
Anglo-BurmeseThe Anglo-Burmese, also known as the Anglo-Burmans, are a community of Eurasians of Burmese and European descent, and emerged as a distinct community through mixed relations between the British and other European settlers and the indigenous peoples of Burma from 1826 until 1948 when Burma gained...
and others made up the rest.
After
World War IWorld War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, Yangon became the epicenter of Burmese independence movement, with leftist Rangoon University students leading the way. Three nationwide strikes against the British Empire in 1920, 1936 and 1938 all began in Yangon. Yangon was under
JapaneseThe Empire of Japan is the name of the state of Japan that existed from the Meiji Restoration on 3 January 1868 to the enactment of the post-World War II Constitution of...
occupation (1942–45), and incurred heavy damage during World War II. The city was retaken by the Allies in May 1945.
Yangon became the capital of Union of Burma on 4 January 1948 when the country regained independence from the British Empire.
Contemporary Yangon
Soon after Burma's independence in 1948, many colonial names of streets and parks were changed to more nationalistic Burmese names. In 1989, the current
military juntaThe State Peace and Development Council was the official name of the military regime of Burma , which seized power in 1988. On 30 March 2011, Senior General Than Shwe signed a decree to officially dissolve the Council....
changed the city's English name to "Yangon", along with many other changes in English transliteration of Burmese names. (The changes have not been accepted by many Burmese who consider the junta unfit to make such changes, nor by many publications, news bureaux including the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
and foreign nations including the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.)
Since independence, Yangon has expanded outwards. Successive governments have built satellite towns such as
ThaketaThaketa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 19 wards, and shares borders with Thingangyun township in the north and west, the Bago River in the east, and Dawbon township in the south. The Pazundaung Creek flows through the township. Founded in 1959,...
,
North OkkalapaNorth Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 19 wards, and shares borders with Hlegu township and Mingaladon township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Mingaladon township and Mayangon township in the west, and Kamayut township, and...
and
South OkkalapaSouth Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 13 wards, and shares borders with North Okkalapa township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Yankin township in the west, and Kamayut township, and Thingangyun township in the south. South...
in the 1950s to
HlaingthayaHlaingthaya Township is located in the western part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 20 wards and nine village tracts, and shares borders with Htantabin Township in the north and west, Insein Township, Mayangon Township and Hlaing Township in the east across the Yangon River, and Twante...
,
ShwepyithaShwepyitha Township is located in the northwestern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 15 wards and five village tracts, and shares borders with Htantabin Township in the north, Mingaladon Township in the east, the Yangon river in the west, and Insein Township in the south...
and
South DagonSouth Dagon Township is located in the southeastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 26 wards and three village tracts, and shares borders with North Dagon township and East Dagon Township in the north, Thingangyun township in the west across the Pazundaung Creek, the Bago River in...
in the 1980s. Today, Greater Yangon encompasses an area covering nearly 600 km².
During
Ne WinNe Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...
's isolationist rule (1962–88), Yangon's infrastructure deteriorated through poor maintenance and did not keep up with its increasing population. In the 1990s, the current military government's more open market policies attracted domestic and foreign investment, bringing a modicum of modernity to the city's infrastructure. Some inner city residents were forcibly relocated to new satellite towns. Many colonial-period buildings were demolished to make way for high-rise hotels, office buildings, and shopping malls, leading the city government to place about 200 notable colonial-period buildings under the
Yangon City Heritage ListThe Yangon City Heritage List is a list of man-made landmarks in Yangon, Myanmar, so designated by the city government, Yangon City Development Committee. The list consists of 188 structures , and is largely made up of mostly religious structures and British colonial era buildings. The list is...
. Major building programs have resulted in six new bridges and five new highways linking the city to its industrial backcountry. Still, much of Yangon remains without basic municipal services such as 24-hour electricity and regular rubbish collection.
Yangon has become much more indigenous Burmese in its ethnic make-up since independence. After independence, many South Asians and Anglo-Burmese left. Many more South Asians were forced to leave during the 1960s by Ne Win's xenophobic government. Nevertheless, sizable South Asian and Chinese communities still exist in Yangon. The Anglo-Burmese have effectively disappeared, having left the country or intermarried with other Burmese groups.
Yangon was the centre of major anti-government protests in 1974, 1988 and 2007. The city’s streets saw bloodshed each time as protesters were gunned down by the government. In May 2008,
Cyclone NargisCyclone Nargis , was a strong tropical cyclone that caused the worst natural disaster in the recorded history of Burma. The cyclone made landfall in Burma on Friday, May 2, 2008, causing catastrophic destruction and at least 138,000 fatalities...
hit Yangon. While the city had few human casualties, three quarters of Yangon's industrial infrastructure was destroyed or damaged, with losses estimated at US$800 million.
In November 2005, the military government designated
NaypyidawNaypyidaw is the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. It is administered as the Naypyidaw Union Territory, as per the 2008 Constitution. On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a greenfield 3.2 km west of Pyinmana, and approximately...
, 200 miles (322 km) north of Yangon, as the new administrative capital, and subsequently moved much of the government to the newly developed city. At any rate, Yangon remains the largest city, and the most important commercial centre of Burma.
Geography
Yangon is located in Lower Burma (Myanmar) at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers about 19 miles (30 km) away from the
Gulf of MartabanThe Gulf of Martaban is an arm of the Andaman Sea in the southern part of Burma. The gulf is named after the port city of Mottama . The Salween Sittaung and Yangon rivers empty into it....
at 16°48' North, 96°09' East (16.8, 96.15). Its standard time zone is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours.
Climate
Yangon has a
tropical monsoon climateTropical monsoon climate, occasionally also known as a tropical wet climate or tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate in climate classification, is a relatively rare type of climate that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category "Am."Tropical monsoon climates have monthly...
under the
Köppen climate classificationThe Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
system. The city features a lengthy rainy season from April through November where a substantial amount of rainfall is received and a relatively short, dry season from December through March, where little rainfall is seen. It's primarily due to the heavy precipitation received during the rainy season that Yangon falls under the tropical monsoon climate category. During the course of the year, average temperatures show little variance, with average highs ranging from 29 to 36 °C (84.2 to 96.8 F) and average lows ranging from 18 to 25 °C (64.4 to 77 F).
Cityscape
Until the mid 1990s, Yangon remained largely constrained to its traditional peninsula setting between the Bago, Yangon and Hlaing rivers. People moved in, but little of the city moved out. Maps from 1944 show little development north of Inya Lake and areas that are now layered in cement and stacked with houses were then virtual backwaters. Since the late 1980s, however, the city began a rapid spread north to where Yangon International airport now stands. But the result is a stretching tail on the city, with the downtown area well removed from its geographic centre. The city's area has steadily increased from 72.52 square kilometres (28 sq mi) in 1901 to 86.2 square kilometres (33.3 sq mi) in 1940 to 208.51 square kilometres (80.5 sq mi) in 1974, to 346.13 square kilometres (133.6 sq mi) in 1985, and to 598.75 square kilometres (231.2 sq mi) in 2008.
