Yangon

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Rangoon" redirects here. For other uses, see Rangoon (disambiguation).
Yangon
ရ
ရရ
ရရရ
ရ
Rangoon
Metropolitan City

Montage of Yangon

Flag Logo
 Yangon
Location of Yangon, Myanmar
Coordinates: 16°51′N 96°11′ECoordinates:
16°51′N 96°11′E
Country Myanmar
Region Yangon Region
Settled c. 1028–1043
Government
• Mayor Hla Myint
[1]
Area
• Urban 231.18 sq mi (598.75 km2)
• Metro 3,930 sq mi (10,170 km2)
Population (2013 census)[2]
• Metropolitan
5,209,541
City
 • Urban 5,998,000
Bamar, Chinese Burmese, Chin,
• Ethnicities Rakhine, Mon, Karen, Shan, Kaya,
Kachin
Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism,
• Religions
Islam
Time zone MST (UTC+6:30)
Area code(s) 01
Website www.ycdc.gov.mm
This article contains Burmese script. Without
proper rendering support, you may see question
marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of
Burmese script.

Yangon (Burmese: ရရရရရရရ, MLCTS rankun mrui, pronounced: [jàɴɡòʊɴ mjo̰ ]; also
known as Rangoon, literally: "End of Strife") is a former capital of Myanmar (Burma) and the
capital of Yangon Region. Yangon is the country's largest city with a population of over five
million, and is the most important commercial centre, although the military government
officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw in March 2006.[3]

Although Yangon's infrastructure is undeveloped compared to those of other major cities in

Southeast Asia, it has the largest number of colonial buildings in the region today. [4] 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.

Contents
 1 Etymology
 2 History
o 2.1 Early history
o 2.2 Colonial Rangoon
o 2.3 Contemporary Yangon
 3 Geography
o 3.1 Climate
 4 Cityscape
o 4.1 Architecture
o 4.2 Road layout
o 4.3 Parks and gardens
 5 Administration
 6 Transport
o 6.1 Air
o 6.2 Railways
o 6.3 Buses and cars
 o 6.4 River
 7 Demographics
o 7.1 Religions
o 7.2 Media
o 7.3 Communication
o 7.4 Lifestyle
o 7.5 Sports
 8 Economy
 9 Education
 10 Health care
 11 Notable sites
o 11.1 Pagodas
o 11.2 Recreation
o 11.3 Museums and art galleries
o 11.4 Concert halls and theatres
 12 International relations
o 12.1 Twin towns – sister cities
 13 Gallery
 14 References
 15 External links

Etymology
Yangon (ရရရရ
ရရရ ) is a combination of the two words yan (ရ ရ
ရ ) and koun (ရ ရရရ ),
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
Arakanese language, which is [rɔ̀ɴɡʊ́ɴ].

History
See also: Timeline of Yangon and List of name changes in Yangon

Early history

Yangon was founded as Dagon in the early 11th century (circa 1028–1043) by the Mon, who
dominated Lower Burma at that time.[5] Dagon was a small fishing village centred about the
Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1755, King Alaungpaya conquered Dagon, renamed it "Yangon", and
added settlements around Dagon. The British 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.[6]

Colonial Rangoon
Yangon and Environ map, 1911

A view of the Cantonment Gardens (now Kandaw Minglar Garden) in 1868.

Damage of Downtown Rangoon in the aftermath of World War II.

One of many houses destroyed during Cyclone Nargis

The British seized Yangon and all of Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852,
and subsequently transformed Yangon into the commercial and political hub of British Burma.
Yangon is also the place where the British sent Bahadur Shah II, the last Mughal emperor, to live
after the Indian Rebellion of 1857. 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 Burma in the Third Anglo-Burmese War
of 1885. By the 1890s Yangon's increasing population and commerce gave birth to prosperous
residential suburbs to the north of Royal Lake (Kandawgyi) and Inya Lake.[7] The British also
established hospitals including Rangoon General Hospital 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."[7] By the early 20th century,
Yangon had public services and infrastructure on par with London. [8]

Before World War II, about 55% of Yangon's population of 500,000 was Indian or South Asian,
and only about a third was Bamar (Burman).[9] Karens, the Chinese, the Anglo-Burmese and
others made up the rest.

After World War I, Yangon became the epicentre 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 Japanese 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 junta 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, most notably,
the BBC and foreign nations including the United Kingdom and United States.) [10][11]

Since independence, Yangon has expanded outwards. Successive governments have built
satellite towns such as Thaketa, North Okkalapa and South Okkalapa in the 1950s to
Hlaingthaya, Shwepyitha and South Dagon in the 1980s.[6] Today, Greater Yangon encompasses
an area covering nearly 600 square kilometres (230 sq mi).[1]

During Ne Win'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, [12] leading the city government to place
about 200 notable colonial-period buildings under the Yangon City Heritage List in 1996.[13]
Major building programs have resulted in six new bridges and five new highways linking the city
to its industrial back country.[14][15][16] Still, much of Yangon remains without basic municipal
services such as 24-hour electricity and regular garbage 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. [9] 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 1988
People Power Uprising resulted in the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of Burmese civilians,
many in Yangoon where hundreds of thousands of people flooded into the streets of the then
capital city. The Saffron Revolution saw mass shootings and the use of crematoria in Yangoon
by the Burmese government to erase evidence of their crimes against monks, unarmed protesters,
journalists and students.[17]

The city's streets saw bloodshed each time as protesters were gunned down by the government.

