Yangon

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**Yangon**
Demographics
Image:Myanmar-outline-map.png Yangon </div></div> </div> </div>
Burmese:	ရန္‌ကုန္‌မ္ရုိ့
- IPA	[jàngòun mjoṵ]
- MLCTS	ran kun mrui.
Admin. division:	Yangon Division
Area:	576 km²
Population:	4,082,000 (2005)
Coordinates:	16°48'N, 96°09'E
Mayor:	Brigadier General Aung Thein Lynn
Ethnicities:	Bamar, Burmese Chinese, Burmese Indians, Kayin
Religions:	Buddhism, Christianity, Islam

Yangon (Burmese: ရန္‌ကုန္‌မ္ရုိ့, population 4,082,000 (2005 census), formerly Rangoon, and still known by that name in many circles, see below under "History"), is the largest city of Myanmar (formerly Burma) and its former capital. The city is located at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers, and is about 30 km (19 mi) away from the Gulf of Martaban. Yangon is located at 16°48' North, 96°09' East (16.8, 96.15), and its standard time zone is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours. In November 2005, the military junta began relocating the capital to Naypyidaw, Mandalay Division which was officially named as the new capital on 26 March 2006<ref>"Burma's new capital stages parade", BBC News, 2006-03-27. Retrieved on 2006-08-03.</ref>.

As compared to other major cities in Southeast Asia, Yangon is relatively undeveloped. Construction is booming, mostly through the influx of foreign investment (from Singapore and China). Many multi-storied residential and commercial buildings (taik) have been reconstructed or remodelled throughout Downtown and the Greater Yangon areas. Yangon has the largest number of colonial buildings in Southeast Asia today.<ref>Martin, Steve. "Burma maintains bygone buildings", BBC News, 2004-03-30. Retrieved on 2006-05-22.</ref> Government offices inside colonial buildings (e.g. High Court, City Hall, Bogyoke Market and General Hospital) have been listed for renovation.<ref>Special Report. Myanmar Times. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.</ref> New Towns (မ္ရုိ့သစ္) and other suburban areas, such as Thaketa Township continue to be impoverished.

Yangon is a combination of the two words yan (ရန္) and koun (ကုန္), which mean "enemies" and "run out of" respectively.

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

1 History
2 Administration
- 2.1 Administrative divisions
3 Climate
4 Culture
- 4.1 Cultural sites
5 Economy
6 Transport
7 More photos
8 References
9 Notes
10 External links

[edit] History

Image:Yangon View South.jpg

Yangon was founded as Dagon in the 500s by the Mon, who had dominated the lower portions of present-day Myanmar at the time. Dagon was a small fishing village centred about the Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1753, King Alaungpaya conquered Lower Burma, and renamed Dagon, "Yangon". The city was destroyed by a fire in 1841, and suffered extensive damage in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852.

The British Empire seized Yangon in 1852, and transformed it into the commercial and political hub of Burma. As Lower Burma became integrated into British India, the city's present boundaries were established, with the Cantonment's streets (Downtown) paved in a chessboard fashion along the eastern banks of the Yangon River following the Second Anglo-Burmese War, planned by military engineers Fraser and Montgomerie, and developed by the Public Works Department and the Bengal Corps of Engineers. In addition, the British introduced a westernised educational system in Burma, establishing major colleges, such as Judson College (modern-day Yangon University) and the Theological College for Karens (modern-day Myanmar Institute of Theology). In addition, many religiously-affiliated boarding schools were built in order to teach English, Anglo-Burmese and Christian Karen children. During the colonial period, Rangoon's main industries were rice and timber, although other exports, such as raw cotton, precious stones, cheroots, and ivory were also exported. By the early 1900s, Rangoon had public services and infrastructure on par with London.<ref>Falconer, John et al. (2001). Burmese Design & Architecture.</ref>

Rangoon was heavily damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 1930, and again during World War II. After the war, it retained its position as capital of Myanmar. Before WWII, Indians formed the majority in Rangoon; however, after independence, the population became more Bamar. (Note: Nowadays, the size of the population of ethnic minorities is gradually getting larger). Because the colonial policies that encouraged Indian and Chinese immigration, as well as Caucasian intermixing with the local Bamar were dismantled, their presence has dwindled significantly. The English name Rangoon was officially changed in 1989 to Yangon. This is controversial, however, because the military junta that changed the name is not officially recognised as legitimate by some governments. For example, the United States government still maintains the usage of Rangoon, as well as Burma. Likewise, street names were renamed in Burmese. However, many locals continue to use British names for major streets. In 1996, to protect some colonial buildings under government jurisdiction, the Burmese government devised a "Heritage List", of buildings to preserve. Yangon was site of the World Buddhist Summit in December 2004, which was attended by over 1,000 monks and world leaders including Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand. On 6 November 2005, the junta began its move from Yangon to the newly-developed city of Naypyidaw, 320 km north in Mandalay Division. The motives for this were unclear, although it has been suggested that the regime moved further inland for a better position in the event of an Iraq-style invasion. Other theories include easier control of Karen, Shan, and Chin States, and that the regime wanted a capital free from foreign telecommunications.