Architecture
Downtown YangonDowntown Yangon is the central business district of Yangon, Myanmar, located close to the geographic center of the metropolitan area. The area features many of the city's major arts institutions and sports facilities,...
is known for its leafy avenues and fin-de-siècle architecture. The former British colonial capital has the highest number of colonial period buildings in Southeast Asia. Downtown Yangon is still mainly made up of decaying colonial buildings. The former High Court, the former
Secretariat buildingsThe Ministers' Building , was the home and administrative seat of British Burma, located in Kyauktada Township in downtown Yangon, Burma. Built in the late 1800s, the structure is more than 120 years old...
, the former
St. Paul's English High School and the
Strand HotelThe Strand is a Victorian-style hotel located in Yangon, Myanmar , built in 1896 by Aviet and Tigran Sarkie, two of the Sarkies Brothers. The hotel, which opened in 1901, which faces the Hlaing — or Yangon — River to its south, is one of the most famous hotels in Yangon and Southeast Asia, and is...
are excellent examples of the bygone era. Most downtown buildings from this era are four-story mix-use (residential and commercial) buildings with 14 feet (4.3 m) ceilings, allowing for the construction of
mezzaninesIn architecture, a mezzanine or entresol is an intermediate floor between main floors of a building, and therefore typically not counted among the overall floors of a building. Often, a mezzanine is low-ceilinged and projects in the form of a balcony. The term is also used for the lowest balcony in...
. Despite their less-than-perfect conditions, the buildings remain highly sought after and most expensive in the city's property market.
A latter day hallmark of Yangon is the eight-story apartment building. (In Yangon parlance, a building with no
elevatorAn elevator is a type of vertical transport equipment that efficiently moves people or goods between floors of a building, vessel or other structures...
s (lifts) is called an apartment building and one with elevators is called a
condominiumA condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
. Condos which have to invest in a local power generator to ensure 24-hour electricity for the elevators are beyond the reach of most Yangonites.) Found throughout the city in various forms, eight-story apartment buildings provide relatively inexpensive housing for many Yangonites. The apartments are usually eight stories high (including the ground floor) mainly because the city regulation, until February 2008, required that all buildings higher than 75 feet (22.9 m) or eight stories install elevators). The current code calls for elevators in buildings higher than 62 feet (18.9 m) or six stories, likely ushering in the era of the six-story apartment building. Although most apartment buildings were built only within the last 20 years, they look much older and rundown due to shoddy construction and lack of proper maintenance.
Unlike other major Asian cities, Yangon does not have any skyscrapers. Aside from a few high-rise hotels and office towers downtown, most high-rise buildings (usually 10 stories and up) are "condos" scattered across prosperous neighborhoods north of downtown such as
BahanBahan Township is located in the north central part of Yangon. The township comprises 22 wards, and shares borders with Yankin township and Mayangon township in the north, Sanchaung township and Kamayut township in the west, Tamwe township in the east, and Dagon township and Mingala Taungnyunt...
,
DagonDagon Township is located immediately north of downtown Yangon. The township comprises five wards, and shares borders with Bahan township in the north, Ahlon township in the west, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the east, and Lanmadaw township, Latha township and Pabedan township in the south.Dagon...
,
KamayutKamayut Township is located in the north central part of Yangon. The township comprises ten wards, and shares borders with Hlaing township in the north, Hlaing township and Kyimyindaing township in the west, the Inya Lake, Bahan township and Mayangon township in the east, and Sanchaung township in...
and Mayangon. The tallest building in Yangon, Pyay Gardens, is a 25-story condo in the city’s north.
Older satellite towns such as
ThaketaThaketa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 19 wards, and shares borders with Thingangyun township in the north and west, the Bago River in the east, and Dawbon township in the south. The Pazundaung Creek flows through the township. Founded in 1959,...
,
North OkkalapaNorth Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 19 wards, and shares borders with Hlegu township and Mingaladon township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Mingaladon township and Mayangon township in the west, and Kamayut township, and...
and
South OkkalapaSouth Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 13 wards, and shares borders with North Okkalapa township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Yankin township in the west, and Kamayut township, and Thingangyun township in the south. South...
are lined mostly with one to two story detached houses with access to the city's electricity grid. Newer satellite towns such as
North DagonNorth Dagon Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 25 wards, and shares borders with East Dagon Township in the north and east, South Okkalapa township in the west, and South Dagon township in the south...
and
South DagonSouth Dagon Township is located in the southeastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 26 wards and three village tracts, and shares borders with North Dagon township and East Dagon Township in the north, Thingangyun township in the west across the Pazundaung Creek, the Bago River in...
are still essentially slums in a grid layout. The satellite towns – old or new – receive little or no municipal services.
Road layout
Downtown Yangon's road layout follows a grid pattern, based on four types of roads:
- Broad 160-foot (49-m) wide roads running west to east
- Broad 100-foot (30-m) wide roads running south to north
- Two narrow 30-foot (9.1-m) wide streets running south to north
- Mid-size 50-foot (15-m) wide streets running south to north
The east-west grid of downtown Yangon was laid out by British military engineers Fraser and Montgomerie after the
Second Anglo-Burmese WarThe Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....
. The city was later developed by the Public Works Department and Bengal Corps of Engineers. The pattern of south to north roads is as follows: one broad 100 feet (30.5 m) wide broad road, two narrow streets, one mid-size street, two more narrow streets, and then another 100 feet (30.5 m) wide broad road. This order is repeated from west to east. The narrow streets are numbered; the medium and broad roads are named.
For example, the 100 feet (30.5 m) Lanmadaw Road is followed by 30 feet (9.1 m)-wide 17th and 18th streets then the medium 50 feet (15.2 m) Sint-Oh-Dan Road, the 30-foot 19th and 20th streets, followed by another 100 feet (30.5 m) wide Latha Road, followed again by the two numbered small roads 21st and 22nd streets, and so on.
The roads running parallel west to east were the Strand Road, Merchant Road, Maha Bandula (née Dalhousie) Road, Anawrahta (Fraser) Road, and Bogyoke Aung San (Montgomerie) Road.
Parks and gardens
The largest and best maintained parks in Yangon are located around Shwedagon Pagoda. To the southeast of the gilded stupa is the most popular recreational area in the city –
Kandawgyi LakeKandawgyi Lake , is one of two major lakes in Yangon, Burma . Located east of the Shwedagon Pagoda, the lake is artificial; water from Inya Lake is channelled through a series of pipes to Kandawgyi Lake. It was created to provide a clean water supply to the city during the British colonial...
. The 150 acres (60.7 ha) lake is surrounded by the 110 acres (44.5 ha) Kandawgyi Nature Park, and the 69.25 acre (28-ha)
Yangon Zoological GardensThe Yangon Zoological Gardens is the oldest and the second largest zoo in Myanmar. Located immediately north of downtown Yangon near Kandawgyi Lake, the recreational park also includes a museum of natural history, an aquarium and an amusement park. With a collection of nearly 200 species and...
, which consists of a zoo, an aquarium and an amusement park. West of the pagoda towards the former Hluttaw (Parliament) complex is the 130 acres (52.6 ha) People’s Square and People's Park, (the former parading ground on important national days when Yangon was the capital.) A few miles north of the pagoda lies the 37 acres (15 ha)
Inya Lake ParkInya Lake is the largest lake in Yangon, Burma , a popular recreational area for Yangonites, and a famous location for romance in popular culture...
– a favorite hangout place of Yangon University students, and a well-known place of romance in Burmese popular culture.
