Yangon Region is an administrative region of Myanmar

Myanmar

Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....

. Located in the heart of Lower Myanmar, the division is bordered by Bago Region in the north and east, the Gulf of Martaban

Gulf of Martaban

The Gulf of Martaban is an arm of the Andaman Sea in the southern part of Burma. The gulf is named after the port city of Mottama . The Salween Sittaung and Yangon rivers empty into it....

 in the south, and Ayeyarwady Region in the west. Yangon Region is dominated by its capital city of Yangon

Yangon

Yangon is a former capital of Burma and the capital of Yangon Region . Although the military government has officially relocated the capital to Naypyidaw since March 2006, Yangon, with a population of over four million, continues to be the country's largest city and the most important commercial...

, the former national capital and the largest city in the country. Other important cities are Thanlyin

Thanlyin

Thanlyin is a major port city of Myanmar, located across Bago River from the city of Yangon. Thanlyin Township comprises 17 quarters and 28 village tracts. It is home to the largest port in the country, Thilawa port.-History:...

 and Twante. The division is the most developed region of the country and the main international gateway. The division measures 10170 km² (3,926.7 sq mi).

History

The region was historically populated by the Mon

Mon people

The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...

. Politically, the area was controlled by Mon kingdoms prior to 1057, and after 1057, with few exceptions, by Burman

Bamar

The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...

 kingdoms from the north. The control of the region reverted back to Bago

Bago

Bago may refer to:*Denmark** Bago, Denmark, the island of Bågø*Myanmar**Bago, Burma a city**Bago Region an administrative region*Philippines**Bago City, Negros Oriental**Bago **Bago...

-based Mon kingdoms in the 13th to 16th centuries (1287–1539) and briefly in 18th century (1740–1757). The Portuguese

Portuguese Empire

The Portuguese Empire , also known as the Portuguese Overseas Empire or the Portuguese Colonial Empire , was the first global empire in history...

 were in control of Thanlyin (Syriam) and the surrounding area from 1599 to 1613. For centuries, Thanlyin was the most important port city in Lower Myanmar until the mid-18th century when King Alaungpaya

Alaungpaya

Alaungpaya was king of Burma from 1752 to 1760, and the founder of the Konbaung Dynasty. By his death in 1760, the former chief of a small village in Upper Burma had reunified all of Burma, subdued Manipur, recovered Lan Na, and driven out the French and the English who had given help to the...

 chose to enlarge a small village across the river near the great Shwedagon Pagoda named Dagon.

The British

British Empire

The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...

 first captured Yangon in the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824–1826) but returned it Burmese administration after the war. The British seized Yangon and all of Lower Burma in the Second Anglo-Burmese War

Second Anglo-Burmese War

The Second Anglo-Burmese War was the second of the three wars fought between the Burmese and the British Empire during the 19th century, with the outcome of the gradual extinction of Burmese sovereignty and independence....

 of 1852, and subsequently transformed Yangon into the commercial and political hub of British Burma. Yangon was the capital of British Burma and Hanthawaddy Province, which covered today's Yangon and Bago divisions. The British brought in many Indians to serve as workers and civil servants. By the 1930s, the Indians made up half of Yangon city, and only one third was Bamar

Bamar

The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...

 (Burman). Between World War I

World War I

World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...

 and World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, Yangon was the center of Burmese nationalist movement. Many future Burmese political figures such as Aung San

Aung San

Bogyoke Aung San ; 13 February 1915 – 19 July 1947) was a Burmese revolutionary, nationalist, and founder of the modern Burmese army, the Tatmadaw....

, U Nu

U Nu

For other people with the Burmese name Nu, see Nu .U Nu was a leading Burmese nationalist and political figure of the 20th century...

, U Thant

U Thant

U Thant was a Burmese diplomat and the third Secretary-General of the United Nations, from 1961 to 1971. He was chosen for the post when his predecessor, Dag Hammarskjöld, died in September 1961....

 and Ne Win

Ne Win

Ne Win was Burmese a politician and military commander. He was Prime Minister of Burma from 1958 to 1960 and 1962 to 1974 and also head of state from 1962 to 1981...

 were all one-time Rangoon University students. Yangon Region was under Japanese occupation between April 1942 and May 1945.