In May 2008, Cyclone Nargis 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.[18]

In November 2005, the military government designated Naypyidaw, 320 kilometres (199 mi)
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 Myanmar.

Geography

Yangon metropolitan area

Yangon is located in Lower Burma (Myanmar) at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago
Rivers about 30 km(19 mi) away from the Gulf of Martaban 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 climate under the Köppen climate classification system.[19] The
city features a lengthy rainy season from May through October where a substantial amount of
rainfall is received; and a dry season from November through April, where little rainfall is seen.
It is 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 to 97 °F) and
average lows ranging from 18 to 25 °C (64 to 77 °F).

[hide]Climate data for Yangon (1961—1990)

Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record
30.9 34.9 37.5 41.1 40.6 36.7 33.9 33.9 34.4 35.0 34.0 29.6 41.1
high °C
(87.6) (94.8) (99.5) (106) (105.1) (98.1) (93) (93) (93.9) (95) (93.2) (85.3) (106)
(°F)
Average
27.9 33.8 36.0 37.0 33.4 30.2 29.7 29.6 30.4 31.5 28.5 27.2 32.3
high °C
(82.2) (92.8) (96.8) (98.6) (92.1) (86.4) (85.5) (85.3) (86.7) (88.7) (83.3) (81) (90.1)
(°F)
Daily
20.0 26.9 28.8 30.7 29.2 27.4 26.9 26.9 27.3 27.9 24.0 20.0 27.5
mean °C
(68) (80.4) (83.8) (87.3) (84.6) (81.3) (80.4) (80.4) (81.1) (82.2) (75.2) (68) (81.5)
(°F)
Average
15.8 19.3 21.6 24.3 25.0 24.5 24.1 24.1 24.2 24.2 19.0 17.8 22.6
low °C
(60.4) (66.7) (70.9) (75.7) (77) (76.1) (75.4) (75.4) (75.6) (75.6) (66.2) (64) (72.7)
(°F)
Record
10.0 13.3 16.1 20.0 20.6 21.7 21.1 20.0 22.2 21.7 14.6 10.0 12.8
low °C
(50) (55.9) (61) (68) (69.1) (71.1) (70) (68) (72) (71.1) (58.3) (50) (55)
(°F)
Average
rainfall 5 2 7 15 303 547 559 602 368 206 60 7 2,681
mm (0.2) (0.08) (0.28) (0.59) (11.93) (21.54) (22.01) (23.7) (14.49) (8.11) (2.36) (0.28) (105.55)
(inches)
Average
rainy 0.2 0.2 0.4 1.6 12.6 25.3 26.2 26.1 19.5 12.2 4.8 0.2 129.3
days
Average
relative
62 66 69 66 73 85 86 87 85 78 71 65 74
humidity
(%)
Mean
monthly
300 272 290 292 181 80 77 92 97 203 280 288 2,452
sunshine
hours
Source #1: World Meteorological Organization, [20] Sistema de Clasificación Bioclimática Mundial
(extremes) [21]
 Source #2: Danish Meteorological Institute (sun and relative humidity) [22]

Cityscape

Map of Yangon

Sunrise of Yangon

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.[23] The city's area has steadily increased from 72.52 square kilometres (28.00 sq mi) in
1901 to 86.2 square kilometres (33.3 sq mi) in 1940 to 208.51 square kilometres (80.51 sq mi) in
1974, to 346.13 square kilometres (133.64 sq mi) in 1985, and to 598.75 square kilometres
(231.18 sq mi) in 2008.[1][24]

Architecture
A colonial-era building

Downtown Yangon is known for its leafy avenues and fin-de-siècle architecture.[25] The former
British colonial capital has the highest number of colonial period buildings in Southeast Asia. [4]
Downtown Yangon is still mainly made up of decaying colonial buildings. The former High
Court, the former Secretariat buildings, the former St. Paul's English High School and the Strand
Hotel are excellent examples of the bygone era. Most downtown buildings from this era are four-
story mix-use (residential and commercial) buildings with 14-foot (4.3 m) ceilings, allowing for
the construction of mezzanines. Despite their less-than-perfect conditions, the buildings remain
highly sought after and most expensive in the city's property market. [26]