Hlawga National ParkHlawaga National Park is a national park located in Mingaladon, Yangon Division, Myanmar, 22 miles north of Yangon. The 1540-acre park includes an 818-acre wildlife park, a 62-acre mini-zoo and a 660-acre buffer zone.First established as an environmental education center in 1982, the national...
and
Allied War MemorialThe Taukkyan War Cemetery is a memorial to Allied soldiers from the British Commonwealth who died in battle in Burma during the Second World War....
at the outskirts of the city are popular day-trip destinations with the well-to-do and tourists.
Administration
Yangon is administered by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). YCDC also coordinates
urban planningUrban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....
. The city is divided into four districts. The districts combined have a total of 33 townships. The
current mayor of Yangon is
Hla MyintHla Myint is a Burmese politician, and mayor of Yangon. He was also a former brigadier general in the Myanmar Army and a former diplomat. He studied at the Defense Services Academy from 1967 to 1971. He retired as brigadier general in 2002...
. Each township is administered by a committee of township leaders, who make decisions regarding city beautification and infrastructure.
Myo-thit (lit. "New Towns", or
satellite townA satellite town or satellite city is a concept in urban planning that refers essentially to smaller metropolitan areas which are located somewhat near to, but are mostly independent of, larger metropolitan areas.-Characteristics:...
s) are not within such jurisdictions.
| Western District (Downtown) |
Eastern District |
Southern District |
Northern District |
- Ahlon
- Bahan
Bahan Township is located in the north central part of Yangon. The township comprises 22 wards, and shares borders with Yankin township and Mayangon township in the north, Sanchaung township and Kamayut township in the west, Tamwe township in the east, and Dagon township and Mingala Taungnyunt...
- Dagon
Dagon Township is located immediately north of downtown Yangon. The township comprises five wards, and shares borders with Bahan township in the north, Ahlon township in the west, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the east, and Lanmadaw township, Latha township and Pabedan township in the south.Dagon...
- Kyauktada
Kyauktada Township is the center of downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township consists of nine wards, and shares borders with Botataung township in the east, Seikkan township and Yangon river in the south, Pabedan township in the west and Mingala Taungnyunt township in the north.The township is home...
- Kyimyindaing
Kyimyindaing Township is located in the western part of Yangon, and shares borders with Kamayut township in the north, the Yangon river and Twante township in the west, Sanchaung township in the east, and Ahlon township in the south. It consists of 21 wards...
- Lanmadaw
Lanmadaw Township is located in the western part of downtown Yangon, and shares borders with Ahlon township in the west, Latha township in the east, Seikkan township and Yangon river in the south, and Dagon township in the north. It consists of twelve wards and is home to five primary schools, two...
- Latha
Latha Township is located in the western part of downtown Yangon, and shares borders with Lanmadaw township in the west, Pabedan township in the east, Seikkan township and Yangon river in the south, and Dagon township in the north. It consists of ten wards and is home to three primary schools, one...
- Pabedan
Pabedan Township is located in the center of downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township is home to Bogyoke Aung San Market and Theingyi Market, two of the largest shopping centers in all of Yangon...
- Sanchaung
Sanchaung Township is located in the north central part of Yangon. The township comprises 18 wards, and shares borders with Kamayut township in the north, Kamayut township and Bahan township in the east, Kyimyindaing township in the west, and Dagon township and Ahlon township in the south...
- Seikkan
Seikkan Township is a township located in the western part of Yangon, Myanmar. One of the smallest townships, Seikkan consists of just three wards. It has a primary school and a hospital.-References:...
|
Botataung
Dagon Seikkan Dagon Seikkan Township is an urban township of Yangon, Burma . Located in the east-central part of the city of Yangon . Satellite communities and industry moved into the township in the 1990s, growing from a rural population of under 10,000 to almost 100,000 by 2010. , Dagon Seikkan consisted of...
East DagonEast Dagon Township is located in the easternmost part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 54 wards and three village tracts. It shares borders with Hlegu township in the north, North Dagon township in the west, and South Dagon township in the south and west...
North DagonNorth Dagon Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 25 wards, and shares borders with East Dagon Township in the north and east, South Okkalapa township in the west, and South Dagon township in the south...
North OkkalapaNorth Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 19 wards, and shares borders with Hlegu township and Mingaladon township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Mingaladon township and Mayangon township in the west, and Kamayut township, and...
PazundaungPazundaung Township is a township located in the southeastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township consists of ten wards, and shares borders with Botataung township in the west and the south, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the northwest, Thaketa township in the north and the Pazundaung Creek in...
South DagonSouth Dagon Township is located in the southeastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 26 wards and three village tracts, and shares borders with North Dagon township and East Dagon Township in the north, Thingangyun township in the west across the Pazundaung Creek, the Bago River in...
South OkkalapaSouth Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 13 wards, and shares borders with North Okkalapa township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Yankin township in the west, and Kamayut township, and Thingangyun township in the south. South...
ThingangyunThingangyun Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 38 wards, and shares borders with South Okkalapa township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Yankin township and Tamwe township in the west, and Thaketa township in the south...
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Mingala Taungnyunt
Dala Dala Township is located on the southern bank of Yangon river across from downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township, consisted of 23 wards, is bounded by the Yangon river in the north and east, the Twante Canal in the west, and Twante Township in the south...
DawbonDawbon Township is located in the southeastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 14 wards, and shares borders with Thingangyun township in the north, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the west, Thaketa township in the east, and Pazundaung township in the south across the Pazundaung Creek...
Seikkyi KanaungtoSeikkyi Kanaungto Township is located on the southwestern bank of Yangon river across from downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises eight wards, and is bounded by the Yangon river in the north, the Twante Canal in the east, and Twante Township in the south and west...
TamweTamwe Township is located in east central Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 20 wards, and shares borders with Yankin township in the north, Thingangyun township and Mingala Taungnyunt township in the east, Bahan township in the west, and Mingala Taungnyunt township in the...
ThaketaThaketa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 19 wards, and shares borders with Thingangyun township in the north and west, the Bago River in the east, and Dawbon township in the south. The Pazundaung Creek flows through the township. Founded in 1959,...
YankinYankin Township is located in the north-central part of Yangon. The township comprises 15 wards, and shares borders with Mayangon township in the north, Thingangyun township and South Okkalapa township in the east, the Inya Lake, Bahan township and Mayangon township in the west, and Tamwe township...
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Insein
Hlaing Hlaing Township is an area of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 16 wards and shares borders with Mayangon township and Thamaing Creek in the north, Mayangon township and Inya Lake in the east, Kamayut township in the south and Hlaingthaya township in the west. In 2000, the township's...
HlaingthayaHlaingthaya Township is located in the western part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 20 wards and nine village tracts, and shares borders with Htantabin Township in the north and west, Insein Township, Mayangon Township and Hlaing Township in the east across the Yangon River, and Twante...
KamayutKamayut Township is located in the north central part of Yangon. The township comprises ten wards, and shares borders with Hlaing township in the north, Hlaing township and Kyimyindaing township in the west, the Inya Lake, Bahan township and Mayangon township in the east, and Sanchaung township in...
Mayangon
MingaladonMingaladon Township is located in the northernmost part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 31 wards, and shares borders with Hmawbi township in the north, North Okkalapa township in the east, Insein township and Shwepyitha township in the west, and Mayangon township in the south...