After Myanmar gained independence from the United Kingdom in January 1948, the Hanthawaddy Province was renamed Pegu (Bago) Division, with Yangon as its capital. In 1964, Yangon Division was split from Bago Division. The capital of Bago Division was changed from Yangon to Bago. In June 1974, Hanthawaddy and Hmawbi

Hmawbi Township

Hmawbi Township is a township in the Yangon Region of Burma . It is located northwest of the city of Yangon. The principal town and administrative seat is Hmawbi...

 townships were transferred from Bago Division to Yangon Division.

Post-war Yangon grew tremendously. Successive Burmese governments built satellite towns near Yangon. Today, Yangon Region is essentially the Greater Yangon metropolitan area surrounded by a hollow rural hinterland.

Administration

Yangon Region consists of 44 townships. Of the 44, the city of Yangon now encompasses 33 townships.

Demographics

Of the division's estimated population of 5.56 million in 2000, more than 4 million lived in the Greater Yangon metropolitan area. The indigenous Burmese (mainly, Bamar

Bamar

The Bamar are the dominant ethnic group of Burma , constituting approximately two-thirds of the population. The Bamar live primarily in the Irrawaddy basin, and speak the Burmese language, which is also the official language of Burma. Bamar customs and identity are closely intertwined with general...

, Kayin

Kayin

Kayin can refer to:* Kayin State, an administrative division of Myanmar * Kayin or Karen people, a minority ethnic group in Myanmar* alternative spelling for Cain* Kayin Amoh, a character in the Battle Arena Toshinden fighting game series...

 and Mon

Mon people

The Mon are an ethnic group from Burma , living mostly in Mon State, Bago Division, the Irrawaddy Delta, and along the southern Thai–Burmese border. One of the earliest peoples to reside in Southeast Asia, the Mon were responsible for the spread of Theravada Buddhism in Burma and Thailand...

) make up the majority of the population. The division is also home to a large number of Chinese

Burmese Chinese

The Burmese Chinese or Chinese Burmese are a group of overseas Chinese born or raised in Burma . Although the Chinese officially make up three percent of the population, the actual figure is believed to be much higher...

 and South Asians

Burmese Indians

Burmese Indians are a group of people of Indian subcontinental ethnicity who live in Myanmar . While Indians have lived in Burma for many centuries, most of the ancestors of the current Burmese Indian community emigrated to Burma from the start of British rule in the mid 19th century to the...

. The majority of the inhabitants are Theravada Buddhists, followed by Muslim

Muslim

A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...

s and Christian

Christian

A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...

s. Burmese

Burmese language

The Burmese language is the official language of Burma. Although the constitution officially recognizes it as the Myanmar language, most English speakers continue to refer to the language as Burmese. Burmese is the native language of the Bamar and related sub-ethnic groups of the Bamar, as well as...

 is the primary language used by Burmese of all ethnic backgrounds. English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 is the main second language

Second language

A second language or L2 is any language learned after the first language or mother tongue. Some languages, often called auxiliary languages, are used primarily as second languages or lingua francas ....

 among the urban elite of Yangon.

Transport

Yangon Region has the best transportation infrastructure in the country. All transport to and from the rest of the country (and the world) goes through Yangon. Five "highways" link Yangon to the rest of the country. (To be sure, the definition of highway is loosely used. Most highways are no more than two lane roads with pot-hole prone pavement.) Yangon International Airport

Yangon International Airport

Yangon International Airport , located in Mingaladon, at north of downtown Yangon, is the primary international airport of Myanmar and the second largest airport in the country....

 is the main international gateway of the country. Yangon Central Railway Station

Yangon Central Railway Station

Yangon Central Railway Station , located in downtown Yangon, is the largest railway station in Myanmar. It is the gateway to Myanmar Railways' 3,126-mile rail network whose reach covers Upper Myanmar , upcountry , Shan hills and the Taninthayi coast .The station was first built in 1877 by the...

 is a major hub of the 5068 kilometres (3,149 mi) Myanmar Railways

Myanmar Railways

Myanmar Railways ; also spelled Myanma Railways; formerly Burma Railways) is the state-owned agency that operates the railway network in Myanmar. The metre gauge rail network consists of 858 stations, and generally spans north to south with branch lines to east and west. MR also operates the...

 system. Twante Canal

Twante Canal

The Twante Canal is a canal that connects the Irrawaddy River and the Yangon river in Myanmar. The canal is a heavily used short cut between the city of Yangon and the Irrawaddy Division. The canal is named after the town of Twante, located near the canal's mid-way point...

, which links Yangon to Ayeyarwaddy Region, is also widely used for both transport and commerce.

As motor transportation is highly expensive for most people, buses are the main mode of transportation within the division or regions nearby. In January 2008, Yangon Region had nearly 182,000 motor vehicles, 17.7% of the country's total.

