Country · Asia
Myanmar
Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Myanmar is a country in South-Eastern Asia. About 53.7 million people live there, in an area of 676 578 square kilometres. Its capital city is Naypyidaw.
Myanmar moved its capital from Yangon to the newly built city of Naypyidaw in 2006. Yangon stayed the largest city.
Picture credit: Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Vyacheslav Argenberg (CC BY 4.0) · Hybernator (CC BY-SA 3.0) · mohigan (CC BY-SA 3.0) · Wikimedia Commons
Where is Myanmar?
Myanmar lies in South-Eastern Asia, on the continent of Asia.
It sits in the northern half of the world, roughly 2 449 km from the equator.
It shares a border with 5 countries: Bangladesh, China, India, Laos and Thailand.
How big is Myanmar?
Myanmar covers 676 578 square kilometres.
That is about 6.6 times the size of Iceland.
Among the world's countries that makes it the 39th largest.
If everybody spread out evenly, there would be about 79.4 people on every square kilometre.
That is close to the world average of roughly 60 people per square kilometre.
Who lives in Myanmar?
About 53.7 million people live in Myanmar.
That is the 26th biggest population in the world.
People here speak Burmese.
They pay with the Burmese kyat (Ks).
On average, people born here can expect to live about 55 years.
The land of Myanmar
It lies inside the tropics, which is the single biggest reason its weather is the way it is.
What makes Myanmar different?
Websites from here often end in .mm.
Myanmar and the rest of the world
Out of every thousand people alive on Earth, about 7 live in Myanmar.
It takes up about 0.51 % of all the land that countries stand on.
Within Asia the country ranks 10th of 46 by size, and 12th by population.
Myanmar and its neighbours
China, its largest neighbour, is about 14.3 times bigger.
China has more people: 1.4 billion against 53.7 million.
Nature and animals
Of the animals on this site, 5 live wild in Myanmar: Reticulated python, Red panda, Gaur, Sun bear and Indian flying fox. The highest mountain in the country is Hkakabo Razi, at 5 881 metres. The longest river in the country is the Irrawaddy. The largest lake in the country is Indawgyi Lake.
Photographs from Wikimedia Commons under free licences — every credit is on the page itself and in the picture credits.
How big is Myanmar compared with the United States?
- The United States is about 14 times as big as Myanmar: 9 372 610 km² against 676 578 km².
- Myanmar is about 2.8 times as big as the United Kingdom: 676 578 km² against 242 900 km².
Questions children ask
What is the capital of Myanmar?
The capital of Myanmar is Naypyidaw.
How many people live in Myanmar?
About 53.7 million people live in Myanmar, which makes it the 26th most populated country in the world. (Source: World Bank, 2018.)
Which countries border Myanmar?
Myanmar borders Bangladesh, China, India, Laos and Thailand — 5 neighbours in total.
How big is Myanmar?
Myanmar covers 676 578 square kilometres, making it the 39th largest country in the world. That is about 6.6 times the size of Iceland.
What is the highest mountain in Myanmar?
The highest mountain in Myanmar is Hkakabo Razi, 5 881 metres above sea level. It is the country's highest point.
What is the longest river in Myanmar?
The longest river in Myanmar is the Irrawaddy, about 2 288 kilometres long.
What is the largest lake in Myanmar?
The largest lake in Myanmar is Indawgyi Lake. It covers about 120 km².
Which continent is Myanmar in?
Myanmar is in Asia, in the part called South-Eastern Asia.
Where these numbers come from
Borders and outlines: Natural Earth. Names, capitals, areas, languages and currencies: ISO 3166 data (world-countries). Population: World Bank, 2018. Every derived figure on this page (ranks, density, distance from the equator) is calculated from those values.
Last checked: · How these pages are made