ShwepyithaShwepyitha Township is located in the northwestern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 15 wards and five village tracts, and shares borders with Htantabin Township in the north, Mingaladon Township in the east, the Yangon river in the west, and Insein Township in the south...
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Yangon is a member of
Asian Network of Major Cities 21Asian Network of Major Cities 21 is a body representing the interests of several of Asia's largest capital cities around common themes of importance, including urban planning, sustainability and crisis management. This organization was advocated by Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara...
.
Transport
Yangon is Burma's main domestic and international hub for air, rail, and ground transportation.
Air
Yangon International AirportYangon International Airport , located in Mingaladon, at north of downtown Yangon, is the primary international airport of Myanmar and the second largest airport in the country....
, located 12 miles (19 km) from downtown, is the country's main gateway for domestic and international air travel. It has direct flights to regional cities in Asia – mainly,
HanoiHanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
,
Ho Chi Minh cityHo Chi Minh City , formerly named Saigon is the largest city in Vietnam...
,
BangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
,
Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
,
Kunming' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
, and
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
. Although domestic airlines offer service to about 20 domestic locations, most flights are to tourist destinations such as
BaganBagan , formerly Pagan, is an ancient city in the Mandalay Region of Burma. Formally titled Arimaddanapura or Arimaddana and also known as Tambadipa or Tassadessa , it was the capital of several ancient kingdoms in Burma...
,
MandalayMandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
,
HehoHeho is a small town in Kalaw Township, Taunggyi District, Shan State of Myanmar . It is the primary air gateway to tourist areas such as Inle Lake.Heho is connected by NH4 to Sakangyi and Taunggyi, the capital of the Shan State in the east...
and Ngapali, and to the capital,
NaypyidawNaypyidaw is the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. It is administered as the Naypyidaw Union Territory, as per the 2008 Constitution. On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a greenfield 3.2 km west of Pyinmana, and approximately...
.
Railways
Yangon Central Railway StationYangon Central Railway Station , located in downtown Yangon, is the largest railway station in Myanmar. It is the gateway to Myanmar Railways' 3,126-mile rail network whose reach covers Upper Myanmar , upcountry , Shan hills and the Taninthayi coast .The station was first built in 1877 by the...
is the main terminus of
Myanmar RailwaysMyanmar Railways ; also spelled Myanma Railways; formerly Burma Railways) is the state-owned agency that operates the railway network in Myanmar. The metre gauge rail network consists of 858 stations, and generally spans north to south with branch lines to east and west. MR also operates the...
' 5403 kilometres (3,357 mi) rail network whose reach covers Upper Myanmar (
NaypyidawNaypyidaw is the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. It is administered as the Naypyidaw Union Territory, as per the 2008 Constitution. On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a greenfield 3.2 km west of Pyinmana, and approximately...
,
MandalayMandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
,
ShweboShwebo is a city in Sagaing Division, Myanmar, located 113 km northwest of Mandalay between the Irrawaddy and the Mu rivers. The city, also called Ratanasingha , was the capital of Myanmar from 1752 to 1760 during the Konbaung period....
), upcountry (
MyitkyinaMyitkyina is the capital city of Kachin State in Myanmar , located from Yangon, and from Mandalay. In Burmese it means "near the big river", and in fact "Myitkyina" lies on the west bank of the Ayeyarwady River, just below from Myit-son of its two headstreams...
), Shan hills (
Taunggyi-Transportation:The main access to Taunggyi is by road. A railway line that passes through Taunggyi was recently built in 1995, but at the moment it offers no passenger service. Regular railway passenger service to the rest of the country is through the town of Shwenyaung, twelve miles to the...
,
LashioLashio is the largest town in northern Shan State, Myanmar, about northeast of Mandalay. It is situated on a low mountain spur overlooking the valley of the Nam Yao river. The population grew from around 5000 in 1960 to 88,590 in 1983. It is currently estimated at around 130,000.Lashio is the...
) and the Taninthayi coast (Mawlamyaing,
Dawei-Transport:Only recently Dawei was connected to the rest of Myanmar by road and rail. There are plans to construct a deepwater port in Dawei. In November 2010, the Myanmar Port Authority signed a USD $8.6 billion deal with Italian-Thai Development to develop a deep sea port at Dawei...
).
Yangon Circular RailwayYangon Circular Railway is the local commuter rail network that serves the Yangon metropolitan area. Operated by Myanmar Railways, the 39-station loop system connects satellite towns and suburban areas to the city. The railway has about 200 coaches, runs 20 times and sells 100,000 to 150,000...
runs a 45.9 kilometres (28.5 mi) 39-station commuter rail network that connects Yangon's satellite towns. The system is heavily utilized by the local populace, selling about 150,000 tickets daily. The popularity of the commuter line has jumped since the government reduced petrol subsidies in August 2007.
Buses and cars
The vast majority of Yangonites cannot afford a car and rely on an extensive network of buses to get around. Over 300 public and private bus lines operate about 6,300 crowded buses around the city, carrying over 4.4 million passengers a day. All buses and 80% of the taxis in Yangon run on
compressed natural gasCompressed natural gas is a fossil fuel substitute for gasoline , diesel, or propane/LPG. Although its combustion does produce greenhouse gases, it is a more environmentally clean alternative to those fuels, and it is much safer than other fuels in the event of a spill...
(CNG), following the 2005 government decree to save money on imported petroleum. Highway buses to other cities depart from Dagon Ayeyar Highway Bus Terminal and Aung Mingala Highway Bus Terminal.
Motor transportation in Yangon is highly expensive for most of its citizens. As the government allows only a few thousand cars to be imported each year in a country with over 50 million people, car prices in Yangon (and in Burma) are among the highest in the world. In July 2008, the two most popular cars in Yangon, 1986/87 Nissan Sunny Super Saloon and 1988 Toyota Corolla SE Limited, cost the equivalent of about US$20,000 and US$29,000 respectively. A sports utility vehicle, imported for the equivalent of around US$50,000, goes for US$250,000. Illegally imported unregistered cars are cheaper – typically about half the price of registered cars. Nonetheless, car usage in Yangon is on the rise, a sign of rising incomes for some, and already causes much traffic congestion in highway-less Yangon's streets. As of March 2008, Yangon had over 173,000 registered motor vehicles in addition to an unknown number of unregistered ones.
Since 1970, cars have been driven on the right side of the road in Burma, as part of a military decree. However, as the government has not required left hand drive (LHD) cars to accompany the right side road rules, many cars on the road are still right hand drive (RHD) made for driving on the left side. Japanese used cars, which make up most of the country's imports, still arrive with RHD and are never converted to LHD. As a result, Burmese drivers have to rely on their passengers when passing other cars.
Within Yangon city limits, it is illegal to drive trishaws, bicycles, and motorcycles. Since February 2010,
pickup truckA pickup truck is a light motor vehicle with an open-top rear cargo area .-Definition:...
bus lines have been forbidden to run in 6 townships of Downtown Yangon, namely
LathaLatha Township is located in the western part of downtown Yangon, and shares borders with Lanmadaw township in the west, Pabedan township in the east, Seikkan township and Yangon river in the south, and Dagon township in the north. It consists of ten wards and is home to three primary schools, one...
