Railways are old and rudimentary, with few repairs since their construction in the late 19th century. [198], Rohingya are not allowed to travel without official permission, are banned from owning land, and are required to sign a commitment to have no more than two children. Myanmar Engineering Society has identified at least 39 locations capable of geothermal power production and some of these hydrothermal reservoirs lie quite close to Yangon which is a significant underutilised resource for electrical production. [304][305][306] More than 200,000 Muslims have fled to Bangladesh over the last 20 years to escape persecution. Like the Burmans four centuries earlier, Shan migrants who arrived with the Mongol invasions stayed behind. [248] It produced 75% of the world's teak and had a highly literate population. [51], By the 9th century, several city-states had sprouted across the land: the Pyu in the central dry zone, Mon along the southern coastline and Arakanese along the western littoral. During the 1920s and 1930s, many Burmese-owned film companies made and produced several films. Mon, Palaung, and Wa are the major Austroasiatic languages spoken in Myanmar. In 1852, the British easily seized Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War.

[85], In early August 2009, a conflict broke out in Shan State in northern Myanmar. [285][286], Myanmar is ethnically diverse. [119][120] Myanmar is one of the most highly vulnerable countries to climate change; this poses a number of social, political, economic and foreign policy challenges to the country. [307][308], A large majority of the population practices Buddhism; estimates range from 80%[309] to 89%. Some are privately owned. Secondary and tertiary education take place at government schools. [299] It is written in a script consisting of circular and semi-circular letters, which were adapted from the Mon script, which in turn was developed from a southern Indian script in the 5th century. The goal of the Burmese constitutional referendum of 2008, held on 10 May 2008, is the creation of a "discipline-flourishing democracy". [276], In December 2014, Myanmar signed an agreement to set up its first stock exchange. Hkakabo Razi, located in Kachin State, at an elevation of 5,881 metres (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Myanmar. "[273], In March 2012, a draft foreign investment law emerged, the first in more than 2 decades.

During the strict censorship days, activity at internet cafes was regulated, and one blogger named Zarganar was sentenced to prison for publishing a video of destruction caused by Cyclone Nargis in 2008; Zarganar was released in October 2011. [345] Myanmar's internet used to be subject to censorship, and authorities viewed e-mails and posts on Internet blogs until 2012 when the government removed media censorship. There are four international schools acknowledged by WASC and College Board—The International School Yangon, Myanmar International School, Yangon International School,and International School of Myanmar in Yangon. Nearly all schools are government-operated, but there has been a recent increase in privately funded English language schools. [204] They have been fleeing to Thailand, Malaysia, or even Australia for refuge. It is a country rich in jade and gems, oil, natural gas and other mineral resources. [42] The first evidence of Homo sapiens is dated to about 25,000 BP with discoveries of stone tools in central Myanmar. Having held off Ava, the Mon-speaking Hanthawaddy entered its golden age, and Arakan went on to become a power in its own right for the next 350 years. [294] They migrated to escape racial discrimination and the wholesale nationalisation of private enterprise that took place in 1964. Kyi Soe Tun quoted in the Bangkok Post, 11 August 2006, took control of Burma through a coup d'état, constitution of the Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma, international reactions to the Saffron Revolution, Burmese constitutional referendum of 2008, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Assistance Association for Political Prisoners, Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation, http://www.geohive.com/cntry/myanmar.aspx, "The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census- The Union Report: Religion", "Myanmar Population (2018) – Worldometers", "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2019", "Obama administration eases Burma sanctions before visit", "European Union Suspends Most Myanmar Sanctions", "The 8 Stages of Genocide Against Burma's Rohingya | UN DispatchUN Dispatch", "EU welcomes "measured" Myanmar response to rioting", "What's in a name? [244] Foreign investment comes primarily from China, Singapore, the Philippines, South Korea, India, and Thailand. [262] Nevertheless, much of the country is off-limits to tourists, and interactions between foreigners and the people of Myanmar, particularly in the border regions, are subject to police scrutiny. La population urbanisée est estimée à 34,1 % de la population, avec un taux d’urbanisation de 2,49 % par an. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the Pagan Empire and the Khmer Empire were two main powers in mainland Southeast Asia. First Myanmar Investment Co., Ltd. (FMI) became the first stock to be traded after receiving approval for an opening price of 26,000 kyats ($22).[277].