In 1996, the Yangon City Development Committee created a Yangon City Heritage List of old
buildings and structures in the city that cannot be modified or torn down without approval. [27] In
2012, the city of Yangon imposed a 50-year moratorium on demolition of buildings older than 50
years.[28] The Yangon Heritage Trust, an NGO started by Thant Myint-U, aims to create heritage
areas in Downtown, and attract investors to renovate buildings for commercial use.[28]

A latter day hallmark of Yangon is the eight-story apartment building. (In Yangon parlance, a
building with no elevators (lifts) is called an apartment building and one with elevators is called
a condominium.[29] 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 city regulations, until February 2008, required that all buildings higher than 75
feet (23 m) or eight stories install elevators. [30] The current code calls for elevators in buildings
higher than 62 feet (19 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.
An apartment building in the downtown section

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 Bahan, Dagon,
Kamayut and Mayangon. The tallest building in Yangon, Pyay Gardens, is a 25-story condo in
the city's north.

Older satellite towns such as Thaketa, North Okkalapa and South Okkalapa are lined mostly with
one to two story detached houses with access to the city's electricity grid. Newer satellite towns
such as North Dagon and South Dagon are still essentially slums in a grid layout. The satellite
towns—old or new—receive little or no municipal services.

Road layout

Downtown Yangon at night

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 War.[8] 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-foot (30 m) wide broad road, two narrow streets, one mid-size street,
two more narrow streets, and then another 100-foot (30 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-foot (30 m) Lanmadaw Road is followed by 30-foot (9.1 m)-wide 17th and
18th streets then the medium 50-foot (15 m) Sint-Oh-Dan Road, the 30-foot 19th and 20th
streets, followed by another 100-foot (30 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.

Kandawgyi Lake, a popular park near downtown Yangon

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 Lake.
The 150-acre (61-ha) lake is surrounded by the 110-acre (45-ha) Kandawgyi Nature Park,[31] and
the 69.25-acre (28-ha) Yangon Zoological Gardens, which consists of a zoo, an aquarium and an
amusement park.[32] West of the pagoda towards the former Hluttaw (Parliament) complex is the
130-acre (53-ha) People's Square and Park, (the former parading ground on important national
days when Yangon was the capital.)[33] A few miles north of the pagoda lies the 37-acre (15-ha)
Inya Lake Park – a favorite hangout place of Yangon University students, and a well-known
place of romance in Burmese popular culture.

Hlawga National Park and Allied War Memorial at the outskirts of the city are popular day-trip
destinations with the well-to-do and tourists.

Administration
Yangon City Hall

Yangon is administered by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). YCDC also
coordinates urban planning.[34] The city is divided into four districts. The districts combined have
a total of 33 townships. The current mayor of Yangon is Hla Myint. 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 towns) are not within
such jurisdictions.

Yangon Administrative Districts

Western District
Eastern District Southern District Northern District
(Downtown)
 Ahlon
 Botataung  Mingala
 Bahan
 Dagon Seikkan Taungnyunt  Insein
 Dagon
 East Dagon  Dala  Hlaing
 Kyauktada
 North Dagon  Dawbon  Hlaingthaya
 Kyimyindaing
 North Okkalapa  Seikkyi  Kamayut
 Lanmadaw
 Pazundaung Kanaungto  Mayangon
 Latha
 South Dagon  Tamwe  Mingaladon
 Pabedan
 South Okkalapa  Thaketa  Shwepyitha
 Sanchaung
 Thingangyun  Yankin
 Seikkan

Yangon is a member of Asian Network of Major Cities 21.

Transport
Yangon is Burma's main domestic and international hub for air, rail, and ground transportation.

Air

International Terminal, Yangon International Airport

Yangon International Airport, 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, Dhaka, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Beijing, Seoul, Guangzhou,
Taipei, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Kunming and Singapore. Although domestic airlines offer
service to about twenty domestic locations, most flights are to tourist destinations such as Bagan,
Mandalay, Heho and Ngapali, and to the capital Naypyidaw.

Railways

Yangon Central Railway Station

Yangon Central Railway Station is the main terminus of Myanmar Railways' 5,403-kilometre
(3,357 mi) rail network[35] whose reach covers Upper Myanmar (Naypyidaw, Mandalay,
Shwebo), upcountry (Myitkyina), Shan hills (Taunggyi, Lashio) and the Taninthayi coast
(Mawlamyaing, Dawei).

