Burma
Burma,
officially the Union of Myanmar, is the largest
country by geographical area in mainland Southeast
Asia.
The
British began conquering Burma in 1824 and incorporated
the country into the British Raj in 1886. Burma
was administered as a province of British India
until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing
colony. The country achieved independence from
the United Kingdom on 4 January 1948, as the "Union
of Burma". It became the "Socialist
Republic of the Union of Burma" on 4 January
1974, before reverting to the "Union of Burma"
on 23 September 1988. On 18 June 1989, the State
Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) adopted
the name "Union of Myanmar" for English
transliteration. This controversial name change
in English was not recognized by the opposition
groups and many English-speaking nations.
The
country is bordered by China on the northeast,
Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh
on the west, and India on the northwest, with
the Bay of Bengal to the southwest. One-third
of Burma's total perimeter, 1,930 kilometers (1,199
mi), forms an uninterrupted coastline.
Burma's
diverse population has played a major role in
defining its politics, history and demographics
in modern times, and the country continues to
struggle to mend its ethnic tensions. Its political
system remains under the tight control of SPDC,
the military led government, since 1992, by Senior
General Than Shwe. The military has dominated
government since General Ne Win led a coup in
1962 that toppled the civilian government of U
Nu. The country's culture, heavily influenced
by neighbours, is based on Theravada Buddhism
intertwined with local elements. (Credit:
Wikipedia).
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