Economy

Yangon Region is the most developed region in the country. According to the government's official statistics for FY 2010–2011, the size of the economy of Yangon Region was 8.93 trillion kyat, or 23% of the national GDP

Gross domestic product

Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....

. Greater Yangon is Lower Myanmar’s main trading hub for all kinds of merchandise – from basic food stuffs to used cars. Bayinnaung Market

Bayinnaung Market

Bayinnaung Market , located in northwestern Yangon, is the largest agricultural commodities trading market in Myanmar. Established in 1990, the market complex consists of two-story shop houses with floor areas of 1200 and...

 is the largest wholesale center in the country for rice

Rice

Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

, beans and pulses, and other agricultural commodities. Much of the country’s legal imports and exports go through Thanlyin's Thilawa port

Thilawa Port

Myanmar International Terminals Thilawa is a deep sea port 25 km south of Yangon in Myanmar. The international multi-purpose container port, fully owned by Hutchison Port Holdings , can operate 24 hours a day, seven days a week....

, the largest and busiest port in Myanmar. At least 14 light industrial zones

Industrial park

An industrial park is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development...

 ring Yangon, employing thousands of workers. Outside Greater Yangon, rice farming remains predominant. Other important crops include jute, pulses, rubber, sugarcane, and groundnut.

Education

Although the city of Yangon has the best education facilities in the country, the educational facilities and opportunities available in the rest of Yangon Region are extremely poor. Many students in rural and poor districts do not finish middle school. According to official statistics, only about 23% of primary school students make it to high school. Most students are enrolled in the public school system. Private schools, which cost at least $8000 a year in tuition per student, are strictly the preserve of the elite.

AY 2002-2003	Primary	Middle	High
Schools	2245	240	158
Teachers	15,600	10,100	3600
Students	540,000	302,000	123,000

Nearly all of the division's universities are in Greater Yangon. Dagon University

Dagon University

Dagon University , located in North Dagon, Yangon, is one of the largest universities in Myanmar. The university, established in 1993, offers bachelor's and master's degrees in liberal arts and sciences to full-time, part-time and online students. Dagon University also offers a full-time four-year...

 in North Dagon

North Dagon Township

North Dagon Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 25 wards, and shares borders with East Dagon Township in the north and east, South Okkalapa township in the west, and South Dagon township in the south...

 and the University of East Yangon in Thanlyin are among the largest undergraduate universities in the country. Yangon's University of Medicine 1, Yangon, University of Medicine 2, Yangon, Yangon Technological University

Yangon Technological University

Yangon Technological University ' , located in Gyogone, Yangon, is the premier engineering university of Myanmar. Established as Department of Engineering under Rangoon University in 1924, and popular known by its former name RIT , YTU is the country's oldest and largest engineering university, and...

, University of Computer Studies, Yangon

University of Computer Studies, Yangon

The University of Computer Studies, Yangon , located in the outskirts of Yangon, is the leading IT and computer science university of Myanmar. The university, administered by the Ministry of Science and Technology, offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in computer science and...

 and Thanlyin's Myanmar Maritime University

Myanmar Maritime University

Myanmar Maritime University , located in Thanlyin in the outskirts of Yangon, is the premier university of maritime education in Myanmar. MMU, administered by the Ministry of Transportation, offers five-year bachelor's degree programs and two-year post-graduate diplomas in various marine and naval...

 are among the most selective universities in Myanmar.

The University of West Yangon in Htantabin

Htantabin Township

Htantabin Township is a township located on the western border of central Yangon Region, Burma . Its administrative seat is Htantabin which is located in the southeastern part of the township on the western bank of the Hlaing River just south of its confluence with the Kokkowa River.The township...

 and the Officers Training School in Hmawbi are two major institutions of higher education outside Greater Yangon.

Health care

The general state of health care in Myanmar is poor. The military government spends anywhere from 0.5% to 3% of the country's GDP on health care, consistently ranking among the lowest in the world. Although health care is nominally free, in reality, patients have to pay for medicine and treatment, even in public clinics and hospitals. Public hospitals lack many of the basic facilities and equipment. Still, Yangon Region has the best medical facilities and personnel available in the country. The following is a summary of the public health system in the division, in the fiscal year 2002-2003.

2002–2003	# Hospitals	# Beds
Specialist hospitals	9	3800
General hospitals with specialist services	8	3220
General hospitals	26	1055
Health clinics	24	384
Total	67	8459