MYANMAR USEFUL INFORMATION |
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Myanmar Political Map Cambodia Physical Map Cambodia Fact Book & Statistics (courtesy of www.maps.com) |
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Myanmar Fast Facts |
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| GEOGRAPHY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Myanmar is Asia at its best. More than any other Asian country
Myanmar, formerly known as Burma, has preserved its cultures and
traditions. Myanmar is a deeply religious Buddhist country and is well
known by travellers for its abundance of sights and sounds, interesting
cultures, diversity of nature and most of all for its charming and
friendly people. A kind of magic shrouds the whole land with its tropical
plains, the Himalayan Highlands, teak woods that create an impenetrable
jungle and the Ayeyarwady River. With an area of 676,557 sq. km, Myanmar is almost twice as big as Germany or the state of Arizona. It is sandwiched between India and Bangladesh on one side and China, Laos and Thailand on the other, while to the south is the Andaman Sea with beautiful unspoiled beaches. The Himalayas rise in the north, where the Hkakabo Razi, right on the border between Myanmar and Tibet, is the highest mountain in South-East Asia at 19,290 ft./5881m. |
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| POPULATION | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In 1998 the population of Myanmar was 44.5 million. Around 69% of
the population is ethnic Burmese. The rest of the population comprise more
than 135 ethnic groups such as the Shan, Cachin, Chin, Mon and Rakhine.
Over 75% of the population live in rural areas, especially in the fertile plains of the Ayeyarwady River and the delta region. Half of the population is below 20 years of age. |
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| RELIGION | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The religious life of Myanmar is dominated by the omnipresent
Theravada Buddhism, which was brought to the country as early as the 11th
century AD. Today, about 88% of the population call themselves Theravadas,
the remaining 12% of the Burmese are Christians (7%), Muslims (3%) and
Hindus (0.5%). Over 100,000 Buddhist monks live in monasteries throughout
the country. The history of Buddhism in Myanmar began in 638 AD, when the Mahayana creed started spreading there. During the 11th century, the people of Bagan turned to the Theravada Buddhist school. |
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| LANGUAGE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The Burmese language belongs to the group of Tibeto-Burmese
languages, which in turn is part of the Sino-Tibetan group of languages.
Burmese is spoken by about 80% of the population of Myanmar, and is the
official language of the country. Besides Burmese, there are more than 100
languages and local dialects spoken in different regions and by different
ethnic groups. English is widely spoken, especially in business and
tourist areas. Spoken Burmese has a distinctive rhythmic character. The meaning of a word often depends on the pitch of a certain syllable. For an untrained speaker, correct pronunciation can be quite difficult - the Burmese say that chewing a little betel might help! |
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| MANNER | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The usual Asian rules of conduct apply in Myanmar, plus a few
specific Burmese ones. It is unseemly to show too much emotion, losing
your temper over problems and delays gets you nowhere; it is better to
stay calm at all times just as the Burmese do. You should always take your shoes off when entering a pagoda or temple and when you visit private houses, and you should wear appropriate clothing. For men and women it is advisable to cover your shoulders and wear knee-long skirts or trousers. Wearing bathing suits or trunks should be limited to the beach or hotel pool. The head is regarded as a particularly holy part of the body. You should never touch anybody's head intentionally, and offer an excuse if you do so by chance. Accordingly, the feet are literally the lowest part of the body - do not point your feet at anybody. |
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| CURRENCY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The currency unit is Myanmese kyat (pronounced "chat"), officially
denoted by the prefix MYK. Notes come in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 15,
45, 90, 200 and 500. Coins have little value and are rarely used. Currency
exchange controls in Myanmar are slightly more complex than other South
East Asian countries. Visitors are advised to change their foreign
currencies only at authorized money changers in banks, airports and
hotels. Foreign currencies not in excess of US$ 2000 or its equivalent,
without making declaration to the customs on arrival, is allowed. An
unlimited amount is allowed, providing it is declared upon arrival. It is necessary for independent travellers to change US$300 into Foreign Exchange Certificates or FEC on arrival in Myanmar. Do not be alarmed by this as the FEC have a value of one to one for the US dollar and are freely exchanged at the rate in Myanmar. The object of the procedure is to ensure that tourist spend a minimum of $300 while visiting the country as the FEC cannot be changed back to dollars on departure. People travelling in official tour groups are not subject to this requirement. Travellers cheques can be exchanged in the main cities at large banks or hotels. All major brands are accepted. Credit cards are becoming more widely recognized. Bring your American Express, MasterCard or Visa on your travels, but outside the main hotels, shopping centers and banks, be prepared to pay in cash. Currency Converter by OANDA, Inc. |
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| PASSPORT & VISA | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Visas are required by all nationalities. Visa from the Myanmar Embassy (the only way to obtain a visa for Myanmar) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| AIRPORT TAX | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| USD 10.- per international passenger | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CUSTOMS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| All foreign currencies, jewellery, electrical goods and video cameras must be declared to the customs at the airport. Exports of antique and archaeological objects are prohibited. Only gems jewellery and silverware purchased at the authorized shops are allowed to be taken out. Visitors to Maynmar are allowed to bring in two litres of spirits and two cartons of cigarettes, plus one pint bottle of perfume or Eau de Cologne - free of duty charges. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| CLIMATE & TEMPERATURES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hot Season: March to June Rainy Season: July to September Cool Season: October to February In the mountains it can become chilly, especially at night. |
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| PUBLIC HOLIDAYS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| TIME ZONE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Myanmar's time zone is GMT + 6.5. There is no daylight saving time
here. 09:00 in Tokyo is 10:30 in Yangon on the same day. 09:00 in London is 15:30 in Yangon on the same day. 09:00 in Bangkok is 19:30 in New York on the previous day World Time Zone |
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| WEIGHTS & MEASURES | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| The metric system is in use here. Weights are in kilograms, distances in kilometers. Gasoline is measured in litres. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ELECTRICITY | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Local mains voltage is 220V. Bring a converter for any 110V equipment. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| BUSINESS HOURS | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Banks are open Monday to Friday from 10:00 a.m to 14:00 p.m. Government offices are open on week days only from 9:30 a.m to 16:30 p.m. Commercial businesses are generally open longer but their hours vary. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FOOD & WATER | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Standards of hygiene in many parts of Myanmar can be quite low, so
the threat of amoebic dysentery is present. Make sure you peel all fruit
yourself and avoid eating raw vegetables. However, dehydration can be a
problem, so you should drink plenty of bottled liquids along with a
mixture of rehydration salts. Avoid all water that hasn't been thoroughly boiled or sterilized. Drink only bottled water and soft drinks that haven't been opened yet |
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| HEALTH | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Visit your doctor for advice about travel in the tropics before
departing for Myanmar. Yellow fever-vaccination are required for visitors
from infected areas and yellow fever epidemic zones. Malaria remains a problem in some regions in Myanmar. |