As of mid-2006, residents living in certain townships of Yangon have been required to hang family photographs (of members inhabiting a home) for security purposes.<ref name="photo">"Rangoon Residents Told to Show Photos", The Irrawaddy, 2006-06-05. Retrieved on 2006-08-31.</ref> Likewise, residents of Yangon must keep a list of family members.<ref name="photo"/> Visitors and guests living in the homes of Yangon residents must register with local authorities before doing so.<ref>"Lawyer Aye Myint warns oppression could lead to implosion in Burma", Democratic Voice of Burma, 2006-08-24. Retrieved on 2006-08-31.</ref>

[edit] Administration

Yangon is administered by the Yangon City Development Committee (YCDC). YCDC also coordinates urban planning.<ref>Yangon. Asian Network of Major Cities 21. Retrieved on 2006-08-13.</ref> The city is divided into four districts. The districts combined have a total of 32 townships. The mayor of Yangon currently is Brigadier General Aung Thein Lynn. Each township is administered by a committee of township leaders, who make decisions regarding city beautification and infrastructure.

[edit] Administrative divisions

Yangon Municipality's jurisdictions are inclusive of 32 townships. Myo-thit (lit. "New Towns", or satellite towns) are not within such jurisdictions.

Western District (Downtown)

Ahlone Township
Bahan Township
Dagon Township
Kyauktada Township
Kyeemyintdine Township
Lanmadaw Township
Latha Township
Pabedan Township
Sanchaung Township
Seikkan Township

Eastern District

Dagon Seikkan Township
East Dagon Township
North Dagon Township
North Okkalapa Township
South Dagon Township
South Okkalapa Township
Thingangyun Township
Botahtaung Township

Northern District

Hlaing Township
Hlaingthaya Township
Insein Township
Kamayut Township
Mayangone Township
Mingaladone Township
Pazundaung Township
Shwepyitha Township

Southern District

Dala Township
Dawbon Township
Mingalataungnyunt Township
Thaketa Township
Tamwe Township
Yankin Township
Seikkyi Kanaungto Township

[edit] Climate

Yangon has an equatorial monsoon climate under the Köppen climate classification system.

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Avg high °C (°F)	31 (89)	34 (94)	36 (97)	37 (99)	33 (92)	30 (86)	29 (85)	29 (85)	30 (86)	31 (88)	31 (89)	31 (88)	32 (90)
Avg low temperature °C (°F)	18 (65)	19 (67)	21 (71)	24 (76)	25 (78)	25 (77)	24 (76)	24 (76)	24 (76)	25 (77)	22 (73)	19 (67)	22 (73)

Source: Weatherbase

[edit] Culture

The vernacular language of Yangon is Burmese. English is widely spoken among the elder generation and educated Burmese.

Yangon is home to the oldest university in Myanmar. A former affiliated college of the University of Calcutta, Yangon University was officially founded as a separate institute of higher learning in 1920. Two of the four Institutes of Medicine in Myanmar are located in Yangon.

[edit] Economy

Yangon is the economic centre of Myanmar. The currency is known as the "Kyat". The majority of imports and exports come through Yangon, mostly through the Yangon River (Hlaing River), which merges with the Ayeyarwady River, the main river of Myanmar. In 2004, the government authorised Shanghai Jingqiao Export Processing Zone Development Corporation to create plans for Myanmar's largest Special Economic Zone, to be built in Thanlyin Township, adjacent to Thilawa Port. The plans were finished in 2006, and approval is pending.<ref>Parker, Clive. "Rangoon Bets on Business", The Irrawaddy, May 2006. Retrieved on 2006-05-22.</ref>

[edit] Transport

All international air travel arrives at the Yangon International Airport, which is located about 19 km (12 mi) from Downtown Yangon. Buses are cramped with daily commuters. An archaic railroad extends to upper Myanmar. Cars, although expensive, have become increasingly more common on Yangon's streets, and there is much traffic congestion. The government regularly places restrictions on car imports. As a result, the black market is the primary source of used and new cars (which primarily come from Thailand and China). In addition, because the government rations petrol, the majority of cars utilise both government-supplied and black market-supplied gasoline. Within Yangon, it is illegal to drive trishaws, bicycles, and motorcycles. After Burma obtained independence in 1948, many street names were changed, although some continue to be used interchangeably. The following list presents major thoroughfare name changes within Yangon city limits:

Campbell Road → Ngahtatgyi Pagoda Road
Dalhousie Street → Mahabandoola Road
Lower Kemmendine Road → Lower Kyimyindi Road
Montgomery Street → Bogyoke Aung San Road
Pagoda Road → Shwedagon Pagoda Road
Prome Road → Pyay Road
Upper Phayre Road → Upper Pansodan Road
Sparks Street → Bo Aung Kyaw Street
Stockade Road and Judah Ezekiel Road → Theinbyu Road
Voyle Road → U Wisara Road
Lancaster Road → Nawaday Road
Windermere Road → Than Lwin Road
Windsor Road → Shin Sawpu Road
Stevenson Road → Hledan Road
Fraser Road → Anawratha Road

[edit] More photos

Downtown Yangon, facing Sule Pagoda and Hlaing River	Sule Pagoda at night	Downtown Yangon by night	Karaweik Palace on Kandawgyi Lake
Downtown flats	The High Court as seen from Mahabandoola Garden	Shwedagon Pagoda, a landmark of Yangon	Ngahtatgyi Buddha image