Yangon Circular Railway runs a 45.9-kilometre (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.[36] The popularity of the commuter line has jumped since the
government reduced petrol subsidies in August 2007. [36]
Buses and cars

Yangon has a 4,456 kilometres (2,769 mi) road network of all types (tar, concrete and dirt) in
March 2011. Many of the roads are in poor condition and not wide enough to accommodate an
increasing number of cars.[37] 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. [1][38] All buses
and 80% of the taxis in Yangon run on compressed natural gas (CNG), following the 2005
government decree to save money on imported petroleum. [39] Highway buses to other cities
depart from Dagon Ayeyar Highway Bus Terminal for Irrawaddy delta region and Aung Mingala
Highway Bus Terminal for other parts of the country. [40]

A bus modified for right-hand drive on Yangon roads

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,[41] 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.[42] A
sports utility vehicle, imported for the equivalent of around US$50,000, goes for US$250,000. [41]
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. In 2011, Yangon had about
300,000 registered motor vehicles in addition to an unknown number of unregistered ones. [37]

Since 1970, cars have been driven on the right side of the road in Burma, as part of a military
decree.[43] 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 truck bus lines have been forbidden to run in 6 townships of Downtown
Yangon, namely Latha, Lanmadaw, Pabedan, Kyauktada, Botahtaung and Pazundaung
Townships.[44] In May 2003, a ban on using car horns was implemented in six townships of
Downtown Yangon to reduce noise pollution.[45] In April 2004, the car horn ban was expanded to
cover the entire city.[45]

River

Yangon's four main passenger jetties, all located on or near downtown waterfront, mainly serve
local ferries across the river to Dala and Thanlyin, and regional ferries to the Irrawaddy delta.[46]
The 22-mile (35 km) Twante Canal 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
Historical population

Year Pop. ±%

1824 10 —

1856 46 +360.0%

1872 100 +117.4%

1881 165 +65.0%

1891 181 +9.7%

1901 248 +37.0%

1911 295 +19.0%

1921 340 +15.3%

1931 400 +17.6%

1941 500 +25.0%

1950 1,302 +160.4%

1960 1,592 +22.3%

1970 1,946 +22.2%

 1980 2,378 +22.2%

1990 2,907 +22.2%

2000 3,553 +22.2%

2010 4,348 +22.4%

2020 5,361 +23.3%

2025 5,869 +9.5%

in thousands; Sources: 1846,[6] 1872–

1941,[9] 1950–2025[2]

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[2] puts the population as 4.35 million in 2010 but a 2009 U.S.
State Department estimate[47] 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,[9] today, the majority of the population is of Bamar (Burman)
descent. Large communities of Indians/South Asian Burmese and the Chinese Burmese 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 Rakhine and Karen live in the city.

Burmese is the principal language of the city. English 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 Japanese,
and French.[48]

Religions

The primary religions practiced in Yangon are Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, and Islam.
Shwedagon Pagoda is a famous religious landmark in the city.
Media

Central Yangon

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 Division.[49]

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 news
and entertainment. Other special interest channels are MWD-1 and MWD-2, MRTV-3, the
English-language channel that targets overseas audiences via satellite and via Internet, MRTV-4
and Channel 7 are with a focus on non-formal education programs and movies, and Movie 5, a
pay-TV channel specializing in broadcasting foreign movies. [50]

Yangon has three radio stations. Myanmar Radio National Service is the national radio service
and broadcasts mostly in Burmese (and in English during specific times.) Pop culture oriented
Yangon City FM and Mandalay City FM radio stations specialize in Burmese and English pop
music, 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 (ရရရရရရရရရရရရ) and Kyemon
(ရရရရရရရ), 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. [49]
Certain foreign newspapers and periodicals such as the International Herald Tribune 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.[51] International text messaging and voice messaging was permitted only in
August 2008.[52]

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. [52] In 2007, the
country of 55 million had only 775,000 phone lines (including 275,000 mobile phones), [53][54]
and 400,000 computers.[53] 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.[55] 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.[51] 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.[56]

Lifestyle

The Karaweik at night time, at Kandawgyi Lake, which is one of a few major recreational parks
in Yangon.

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-square-foot (60 to 70 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.)[57]

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 Liga, Serie A, 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 Chaungtha and Ngwesaung beach resorts in Ayeyarwady
Division.
Hindu temple procession cart

Yangon is also home to many pagoda festivals (paya pwe), 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 Chinatown.

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. [58] (The highest denomination of Burmese
currency kyat is 10 000 (~US$10.)) 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 League, consisted of 16 Yangon-based clubs,[59] 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 League, the country's first professional football league, and its Yangon-based club
Yangon United FC 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, cricket was played mostly by British officials in the city. First-class cricket was played in
the city in January 1927 when the touring Marylebone Cricket Club played Burma and the
Rangoon Gymkhana. Two grounds were used to host these matches, the BAA Ground and the
Gymkhana Ground.[60][61] 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.

Yangon has a growing population of skateboarders, as documented in the films Altered Focus:
Burma and Youth of Yangon. German non-profit organization Make Life Skate Life has received
permission from the Yangon City Development Committee to construct a concrete skatepark at
Thakin Mya park in downtown, and plans to complete the park in November 2015. [62]

Economy

Cargo ships on the shores of Yangon River, just offshore of Downtown Yangon.

A street market in Downtown Yangon selling produce.

