Geography of Burma

Geography of Myanmar
Continent	Asia
Region	Southeast Asia
Coordinates	22°00′N 98°00′E
Area	Ranked 39th 676,578 km2 (261,228 sq mi) 96.94% land 3.06 % water
Borders	Total land borders: 5876 km (3651.18 miles) Bangladesh: 193 km (120 mi) People's Republic of China: 2,185 km (1,358 mi) India: 1,463 km (909 mi) Laos 235 km (146 mi) Thailand: 1,800 km (1,100 mi)
Highest point	Hkakabo Razi 5881 m (19,294.62 ft)
Lowest point	Andaman Sea 0 m (0 ft) (sea level)
Longest river	Ayeyarwady River
Largest lake	Indawgyi Lake

Hundreds of active fires burning across the hills and valleys of Myanmar Thailand, Laos, and Vietnam (labelled with red dots).

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar (also known as Burma) is the northwestern-most country on the mainland of southeast Asia. It is strategically located near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes.

Climate

See also: Climate

Tropical monsoon in the lowlands below 2,000 m (6,562 ft); cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April). Climate varies in the highlands depending on elevation; subtropical temperate climate at around 2,500 m (8,202 ft), temperate at 3,000 m (9,843 ft), cool, alpine at 3,500 m (11,483 ft) and above the alpine zone, cold, harsh tundra and Arctic climate. The higher elevations are subject to heavy snowfall and bad weather.

Mountains

Burma is characterzed by its central lowlands with the Sittaung Valley and Chindwin Valley and the small mountain ranges of Zeebyu Taungdan, Min-wun Taungdan, Hman-kin Taungdan and Gangaw Taungdan as well as the Bago Yoma. The Central Valley Region is ringed by steep, rugged highlands, with the country's highest point at the 5,881 m (19,295 ft) Hkakabo Razi located in the northern end of the country. This mountain is part of a series of parallel ranges that run from the foothills of the Himalaya through the border areas with Assam, Nagaland and Mizoram. The Arakan Mountains in the west run from Manipur into western Burma southwards through Rakhine State almost to Cape Negrais in the shores of the Bay of Bengal. The Arakan Range includes the Naga Hills, the Chin Hills, and the Patkai range which includes the Lushai Hills. Mountain ranges in the southern end of the Hengduan System form the border between Burma and China.

The Pegu Range is a relatively low mountain chain between the Irrawaddy and the Sittaung River in central Burma. In Eastern Burma the highest point of the Shan Hills is 2,563 m high Loi Pangnao, one of the ultra prominent peaks of Southeast Asia. The Shan Hills form, together with the Karen Hills, Dawna Range and Tenasserim Hills, a natural border with Thailand as well as the Kayah-Karen/Tenasserim moist forests ecoregion which is included in the Global 200 list of ecoregions identified by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) as priorities for conservation. Southern Burma consists largely of the western slopes of the Bilauktaung, the highest part of the Tenasserim Range, which extends southwards forming the central range of the Malay Peninsula.

Main peaks

• Hkakabo Razi, 5,881 m
• Saramati, 3826 m
• Bumhpa Bum, 3,411 m
• Mol Len, 3,088 m
• Nat Ma Taung (Mount Victoria), 3,053 m
• Kennedy Peak (Burma), 2,703 m
• Sangpang Bum, 2,692 m
• Loi Leng, 2,673 m
• Mong Ling Shan, 2,641 m
• Nattaung, 2,623 m
• Loi Pangnao, 2,563 m
• Point 2519, 2,519
• Loi Lan, 2,131 m
• Mela Taung, 2,080 m
• Myinmoletkat Taung 2,072 m
• Mulayit Taung 2,005 m
• Mawhpung Bum, 1,874 m
• Mount Popa, 1,518 m
• Mowdok Mual, 1,052 m

Rivers

The Irrawaddy, the main river of Burma, flows from north to south through the Central Burma Basin and ends in a wide delta. The Mekong runs from the Tibetan Plateau through China's Yunnan province entering Northeastern Burma into Laos.

In the east the Salween and the Sittaung River run along the western side of the Shan Hills and the northern end of the Dawna Range. In the narrow southeastern part of Burma, the Ye, Heinze, Dawei (Tavoy), Great Tenasserim (Tanintharyi) and the Lenya rivers are relatively short and flow into the Andaman Sea. Further south the Kraburi River forms the southern border between Thailand and Burma.

Maritime claims

contiguous zone: 24 nmi (27.6 mi; 44.4 km)
continental shelf: 200 nmi (230.2 mi; 370.4 km) or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nmi (230.2 mi; 370.4 km)

Islands

• Cheduba Island
• Coco Islands
• Kalegauk Island
• Kokunye Kyun
• Wa Kyun
• Kyungyi Island
• Moscos Islands
• Mergui Archipelago
  • Auriol Island
  • Bentinck Kyun
  • Christie Island, the southernmost island of the group
  • Kadan Kyun, the largest island of the archipelago
  • Lanbi Kyun
  • Letsok-aw Kyun
  • Mali Kyun, the northernmost island of the group
  • Saganthit Kyun
  • Than Kyun
  • Thayawthadangyi
  • Zadetkyi
• Myingun Island
• Preparis
• Ramree Island

Land use and natural resources

Burma has petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, and hydropower.

Arable land	14.92%
Permanent crops	1.31%
Other land	83.77% (2005)
Irrigated land	18,700 km² (2003)
Total renewable water resources:	1,045.6 km3 (251 cu mi) (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal, total (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	total: 33.23 km3/a (7.97 cu mi/a) (1%/1%/98%)
Freshwater withdrawal, per capita	658 km3/a (158 cu mi/a) (2000)

Natural hazards

Destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts

Environment

Deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease

Environment - international agreements

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

See also

• List of rivers of Burma
• List of volcanoes in Burma
• List of ecoregions in Burma
• Zomia (geography)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the CIA World Factbook.

External links

• Ramsar - Burma
• Burma - Geography
• The Geology of Burma (Myanmar)