,
LanmadawLanmadaw Township is located in the western part of downtown Yangon, and shares borders with Ahlon township in the west, Latha township in the east, Seikkan township and Yangon river in the south, and Dagon township in the north. It consists of twelve wards and is home to five primary schools, two...
,
PabedanPabedan Township is located in the center of downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township is home to Bogyoke Aung San Market and Theingyi Market, two of the largest shopping centers in all of Yangon...
,
KyauktadaKyauktada Township is the center of downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township consists of nine wards, and shares borders with Botataung township in the east, Seikkan township and Yangon river in the south, Pabedan township in the west and Mingala Taungnyunt township in the north.The township is home...
, Botahtaung and
Pazundaung TownshipPazundaung Township is a township located in the southeastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township consists of ten wards, and shares borders with Botataung township in the west and the south, Mingala Taungnyunt township in the northwest, Thaketa township in the north and the Pazundaung Creek in...
s. In May 2003, a ban on using car horns was implemented in six townships of Downtown Yangon to reduce
noise pollutionNoise pollution is excessive, displeasing human, animal or machine-created environmental noise that disrupts the activity or balance of human or animal life...
. In April 2004, the car horn ban was expanded to cover the entire city.
River
Yangon's four main passenger jetties, all located on or near downtown waterfront, mainly serve local ferries across the river to
DalaDala Township is located on the southern bank of Yangon river across from downtown Yangon, Myanmar. The township, consisted of 23 wards, is bounded by the Yangon river in the north and east, the Twante Canal in the west, and Twante Township in the south...
and
ThanlyinThanlyin is a major port city of Myanmar, located across Bago River from the city of Yangon. Thanlyin Township comprises 17 quarters and 28 village tracts. It is home to the largest port in the country, Thilawa port.-History:...
, and regional ferries to the
Irrawaddy deltaThe Irrawaddy Delta or Ayeyarwady Delta lies in the Ayeyarwady Region , the lowest expanse of land in Burma that fans out from the limit of tidal influence at Myan Aung to the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea, 290 km to the south at the mouth of the Ayeyarwady River...
. The 22-mile (35 km)
Twante CanalThe Twante Canal is a canal that connects the Irrawaddy River and the Yangon river in Myanmar. The canal is a heavily used short cut between the city of Yangon and the Irrawaddy Division. The canal is named after the town of Twante, located near the canal's mid-way point...
was the quickest route from Yangon to the Irrawaddy delta until the 1990s when roads between Yangon and the Irrawaddy Division became usable year round. While passenger ferries to the delta are still used, those to Upper Burma via the Irrawaddy river are now limited mostly to tourist river cruises.
Demographics
Yangon is the most populous city by far in Burma although estimates of the size of its population vary widely. (All population figures are estimates since no official census has been conducted in Burma since 1983.) A UN estimate puts the population as 4.35 million in 2010 but a 2009 U.S. State Department estimate puts it at 5.5 million. The U.S. State Department's estimate is probably closer to the real number since the UN number is a straight-line projection, and does not appear to take the expansion of city limits in the past two decades into account. The city's population grew sharply after 1948 as many people (mainly, the indigenous Burmese) from other parts of the country moved into the newly built satellite towns of North Okkalapa, South Okkalapa, and Thaketa in the 1950s and East Dagon, North Dagon and South Dagon in the 1990s. Immigrants have founded their regional associations (such as Mandalay Association, Mawlamyaing Association, etc.) in Yangon for networking purposes. The government's decision to move the nation's administrative capital to Naypyidaw has drained an unknown number of civil servants away from Yangon.
Yangon is the most ethnically diverse city in the country. While Indians formed the slight majority prior to World War II, today, the majority of the population is of
BamarThe Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...
(Burman) descent. Large communities of Indians/South Asians and the Chinese still exist especially in the traditional downtown neighborhoods. Intermarriage between ethnic groups—especially between the Bamar and the Chinese, and the Bamar and other indigenous Burmese—is common. A large number of
RakhineThe Rakhine , is a nationality in Myanmar forming the majority along the coastal region of present day Rakhine State or Arakan State. They possibly constitute 5.53% or more of Myanmar's total population but no accurate census figures exist. Rakhine people also live in the southeastern parts of...
and
KarenThe Karen or Kayin people , are a Sino-Tibetan language speaking ethnic group which resides primarily in southern and southeastern Burma . The Karen make up approximately 7 percent of the total Burmese population of approximately 50 million people...
live in the city.
BurmeseThe Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...
is the principal language of the city.
EnglishEnglish is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
is by far the preferred second language of the educated class. In recent years, however, the prospect of overseas job opportunities has enticed some to study other languages: Mandarin Chinese is most popular, followed by
Japaneseis a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
,
FrenchFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, and
KoreanKorean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
.
Media
Yangon is the country's hub for the movie, music, advertising, newspaper and book publishing industries. All media is heavily regulated by the military government. Television broadcasting is off limits to the private sector. All media content must first be approved by the government's media censor board,
Press Scrutiny and Registration DivisionThe Press Scrutiny and Registration Division is a division under the Ministry of Information, responsible for censorship of media in Burma today. Its current director is Major Tint Swe. PSRD censors all forms of media, ranging from publications such as newspapers and magazines and other published...
.
Most television channels in the country are broadcast from Yangon.
TV MyanmarTelevision broadcasting in Burma began in 1979 as a test trial in Yangon. Regular television service was first formally launched in 1981.Most television channels in the country are broadcast from Yangon. TV Myanmar and Myawaddy TV are the two main channels, providing Burmese language programming in...
and
Myawaddy TVMyawaddy is a Myanmar military-owned television network based in Yangon, Myanmar. It was launched on the 27 March 1995, in commemoration of the Burmese Armed Forces Day. Its programming is also broadcast over the AsiaSat 2 satellite. The average duration of broadcast is approximately eight hours...
are the two main channels, providing Burmese language programming in news and entertainment. Other special interest channels are MWD-1 and MWD-2,
MRTV-3Myanmar International Television is a Burmese state-owned national and international English-language television channel based in Yangon, Myanmar. The channel was first launched in August 2001 as MRTV-3, the third ever television channel in Myanmar...
, the English language channel that targets overseas audiences via satellite and via Internet,
MRTV-4Myanmar Radio and Television 4, known as MRTV-4, is a Burmese state-owned television station and satellite television. It consists of 6 local channels and 14 foreign channels.-Channel details:...
with a focus on non-formal education programs and movies, and Movie 5, a pay-TV channel specializing in broadcasting foreign movies.
Yangon has three radio stations.
Myanmar Radio National ServiceMyanmar Radio National Service ), is the national radio service of Myanmar. It has its broadcasting headquarters in both the administrative capital of Naypyidaw and Yangon, Myanmar's largest city. The service runs Myanmar Radio and Myanmar Radio Minorities Service...
is the national radio service and broadcasts mostly in Burmese (and in English during specific times.) Pop culture oriented
Yangon City FMYangon City FM is a radio station that serves the Yangon metropolitan area, broadcasting at on the FM band at a frequency of 89.0 MHz and on the Internet. Operated by the city government, YCDC, City FM is one of two radio stations available in Yangon...
and
Mandalay City FMMandalay City FM is a radio station that serves the Mandalay metropolitan area , broadcasting at on the FM band at a frequency of 87.9 MHz and on the Internet. Now the radio station is also serving 30 miles around Taungoo and 30 miles around Yangon city. Mandalay City FM radio will be able to tuned...
radio stations specialize in Burmese and English
pop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, entertainment programs, live celebrity interviews, etc. New radio channels such as Shwe FM and Pyinsawaddy FM can also be tuned with the city area.