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 economy. 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.[63]

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 Market is the largest wholesale
centre in the country for rice, beans and pulses, and other agricultural commodities. [64] Much of
the country's legal imports and exports go through Thilawa Port, 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. [65] Since 1 December 2009,
high-density polyethylene plastic bags have been banned by city authorities. [66]

Manufacturing accounts for a sizable share of employment. At least 14 light industrial zones ring
Yangon,[67] directly employing over 150,000 workers in 4,300 factories in early 2010. [68] 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.[69] 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;[70] yet, the entire city received only about 250 MW of the
530 MW needed.[71] Chronic power shortages limit the factories' operating hours between 8 am
and 6 pm.[72]

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, [73] 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.[74]

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. The number of visitors dipped even
further following the Saffron Revolution and Cyclone Nargis.[75] The recent improvement in the
country's political climate has attracted an increasing number of businessmen and tourists.
Between 300,000 to 400,000 visitors that went through Yangon International in 2011. However,
after years of underinvestment, Yangon's modest hotel infrastructure—only 3000 of the total
8000 hotel rooms in Yangon are "suitable for tourists"—is already bursting at seams, and will
need to be expanded to handle additional visitors. [76] As part of an urban development strategy, a
hotel zone has been planned in Yangon's outskirts, encompassing government- and military-
owned land in Mingaladon, Hlegu and Htaukkyant Townships.[77]

Education
See also: List of universities and colleges in Yangon

University of Medicine 1

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. [78] 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.[79] 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, [80] forcing many poor students to drop out.

While many students in poor districts fail to reach high school, a handful of Yangon high schools
in wealthier districts like Dagon 1, Sanchaung 2, Kamayut 2, Bahan 2, Latha 2, and TTC provide
the majority of students admitted to the most selective universities in the country, highlighting
the extreme shallowness of talent pool in the country. [81] The wealthy bypass the state education
system altogether, sending their children to private English language instruction schools such as
YIEC, or abroad (typically Singapore or Australia) for university education. [82] In 2008,
international schools in Yangon cost at least US$8,000 a year. [83]

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 University, 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 University, University of Computer Studies and Myanmar Maritime University
are the most selective in the country. [84]

Health care
See also: List of hospitals in Yangon
Yangon General Hospital

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. [79]
By the government's own figures, it spends 849 kyats (US$0.85) per person.[85] 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 Hospital lack many
of the basic facilities and equipment.

Wealthier Yangonites still have access to country's best medical facilities and internationally
qualified doctors. Only Yangon and Mandalay 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. [citation needed] Still, medical malpractice is
widespread even in private clinics and hospitals that serve the well-to-do. In 2009 and 2010, a
spate of high profile deaths[85] 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
Bangkok or Singapore) for treatment.[86]

The following is a survey of healthcare facilities in Yangon in 2010–2011.[37]

# of # of Physician-
FY 2010–2011 public private patient
hospitals hospitals ratio
Eastern District 16 10 1:3638
Western District 10 21 1:1400
Southern District 23 1 1:18,176
Northern District 25 5 1:13,647

Notable sites
Shwe Dagon Pagoda

Interior View of Tooth Relic Pagoda

Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda

St. Mary's Cathedral at the corner of Bo Aung Kyaw Road

Pagodas

 Shwedagon Pagoda
 Sule Pagoda
 Botataung Pagoda
 Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda
 Kyauktawgyi Buddha Temple
 Kaba Aye Pagoda

Recreation

 Allied War Memorial

 Bogyoke Market (Scott's Market)
 Inya Lake (formerly Lake Victoria)
 Kandawgyi Lake (formerly Royal Lake)
 Hlawga National Park
 Maha Bandula Park
 People's Square and Park
 St. Mary's Cathedral
 Yangon University
 Yangon Zoological Gardens (Yangon Zoo)
 Sain Lane So Pyae Garden

Museums and art galleries

 National Museum of Myanmar

 Myanmar Gems Museum
 Bogyoke Aung San Museum
 Yangon Drugs Elimination Museum
 The Planetarium

Concert halls and theatres

 Yangon National Theatre

 Myanmar Convention Centre

International relations
Yangon is a member of the Asian Network of Major Cities 21.

Twin towns – sister cities

Yangon is twinned with:

 Kunming, Yunnan, China (2008)

  Nanning, Guangxi, China (2009)[87]
 Yangzhou, Jiangsu, China (1997)[88]
 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (2012)[89]
 San Francisco, United States (proposal and pending) (2013) [90]

Gallery

Yangon Riverside View

Yangon Downtown Panorama View

Shwedagon Pagoda

Sule Pagoda


Downtown Yangon, facing Sule Pagoda and Hlaing River

Downtown Yangon by Night

Karaweik Palace on Kandawgyi Lake

Chauk Htat Gyi Pagoda

Ngahtatgyi Buddha image

Central Yangon


Yangon River Jetty

Yangon City Hall seen from Mahabandula Park

Buildings in downtown Yangon

A Jewellery Market in Bogyoke Aung San Market

A downtown market

Basic Education High School No. 1 Dagon (Methodist English High School)


Basic Education High School No. 6 Botataung (St. Paul's High School)

Thingyan, Burmese New Year

The Independence Monument

Sakura Tower

Yangon High Court

 

City View

Train

Bus

Electric generators in front of an apartment building

References
1.

