Geography of Myanmar

Geography of Myanmar
ContinentAsia
RegionMainland Southeast Asia
Coordinates22°00′N 98°00′E / 22.000°N 98.000°E / 22.000; 98.000
AreaRanked 40th
 • Total261,228 sq mi (676,580 km2)
 • Land96.94%
 • Water3.06%
Coastline1,384 mi (2,227 km)
BordersTotal land borders:
4,053 mi (6,523 km)
Bangladesh:
168 mi (270 km)
People's Republic of China:
1,323 mi (2,129 km)
India:
912 mi (1,468 km)
Laos
148 mi (238 km)
Thailand:
1,501 mi (2,416 km)
Highest pointHkakabo Razi
19,294 ft (5,881 m)
Lowest pointAndaman Sea
0 ft (0 m)
(sea level)
Longest riverAyeyarwady River
Largest lakeIndawgyi Lake
Natural resourcesJade, Rubies, Sapphires, Petroleum, Natural Gas, Gold, Teak, Tin, Antimony, Zinc, Hydropower potential, Copper, Iron, Coal
Exclusive economic zone205,706 mi2 (532,780 km2)

Myanmar (also known as Burma) is the northwesternmost country of Mainland Southeast Asia. Its land area covers 261,228 square miles (676,580 km2), which makes it the second-largest country in Southeast Asia and the largest on Mainland Southeast Asia. The kite-shaped country stretches from 10'N to 20'N for 1,275 miles (2,052 km), with a long tail running along the west coast of the Malay Peninsula.

Myanmar lies along the Indian and Eurasian plates and to the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau. The Bay of Bengal is to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea is to the south. Nearly half of the land is mountainous, forming a horseshoe around the central lowlands. The Arakan Mountains are on the west and the Shan Hills dominate the east. The central valley follows the Irrawaddy River. The basin has around 39.5 million people and the largest city Yangon. There are 135 officially-recognised ethnic groups. It is near major shipping lanes of the Indian Ocean. There was a silk road from the Bay of Bengal to China. The neighbouring countries are China in the north, India and Bangladesh to the west, and Laos and Thailand to the east.