Nearly all print media and industries are based out of Yangon. All three national newspapers — two Burmese language dailies
Myanma Alin and
KyemonKyemon is a state-owned Burmese language daily newspaper based in Yangon, Myanmar. Along with Myanmar Alin, Kyemon is one of two Burmese language national newspapers in the country...
, and the English language
The New Light of Myanmar — are published by the government. Semi-governmental
The Myanmar Times weekly, published in Burmese and in English, is mainly geared for Yangon's expatriate community. Over twenty special interest journals and magazines covering sports, fashion, finance, crime, literature (but never politics) vie for the readership of the general populace.
Access to foreign media is extremely difficult. Satellite television in Yangon (and in Burma) is highly expensive as the government imposes an annual registration fee of one million kyats. Certain foreign newspapers and periodicals such as the
International Herald TribuneThe International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
and the
Straits Times can be found only in a few (mostly downtown) bookstores. Internet access in Yangon, which has the best telecommunication infrastructure in the country, is slow and erratic at best, and the Burmese government implements one of the world's most restrictive regimes of Internet control. International text messaging and voice messaging was permitted only in August 2008.
Communication
Common facilities taken for granted elsewhere are luxury prized items in Yangon (and Burma). The price of a GSM mobile phone was about K1.1 million in August 2008. In 2007, the country of 55 million had only 775,000 phone lines (including 275,000 mobile phones), and 400,000 computers. Even in Yangon, which has the best infrastructure, the estimated telephone penetration rate was only 6% at the end of 2004, and the official waiting time for a telephone line was 3.6 years. Most people cannot afford a computer and have to use the city’s numerous Internet cafes to access a heavily restricted Internet, and a heavily censored local intranet. According to official statistics, in July 2010, the country had over 400,000 Internet users, with the vast majority hailing from just two cities, Yangon and Mandalay. Although Internet access was available in 42 cities across the country, the number of users outside the two main cities was just over 10,000.
Lifestyle
Yangon’s property market is the most expensive in the country and beyond the reach of most Yangonites. Most rent outside downtown and few can afford to rent downtown area apartments. (In 2008, rents for a typical 650 to 750 sq ft (60.4 to 69.7 m2) apartments in downtown and vicinity range between K70,000 and K150,000 and those for high end condos between K200,000 and K500,000.)
Most men of all ages (and some women) spend their time at ubiquitous tea-shops, found in any corner or street of the city. Watching European football (mostly English Premier League with occasional
La LigaThe Primera División of the Liga Nacional de Fútbol Profesional , commonly known as La Liga or, for sponsorship reasons, Liga BBVA since 2008, is the top professional association football division of the Spanish football league system...
,
Serie ASerie A , now called Serie A TIM due to sponsorship by Telecom Italia, is a professional league competition for football clubs located at the top of the Italian football league system and has been operating for over eighty years since 1929. It had been organized by Lega Calcio until 2010, but a new...
,
BundesligaThe Fußball-Bundesliga is a professional association football league in Germany. At the top of Germany's football league system, it is the country's primary football competition. It is contested by 18 teams and operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the 2. Bundesliga...
) matches while sipping tea is a popular pastime among many Yangonites, rich and poor alike. The average person stays close to his or her neighbourhood haunts. The well-to-do tend to visit shopping malls and parks on weekends. Some leave the city on weekends for
ChaungthaChaungtha is the name of several places in Burma:* Chaungtha, Ann* Chaungtha, Pathein...
and Ngwesaung beach resorts in
Ayeyarwady DivisionAyeyarwady Region is a region of Myanmar, occupying the delta region of the Ayeyarwady River . It is bordered by Bago Region to the north, Bago Region and Yangon Region to the east, and the Bay of Bengal to the south and west...
.
Yangon is also home to many
paya pwes (pagoda festivals), held during dry-season months (November – March). The most famous of all, the Shwedagon Pagoda Festival in March, attracts thousands of pilgrims from around the country.
Yangon's museums are the domain of tourists and rarely visited by the locals.
Most of Yangon's larger hotels offer some kind of nightlife entertainment, geared towards tourists and the well-to-do Burmese. Some hotels offer traditional Burmese performing arts shows complete with a traditional Burmese orchestra. The pub scene in larger hotels is more or less the same as elsewhere in Asia. Other options include karaoke bars and pub restaurants in Yangon
ChinatownA Chinatown is an ethnic enclave of overseas Chinese people, although it is often generalized to include various Southeast Asian people. Chinatowns exist throughout the world, including East Asia, Southeast Asia, the Americas, Australasia, and Europe. Binondo's Chinatown located in Manila,...
.
Due to the problems of high inflation, the lack of high denomination notes, and the fact that many of the population do not have access to checks, or credit or debit cards, it is common to see citizens carrying a considerable amount of cash. (The highest denomination of Burmese currency
kyatThe kyat is the currency of Burma . It is often abbreviated as "K", which is placed before the numerical value.-First kyat, 1852-1889:...
is 5000 (~US$5.)) Credit cards are only rarely used in the city, chiefly in the more lavish hotels.
Sports
As the city has the best sporting facilities in the country, most national-level annual sporting tournaments such as track and field, football, volleyball, tennis and swimming are held in Yangon. The 40,000-seat Aung San Stadium and the 32,000-seat Thuwunna Stadium are the main venues for the highly popular annual State and Division football tournament. Until April 2009, the now defunct
Myanmar Premier LeagueThe Myanmar Premier League was the top division of Burmese football in Myanmar from 1996 to 2009. The league consisted of Yangon-based football clubs, made up mostly of clubs run by various government ministries plus a few private football clubs...
, consisted of 16 Yangon-based clubs, played all its matches in Yangon stadiums, and attracted little interest from the general public or commercial success despite the enormous popularity of football in Burma. Most Yangonites prefer watching European football on satellite TV. It remains to be seen whether the
Myanmar National LeagueThe Myanmar National League is the premier national professional football league of Myanmar. In 2009, the league replaced the Myanmar Premier League, which consisted only of 14 Yangon-based football clubs, with eight professional clubs representing different regions across the nation...
, the country's first professional football league, and its Yangon-based club
Yangon United FCYangon United Football Club is a burmese football club, based at Aung San Stadium, in Yangon, Myanmar. Owned by Tay Za, one of the most prominent burmese businessmen, the club was one of 8 teams originally participating in the first Myanmar National League in 2009...
will attract a sufficient following in the country's most important media market.
Yangon is also home to annual the Myanmar Open golf tournament, and the Myanmar Open tennis tournament. The city hosted the 1961 and 1969 South East Asian Games. During colonial times,
cricketCricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
was played mostly by British officials in the city.