 "Third Regional EST Forum: Presentation of Myanmar" (PDF). Singapore: Ministry of

Transport, Myanmar. 17–19 March 2008.
  "United Nations World Urbanization Prospects, 2007 revision". United Nations. Archived
from the original on 23 December 2009. Retrieved 27 April 2010.
  "Burma's new capital stages parade". BBC News. 27 March 2006. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  Martin, Steven (30 March 2004). "Burma maintains bygone buildings". BBC News.
Retrieved 22 May 2006.
  Founded during the reign of King Pontarika, per Charles James Forbes Smith-Forbes
(1882). Legendary History of Burma and Arakan. The Government Press. p. 20.; the king's reign
was 1028 to 1043 per Harvey, G. E. (1925). History of Burma: From the Earliest Times to 10
March 1824. London: Frank Cass & Co. Ltd. p. 368.
  Kyaw Kyaw (2006). Frauke Krass, Hartmut Gaese, Mi Mi Kyi, ed. Megacity yangon:
transformation processes and modern developments. Berlin: Lit Verlag. pp. 333–334. ISBN 3-
8258-0042-3.
  "Yangon Summary Review and Analysis". Bookrags.com. 17 October 2005. Retrieved 17
April 2010.
  Falconer, John; et al. (2001). Burmese Design & Architecture. Hong Kong: Periplus.
ISBN 962-593-882-6.
  Tin Maung Maung Than (1993). Indian Communities in Southeast Asia - Some Aspects of
Indians in Rangoon. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies. pp. 585–587. ISBN 9789812304186.
  Who, What, Why? (26 September 2007). "Should it be Burma or Myanmar?". BBC News.
Retrieved 17 April 2010.
  "Background Note: Burma". Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, US Department of
State. Retrieved 1 January 2009.
  Edward Blair (1 May 2006). "Beyond Rangoon". The Irrawaddy.
  "Special Report". 4 November 2001.
  Zaw Htet. "Pioneering FMI City 'the best in Yangon'". The Myanmar Times.
  "Yangon-Thanlyin Bridge". Retrieved 7 September 2008.[dead link]
  Kyi Kyi Hla (1 February 2001). "Ngamoeyeik Bridge".
  Burmese Human Rights Yearbook, 2007,
http://www.burmalibrary.org/show.php?cat=1320&lo=d&sl=0
  Ye Lwin (14 July 2008). "Long road back for industrial recovery". The Myanmar Times.
  Peel, M. C. and Finlayson, B. L. and McMahon, T. A. (2007). "Updated world map of the
Köppen–Geiger climate classification" (PDF). Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci. 11: 1633–1644.
doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007. ISSN 1027-5606.
  "World Weather Information Service – Yangon". World Meteorological Organization.
Retrieved 8 May 2012.
  "Burma (Myanmar) - Rangun" (in Spanish). Centro de Investigaciones Fitosociológicas.
Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  Cappelen, John; Jensen, Jens. "Myanmar - Rangoon" (PDF). Climate Data for Selected
Stations (1931-1960) (in Danish). Danish Meteorological Institute. p. 189. Archived from the
original (PDF) on April 27, 2013. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  May Thanda Win (16 July 2006). "The Future of Yangon". The Myanmar Times.
  Zin Nwe Myint (2006). Frauke Krass, Hartmut Gaese, Mi Mi Kyi, ed. Megacity yangon:
transformation processes and modern developments. Berlin: Lit Verlag. p. 264. ISBN 3-8258-
0042-3.
  Tom Wright (23 January 2009). "Asia's Lost Treasure Trove". WSJ Weekend Journal.
  Htar Htar Khin (15 December 2008). "Demand for downtown's golden oldies still strong".
The Myanmar Times. Archived from the original on 26 August 2015.
  Kennedy, Phoebe (20 February 2011). "Colonial past could be the saving of Rangoon". The
Independent. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  Robinson, Gwen (9 March 2012). "Myanmar pushes to save colonial buildings". Financial
Times. Retrieved 10 March 2012.
  "City living: condos vs apartments". The Myanmar Times. 1 September 2007.
  Yi Yi Htwe (10 March 2008). "Lift regulation changed". The Myanmar Times.
  "Kandawgyi Garden". Retrieved 21 December 2006.
  "History of Zoological Gardens (Yangon)". Retrieved 27 September 2008.
  "Nation's Capital Yangon". Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  "Yangon". Asian Network of Major Cities 21. Archived from the original on 20 June 2006.
Retrieved 13 August 2006.
  "MR to link Mandalay and Bhamo". New Light of Myanmar. 22 February 2010.
  Yeni (30 January 2008). "The Railway Bazaar". The Irrawaddy.
  "Discussion on a 30-Year Development Plan for Yangon". Weekly Eleven (in Burmese)
(Eleven Media Group). 18 December 2011.
  Yan Naing Hein. "First private bus line in Yangon launched". The Myanmar Times.
  Wai Moe (14 October 2008). "Rangoon Commuters Afraid of Gas Explosions". The
Irrawaddy.
  "Getting Around Yangon". Myanmar's Net. Retrieved 14 October 2008.
  "Burmese Economy Is an Obstacle to Aid". The New York Times. 29 May 2008.
  Thomas Kean (2 June 2008). "Clash of the titans on streets of Yangon". The Myanmar
Times.
  "Burma Makes Road Switch". The New York Times. 7 December 1970. Retrieved 22 May
