Myanmar 80 Greetings and colors from Myanmar

The country is very rich in natural resources, such as jade, gems, oil, natural gas, teak and other minerals, as well as also endowed with renewable energy, having the highest solar power potential compared to other countries of the Great Mekong Subregion. However, Myanmar has long suffered from instability, factional violence, corruption, poor infrastructure, as well as a long history of colonial exploitation with little regard to human development
Myanmar is one of the poorest countries in East Asia, with an estimated GDP per capita of between $800-$1,000 and a poverty headcount of 26 percent. Most social indicators are very low. For example, 32 percent of children under five suffer from malnutrition.

2. Official name:Republic of the Union of Myanmar
Area :676600 km²
Population : 61 millions
Capital :Nay Pyi Daw since 2005
Biggestcity: Yangon (Almost 6 millions inhabitants)
SharingacommonborderwithIndia,China,
Bangladesh,Laos,andThailand,Myanmaris
aboutthesizeFranceandEnglandtogether,
oneofthelargestcountriesinSoutheastAsia.
Itslengthisabout2.000kmfromthe
TenasseriPeninsulainthesouthtothenorth
ofHimalayamountainrangeswhichborder
Yunnan,TibetandIndia

3. People and ethnic groups:
Out of the 135 different ethnic groups,
68% are Burmese, 9% Shan, 7%
Karen
Official language: Burmese (Sino–
tibetan)
Religion:Theravada Bouddhism
(87%), Christians (5%), Islam (4%)

5. AnoldAsianproverbsays
theworld’smostbeautiful
womenhaveaThaismile,
Indianeyes,andBurmese
skin.
PerhapstheBurmesehave
thanakatothankforthe
glowingreputationoftheir
complexion

6. BurmaoppositionleaderAungSanSuuKyi AyoungYaoladyinShanstate

8. ALaytooChinwoman ChanvillagernearKalaw

9. Akha Woman
wearing
Traditional
Beaded and
Silver
Embellished
Head-Dress Shan
State

12. Flying-
lantern boy

13. Tachileik Shwedagon Statues

14. Kambawza Thardi Palace
Bago

15. Kambawza Thardi Palace Bago

16. Bago (aka
Pegu), just
80 kms
from
Yangon

17. ThisrecliningBuddhain
Bagoisaconcretestructure
180meterslongand40
metershigh,andconstruction
whichbeganin1992andthat
ofcourseisaccomplished
withthedonationsofthe
faithfulBuddhists,isnow
almostfinished.TheBuddha
imageisknownasYanAung
ChanthaZinathuka.

18. YanAungChantha
Zinathuka.

19. The reclining
Buddha of
Shwethalyaungis
one of the most
venerated
Bouddhasin
Myanmar.
Dimension:
Length 55 m,
height16 m,
small finger3.05 m
Shwethalyaung
pagoda -Bago -
Myanmar (Burma)
-1999

20. Shwethalyaung was once the largest reclining image of the Buddha
in the country and is one of largest Buddha in the world

21. The
Shwemawdaw
Paya is a stupa
located in Bago,
Myanmar.
It is often referred
to as the Golden
God Temple.

22. At 375 feet in
height, the
Shwemadaw
holds the record
for the tallest
pagoda in the
country although
the Shwedagon
Pagoda in
Yangon is usually
credited as the
tallest pagoda in
Myanmar (at 98
meters -
approximately
321.5ft).

23. Bago three Buddhas

24. Bago Kyaik Pun Paya (four seated Buddhas) Bago

25. ‘Earth touching' mudra, calling Mother Earth to
witness the Buddha's Enlightenment
Bago Kyaik
Pun Paya
(four
seated
Buddhas)
Bago

26. Bago

27. Silver headdress
of the Akha tribe
Golden Triangle

30. The Akha are an indigenous hill tribe that live in small villages at high altitudes in the mountains of Thailand,
Burma, Laos, and Yunnan Province in China.