First-class cricketFirst-class cricket is a class of cricket that consists of matches of three or more days' scheduled duration, that are between two sides of eleven players and are officially adjudged first-class by virtue of the standard of the competing teams...
was played in the city in January 1927 when the touring
Marylebone Cricket ClubMarylebone Cricket Club is a cricket club in London founded in 1787. Its influence and longevity now witness it as a private members' club dedicated to the development of cricket. It owns, and is based at, Lord's Cricket Ground in St John's Wood, London NW8. MCC was formerly the governing body of...
played Burma and the
Rangoon GymkhanaRangoon Gymkhana cricket team was a scratch cricket team formed in Rangoon, Burma. The team played a single first-class match in January 1927 at the Gymkhana Ground against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club resulting in a draw. A second scratch eleven was formed to play MCC on the following days...
. Two grounds were used to host these matches, the
BAA GroundThe BAA Ground was a cricket ground in Rangoon, Burma . The first and only recorded match on the ground came in 1927 when Burma played its only first-class match against the touring Marylebone Cricket Club. The match ended in a heavy defeat for Burma...
and the
Gymkhana GroundThe Gymkhana Ground was a cricket ground in Rangoon, Burma . The first recorded match held on the ground was in December 1912, when Rangoon Gymkhana played the Europeans. Two further matches were held in that month, with Upper Burma playing the Europeans, and Burma playing the Europeans...
. These matches mark the only time Burma and Rangoon Gymkhana have appeared in first-class cricket, and the only time first-class cricket has been played in Burma. After independence cricket all but died out in the country.
Economy
Yangon is the country’s main center for trade, industry, real estate, media, entertainment and tourism. The city alone represents about one fifth of the
national economyGross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....
. According to official statistics for FY 2010–2011, the size of the economy of Yangon Region was 8.93 trillion kyats, or 23% of the national GDP.
The city is Lower Burma’s main trading hub for all kinds of merchandise – from basic food stuffs to used cars although commerce continues to be hampered by the city's severely underdeveloped banking industry and communication infrastructure.
Bayinnaung MarketBayinnaung Market , located in northwestern Yangon, is the largest agricultural commodities trading market in Myanmar. Established in 1990, the market complex consists of two-story shop houses with floor areas of 1200 and...
is the largest wholesale centre in the country for
riceRice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...
, beans and pulses, and other agricultural commodities. Much of the country’s legal imports and exports go through
Thilawa PortMyanmar International Terminals Thilawa is a deep sea port 25 km south of Yangon in Myanmar. The international multi-purpose container port, fully owned by Hutchison Port Holdings , can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week....
, the largest and busiest port in Burma. There is also a great deal of informal trade, especially in street markets that exist alongside street platforms of Downtown Yangon's townships. However, on 17 June 2011, the YCDC announced that street vendors, who had previously been allowed to legally open shop at 3 pm, would be prohibited from selling on the streets, and permitted to sell only in their townships of residence, presumably to clean up the city's image. Since 1 December 2009, high-density polyethylene
plastic bagA plastic bag, polybag, or pouch is a type of packaging made of thin, flexible, plastic film, nonwoven fabric, or plastic textile. Plastic bags are used for containing and transporting goods such as foods, produce, powders, ice, magazines, comic books, chemicals and waste.Most plastic bags are...
s have been banned by city authorities.
Manufacturing accounts for a sizable share of employment. At least 14 light
industrial zonesAn industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...
ring Yangon, directly employing over 150,000 workers in 4,300 factories in early 2010. The city is the centre of country's garment industry which exported US$292 million in 2008/9 fiscal year. More than 80 percent of factory workers in Yangon work on a day-to-day basis. Most are young women between 15 and 27 years of age who come from the countryside in search of a better life. The manufacturing sector suffers from both structural problems (e.g. chronic power shortages) and political problems (e.g. economic sanctions). In 2008, Yangon's 2500 factories alone needed about 120 MW of power; yet, the entire city received only about 250 MW of the 530 MW needed. Chronic power shortages limit the factories' operating hours between 8 am and 6 pm.
Construction is a major source of employment. The construction industry has been negatively affected by the move of state apparatus and civil servants to Naypyidaw, new regulations introduced in August 2009 requiring builders to provide at least 12 parking spaces in every new high-rise building, and the general poor business climate. As of January 2010, the number of new high-rise building starts approved in 2009-2010 was only 334, compared to 582 in 2008-2009.
Tourism represents a major source of foreign currency for the city although by Southeast Asian standards the actual number of foreign visitors to Yangon has always been quite low (about 250,000 before the Saffron Revolution in September 2007). Cyclone Nargis dampened tourism even farther. The 2008 tourist arrivals at Yangon International are down to less than 50% from the previous year. Yangon's international standard hotels, built with foreign investment in the 1990s, still await the influx of tourists for which they were built.
Education
Yangon has the best educational facilities and the highest number of qualified teachers in Burma where state spending on education is among the lowest in the world. A 2007 estimate by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies puts the spending for education at 0.5 percent of the national budget. The disparity in educational opportunities and achievement between rich and poor schools is quite stark even within the city. With little or no state support forthcoming, schools have to rely on forced "donations" and various fees from parents for nearly everything – school maintenance to teachers' salaries, forcing many poor students to drop out.
While many students in poor districts fail to reach
high schoolHigh schools in Myanmar are operated by the Department of Basic Education under the Ministry of Education in Myanmar. The present education system has not changed since the re-opening of the schools in 1989, under the SLORC...
, a handful of Yangon high schools in wealthier districts like Dagon 1,
Sanchaung 2, Bahan 2, Latha 2, and
TTCThe Practising High School Yangon Institute of Education is a high school in Yangon, Myanmar. TTC stands for Teachers' Training College, which is now Institute of Education...
provide the majority of students admitted to the most selective universities in the country, highlighting the extreme shallowness of talent pool in the country. The wealthy bypass the state education system altogether, sending their children to private English language instruction schools such as YIEC, or abroad (typically
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
or
AustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
) for university education. In 2008, international schools in Yangon cost at least US$8,000 a year.
Yangon is home to over 20 universities and colleges. While Yangon University remains the best known (its main campus is a part of popular Burmese culture e.g. literature, music, film, etc.), the nation's oldest university is now mostly a graduate school, deprived of undergraduate studies. Following the 1988 nationwide uprising, the military government has repeatedly shut down universities, and has dispersed most of undergraduate student population to new universities in the suburbs such as
Dagon UniversityDagon University , located in North Dagon, Yangon, is one of the largest universities in Myanmar. The university, established in 1993, offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences to full-time, part-time and online students. Dagon University also offers a full-time four-year...
, the University of East Yangon and the University of West Yangon. Nonetheless many of the country's most selective universities are still in Yangon. Students from around the country still have to come to study in Yangon as some subjects are offered only at its universities. The University of Medicine 1,
University of Medicine 2,
Yangon Technological UniversityYangon Technological University ' , located in Gyogone, Yangon, is the premier engineering university of Myanmar. Established as Department of Engineering under Rangoon University in 1924, and popular known by its former name RIT , YTU is the country's oldest and largest engineering university, and...
,
University of Computer StudiesThe University of Computer Studies, Yangon , located in the outskirts of Yangon, is the leading IT and computer science university of Myanmar. The university, administered by the Ministry of Science and Technology, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in computer science and...
and
Myanmar Maritime UniversityMyanmar Maritime University , located in Thanlyin in the outskirts of Yangon, is the premier university of maritime education in Myanmar. MMU, administered by the Ministry of Transportation, offers five-year bachelor's degree programs and two-year post-graduate diplomas in various marine and naval...
are the most selective in the country.