2010.
  Nay Nwe Moe Aung (24 February 2010). "Authorities ban light truck buses in downtown
areas". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  Shwe Yinn Mar Oo (10 December 2007). "Vehicle horn penalties increased". Myanmar
Times. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  "Yangon – Getting there and around". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  "Background note: Burma". US Department of State. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
  Kyaw Soe Linn and Phyo Wai Kyaw (14 May 2007). "Language training centres open doors
to new worlds". The Myanmar Times.
  Yeni (1 March 2008). "Burma: The Censored Land". The Irrawaddy.
  Kyaw Hsu Mon (3 August 2008). "Digital television take-up slower than expected". The
Myanmar Times.
  "Internet Filtering in Burma in 2005: A Country Study". 1 October 2005. Retrieved 29
August 2008.
  Min Lwin (21 August 2008). "International Text Messaging Approved in Burma". The
Irrawaddy.
  Central Statistical Organization (6 November 2007). "ICT Statistics Collection and
Analysis" (PDF). The Government of the Union of Myanmar Ministry of National Planning and
Economic Development.
  "Mobile phones in Myanmar increase to over 200,000 in 2007". 3 April 2008. Retrieved 1
September 2009.
  "Myanmar (Burma) – Telecoms, Mobile & Internet". Dublin: Research and Markets. 19
July 2010.
  Wai-Yan Phyo Oo and Saw Pyayzon (30 July 2010). "State of Internet Usage in Myanmar".
Bi-Weekly Eleven (in Burmese) (Yangon) 3 (18).
  Aye Sabae Phyu (14 July 2008). "Rentals brisk in lead up to Waso". The Myanmar Times.
  Claudio Marana and Nin Cheun (17 June 2012). "Myanmar new 10,000-kyat note
confirmed". Bank Note News.
  Zaw Htet (1 August 2005). "Myanmar edges towards pro football". The Myanmar Times.
  BAA Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 8 October 2011
  Gymkhana Ground, CricketArchive.com Retrieved on 8 October 2011
  Make Life Skate Life: Pushing Myanmar Forward, makelifeskatelife.org
  Kyaw Hsu Mon and Yadana Htun (7 November 2011). "Yangon Region govt facing K22b
budget black hole". The Myanmar Times.
  Zaw Htet and May Thanda Win (4 September 2006). "Market reforms lead to Bayintnaung
boom". The Myanmar Times.
  Nay Nwe Moe Aung; Moh Moh Thaw (20 June 2011). "Vendors belong in markets, says
YCDC". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  Myo Myo (9 November 2009). "Mayor reiterates bag ban". Myanmar Times. Retrieved 18
August 2011.
  "Industrial Zones". Ministry of Industry 2, Myanmar. Retrieved 25 December 2008.
  Wai-Yan Phyo Oo (19 February 2010). "Yangon Division Industrial Zones". Bi-Weekly
Eleven (in Burmese) 2 (48).
  Ba Kaung (10 February 2010). "Rangoon Workers End Strike". The Irrawaddy.
  Ye Lwin (26 May 2008). "Hlaing Tharyar IZ rebuilding underway". The Myanmar Times.
  "Myanmar needs more gas to generate electricity for Yangon". 3 July 2008. Archived from
the original on 4 October 2011.
  Ye Lwin (26 March 2007). "Industrial zones to run at night". The Myanmar Times.
  Zaw Htet (3 September 2007). "Property market continues to recover". The Myanmar
Times.
  Htar Htar Khin (February 2010). "High-rise building slowing down". The Myanmar Times
26 (9).
  Weekly Eleven Journal (27 November 2008). "Tourism decline in Burma in 2008". Burma
Digest. Archived from the original on 10 September 2014.
  Colin Hinshelwood (9 February 2012). "Rangoon Hotels Struggle to Meet Tourist
Demand". The Irrawaddy.
  "New hotel zones planned near Yangon". Weekly Eleven. 14 October 2012. Archived from
the original on 22 November 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  "HRDU Yearbook 2006 Chapter 9: Rights to Education and Health". Human Rights
Documentation Unit. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  "Are 'Smart' Sanctions Making Burmese Dumber?". The Irrawaddy. 16 July 2010.
  Yee May Aung (10 September 2008). "Educationalists concerned by Burmese literacy rate".
DVB. Archived from the original on 24 July 2015.
  "Yangon Division Produces More Distinction Winners". Bi-Weekly Eleven News (in
Burmese) (Yangon: Weekly Eleven Media). 28 June 2010.
  Aye Thawda Thit (28 March 2008). "Myanmar students choosing Australian and Singapore
unis". The Myanmar Times.
  Sandra Davie (13 October 2008). "'I see no future for my two sons in Myanmar.'". Straits
Times (Singapore).
  Minh Zaw (28 March 2008). "HR key to development". The Myanmar Times.
  Arkar Moe (8 January 2010). "Another Medical Malpractice Death in Rangoon". The
Irrawaddy.
  Thein Win Nyo (11 June 2007). "Medical tourism gives patients options". The Myanmar
Times.
  "Nanning and Yangon Become Sister Cities". City Government of Nanning. 18 July 2009.
  Nwe Nwe Aye and Wai Phyo Myint (30 May 2005). "Yunnan keen to boost economic, trade
ties". The Myanmar Times.
  http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsindex.php?id=652059