33. Bagan

34. Bagan Shwezigon Pagoda

35. Thewholebananaplant,in
fact,isveryuseful.The
leavesofthebananatree
canbeusedforwrapping
foodstosteamorgrill,and
asplacematsforserving.
Freshandyoungbanana
plantstemsareusedinone
ofburmesefavoritesoups,
mohinga,whichisapungent
fishcurrypouredover
noodlesandtypicallyeaten
forbreakfast.
Bananablossomsoftenturn
upincurryorsalads.Thus
thesweetfruitofthebanana
isbutoneofseveralfoods
andflavoursofferedbythis
versatileplant.

36. Childhood Museum in Bethnal Green -burmese puppets
This rather famous toy museum is a branch of the Victoria & Albert Museum
Burmese Puppet prince Mintha –Early to Mid 20th Century

37. Old Burmese Puppet Old Burmese Puppet known as General Sitthy gyi

38. Burmese Ramayana
ThelacquertakesitsrootsinChinaittherehasafewthree
thousandyears,andthendevelopedinalltheSoutheastAsia.In
MyanmarthetreewhichonetakestheresinisitThit-si.

40. Mawlamyine, Burma -The
Thanlwin Bridge

41. Welcome to Taunggyi

42. Bagaya
Kyaung
Monastery,
Inwa

43. Templearchitectureis
typicallyofbrickand
stucco,andpagodas
areoftencoveredwith
layersofgoldleafwhile
monasteriestendtobe
builtofwood
Bagaya Kyaung
Monastery, Inwa

44. Bagan Archaeological
Museum with statue of King
Pyusawhti
Pyusawhtiwas a semi-
legendary king of Pagan
Dynasty of Burma (Myanmar),
who according to the Burmese
chronicles supposedly reigned
from 167 to 242 CE

45. Bagan Archaeological
Museum with statue of
King Pyusawhti

46. Shwe In Bin Kyaung –Mandalay The Main Buddha Image

47. Yangon Monks in
residential
quarters,
Shwedagon Paya

48. An integral part
of life, Myanmar
gold leaf appears
everywhere
throughout the
country once
known as Burma

49. You see it gilding
the exterior of
pagodas. Step
inside temples and
you will find locals
lined up to rub
small squares of
gold leaf on the
Buddha as
offerings.

51. Chin State -
Traditional
Dress

52. Most Myanmar are
BuddhistoftheTheravada
stream.Centraltotheir
religiousbeliefsiskarma,
theconceptthatgood
begetsgoodandevil
begetsevils.Anotherbelief
isthatalllivingthingsgo
throughreincarnation.

55. Padaung (Yan
Pa Doung) is a
Shan term for
the Kayan
Lahwi (the
group whose
women wear
the brass neck
coils)

56. Mandalay
Traditional dance

57. Boats on the
shore of
Taungthaman
Lake Amarapura

58. Amarapura Taxi

59. Amarapura

60. Amarapura is a
former capital of
Myanmar, and now a
township of
Mandalay.

61. Amarapura

62. Amarapura

63. Amarapura
Crossing U Bein
Bridge
U BeinBridge is a
crossing that
spans the
TaungthamanLake
near Amarapurain
Myanmar

64. The 1.2-
kilometre
(0.75mi) bridge
was built around
1850 and is
believed to be
the oldest and
longest
teakwood bridge
in the world

65. Amarapura
Crossing U Bein Bridge

66. Amarapura
U Bein Bridge

68. Constructionbeganwhenthe
capitalofAvaKingdommoved
toAmarapura,andthebridge
isnamedafterthemayorwho
haditbuilt.

69. U Bein Bridge is
used as an
important
passageway for
the local people
and has also
become a tourist
attraction and
therefore a
significant source
of income for
souvenir sellers.
It is particularly
busy during July
and August when
the lake is at its
highest.

70. Amarapura

73. Text and pictures: Internet
Allcopyrightsbelong to their respective owners
Presentation: Sanda Foişoreanu
Sound: Hlaing Win Maung –The little rowing boat
2013