Health care
The general state of health care in Yangon is poor. According to a 2007 estimate, the military government spends 0.4% of the national budget on health care, and 40% to 60% on defense. By the government's own figures, it spends 849 kyats (US$0.85) per person. Although health care is nominally free, in reality, patients have to pay for medicine and treatment, even in public clinics and hospitals. Public hospitals including the flagship
Yangon General HospitalThe Yangon General Hospital is a major public hospital in Yangon, Myanmar. Located in a 14-hectare compound, the 1500-bed hospital consists of three Medical Wards, three Surgical Wards, one Trauma and Orthopaedic Ward, and 24 Specialist Departments for inpatient care. The hospital also runs an ER...
lack many of the basic facilities and equipment.
Wealthier Yangonites still have access to country's best medical facilities and internationally qualified doctors. Only do Yangon and
MandalayMandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of one million, and is the capital of Mandalay Region ....
have any sizable number of doctors left as many Burmese doctors have emigrated. The well-to-do go to private clinics or hospitals like Pun Hlaing International Hospital and Bahosi Medical Clinic. A ten-day stay at a private hospital reportedly costs about K2.5 million (US$2300). Still,
medical malpracticeMedical malpractice is professional negligence by act or omission by a health care provider in which the treatment provided falls below the accepted standard of practice in the medical community and causes injury or death to the patient, with most cases involving medical error. Standards and...
is widespread even in private clinics and hospitals that serve the well-to-do. In 2009 and 2010, a spate of high profile deaths brought out the severity of the problem, even for the relatively well off Yangonites. The wealthy do not rely on domestic hospitals and travel abroad (usually
BangkokBangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...
or
SingaporeSingapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
) for treatment.
Notable sites
Pagodas
- Shwedagon Pagoda
- Sule Pagoda
The Sule Pagoda is a Burmese stupa located in the heart of downtown Yangon, occupying the centre of the city and an important space in contemporary Burmese politics, ideology and geography. According to legend, it was built before the Shwe Dagon pagoda during the time of the Buddha, making it more...
- Botataung Pagoda
- Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda
- Kyaukdawgyi Pagoda
- Kaba Aye Pagoda
Recreation
- Allied War Memorial
The Taukkyan War Cemetery is a memorial to Allied soldiers from the British Commonwealth who died in battle in Burma during the Second World War....
- Bogyoke Market
Bogyoke Aung San Market is a major bazaar located in Pabedan township in downtown Yangon, Myanmar. Known for its colonial architecture and inner cobblestone streets, the market is a major tourist destination, dominated by antique, Burmese handicraft and jewellery shops, art galleries, and clothing...
(Scott's Market)
- Inya Lake
Inya Lake is the largest lake in Yangon, Burma , a popular recreational area for Yangonites, and a famous location for romance in popular culture...
(formerly Lake Victoria)
- Kandawgyi Lake
Kandawgyi Lake , is one of two major lakes in Yangon, Burma . Located east of the Shwedagon Pagoda, the lake is artificial; water from Inya Lake is channelled through a series of pipes to Kandawgyi Lake. It was created to provide a clean water supply to the city during the British colonial...
(formerly Royal Lake)
- Hlawga National Park
Hlawaga National Park is a national park located in Mingaladon, Yangon Division, Myanmar, 22 miles north of Yangon. The 1540-acre park includes an 818-acre wildlife park, a 62-acre mini-zoo and a 660-acre buffer zone.First established as an environmental education center in 1982, the national...
- Maha Bandula Park
- People’s Square and People's Park
- St. Mary's Cathedral
Saint Mary's Cathedral is a Catholic cathedral located on Bo Aung Kyaw Street in Botahtaung Township, Yangon, Burma. The cathedral's exterior, of red brick, consists of spires and a belltower. It was designed by Dutch architect Jos Cuypers, son of Pierre Cuypers.The cathedral is the largest in Burma...
- Yangon University
Yangon University , located in Kamayut, Yangon, is the oldest and most well-known university in Myanmar. The university offers mainly graduate degree programs in liberal arts, sciences and law...
- Yangon Zoological Gardens
The Yangon Zoological Gardens is the oldest and the second largest zoo in Myanmar. Located immediately north of downtown Yangon near Kandawgyi Lake, the recreational park also includes a museum of natural history, an aquarium and an amusement park. With a collection of nearly 200 species and...
(Yangon Zoo)
Museums and art galleries
- National Museum of Myanmar
The National Museum of Myanmar, , located in Dagon, Yangon, is the main museum of Burmese art, history and culture in Myanmar. Founded in 1952, the five-story museum has an extensive collection of ancient artifacts, ornaments, works of art, inscriptions and historic memorabilia, related to history,...
- Defence Services Museum of Yangon
- Myanmar Gems Museum
Myanmar Gems Museum, located at in Yangon, Myanmar, is a museum dedicated to precious Burmese gem stones. The museum is located on the third floor of a four-story building, located near Kaba Aye Pagoda....
- Bogyoke Aung San Museum
The Bogyoke Aung San Museum , located in Bahan, Yangon, is a museum dedicated to General Aung San, the founder of modern Myanmar . Established in 1962, the two-story museum was Aung San's last residence before his assassination in July 1947. It is the house where his daughter Aung San Suu Kyi grew...
- Yangon Drugs Elimination Museum
The Drug Elimination Museum was opened with ceremony on June 26, 2001. It is located at the corner of Kyundaw Road and Hanthawady Road in Kamayut Township, Yangon in Burma...
- The Planetarium
The Planetarium is an astronomy museum that display facts about stars, planets and the Universe, located at No 57, Ahlon Road., Dagon Township, Yangon in Burma....
Sister cities
Kunming' is the capital and largest city of Yunnan Province in Southwest China. It was known as Yunnan-Fou until the 1920s. A prefecture-level city, it is the political, economic, communications and cultural centre of Yunnan, and is the seat of the provincial government...
,
YunnanYunnan is a province of the People's Republic of China, located in the far southwest of the country spanning approximately and with a population of 45.7 million . The capital of the province is Kunming. The province borders Burma, Laos, and Vietnam.Yunnan is situated in a mountainous area, with...
,
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(2008)
Kathmandu,
NepalNepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
NanningNanning is the capital of the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in southern China. It is known as the "Green City" because of its abundance of lush tropical foliage.-History:...
,
GuangxiGuangxi, formerly romanized Kwangsi, is a province of southern China along its border with Vietnam. In 1958, it became the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of the People's Republic of China, a region with special privileges created specifically for the Zhuang people.Guangxi's location, in...
,
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(2009)
YangzhouYangzhou is a prefecture-level city in central Jiangsu Province, People's Republic of China. Sitting on the northern bank of the Yangtze River, it borders the provincial capital of Nanjing to the southwest, Huai'an to the north, Yancheng to the northeast, Taizhou to the east, and Zhenjiang across...
,
Jiangsu' is a province of the People's Republic of China, located along the east coast of the country. The name comes from jiang, short for the city of Jiangning , and su, for the city of Suzhou. The abbreviation for this province is "苏" , the second character of its name...
,
ChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
(1997) -
Fuchū, Tokyois a city located in western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 255,394 and a population density of 8,700 persons per km². The total area was 29.34 km²...
, Japan
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