90.  [1] Archived 5 December 2013 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yangon.

Wikisource has the text of the 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica article Rangoon.

 Yangon travel guide from Wikivoyage

 Satellite picture by Google Maps
 Yangon City Hall website
 BBC article about British colonial architecture in Yangon

Yangon

Preceded by Capital of British Burma

Succeeded by
Mawlamyaing, Sittwe, 31 January 1862 – 7 March 1942
End of British rule
Yangon 3 May 1945 – 4 January 1948

Preceded by Capital of Japanese Burma Succeeded by

None 7 March 1942 – 3 May 1945 End of Japanese rule

Preceded by Capital of Burma Succeeded by

Mandalay 4 January 1948 – 6 November 2005 Naypyidaw

[show]
Articles related to Yangon
 GND: 4133122-9
Authority  BNF: cb11988812n (data)
control  NKC: ge679610

Categories:

 Yangon
 Former national capitals
 Populated places in Yangon Region
  Ports and harbours of Myanmar
 Ports and harbours of the Indian Ocean

Navigation menu
 Create account
 Not logged in
 Talk
 Contributions
 Log in

 Article
 Talk

 Read
 Edit
 View history

 Main page
 Contents
 Featured content
 Current events
 Random article
 Donate to Wikipedia
 Wikipedia store

Interaction

 Help
 About Wikipedia
 Community portal
 Recent changes
 Contact page

Tools

 What links here

 Related changes
 Upload file
 Special pages
 Permanent link
 Page information
 Wikidata item
 Cite this page
Print/export

 Create a book
 Download as PDF
 Printable version

Languages

 Afrikaans
 አማርኛ
 ‫ال عرب ية‬
 Arpetan
 Asturianu
 Azərbaycanca
 বাাংলা
 Беларуская
 Български
 བོད་ཡིག
 Brezhoneg
 Català
 Чӑвашла
 Čeština
 Cymraeg
 Dansk
 Deutsch
 Eesti
 Ελληνικά
 Español
 Esperanto
 Estremeñu
 Euskara
 ‫ف ار سی‬
 Fiji Hindi
 Français
 Frysk
 Galego
 客家語/Hak-kâ-ngî
 한국어
 Հայերեն
 हिन्दी
 Hrvatski
 Ido
 Bahasa Indonesia
 Interlingue
 Íslenska
 Italiano
 ‫עברית‬
 ქართული
 Қазақша
 Kiswahili
 Kreyòl ayisyen
 Кыргызча
 Latina
 Latviešu
 Lëtzebuergesch
 Lietuvių
 Magyar
 Македонски
 മലയാളം
 मराठी
 Bahasa Melayu
 Монгол
 ရရရရရရရရရရ
 Nāhuatl
 Nederlands
 日本語
 Нохчийн
 Norsk bokmål
 Norsk nynorsk
 Occitan
 Олык марий
 ਪੰ ਜਾਬੀ
 ‫پ نجاب ی‬
 ភាសាខ្មែរ
 Plattdüütsch
 Polski
 Português
 Română
 Русский
 संस्कृतम ्
 Sardu
 Scots
 Sicilianu
 Simple English
 Slovenčina
 Slovenščina
 Српски / srpski
 Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
 Suomi
  Svenska
 Tagalog
 தமிழ்
 తెలుగు
 ไทย
 Türkçe
 Türkmençe
 Удмурт
 Українська
 ‫اردو‬
 ehcruhgyU / ‫ئ ۇي غۇرچە‬
 Vahcuengh
 Vepsän kel’
 Tiếng Việt
 Winaray
 粵語
 中文

Edit links

 This page was last modified on 11 November 2015, at 06:06.

 Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License;
additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy
Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-
profit organization.

 Privacy policy
 About Wikipedia
 Disclaimers
 Contact Wikipedia
 Developers
 Mobile view