Yankin Township is located in the north-central part 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 township comprises 15 wards, and shares borders with Mayangon township

Mayangon Township

Mayangon Township is located in the northern part of Yangon. The township comprises ten wards, and shares borders with Insein township and Mingaladon township in the north, North Okkalapa township and Yankin township in the east, the Hlaing river and Hlaingthaya township in the west, and Kamayut...

 in the north, Thingangyun township

Thingangyun Township

Thingangyun Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 38 wards, and shares borders with South Okkalapa township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Yankin township and Tamwe township in the west, and Thaketa township in the south...

 and South Okkalapa township

South Okkalapa Township

South Okkalapa Township is located in the eastern part of Yangon. The township comprises 13 wards, and shares borders with North Okkalapa township in the north, North Dagon township in the east, Yankin township in the west, and Kamayut township, and Thingangyun township in the south. South...

 in the east, the Inya Lake

Inya Lake

Inya Lake is the largest lake in Yangon, Burma , a popular recreational area for Yangonites, and a famous location for romance in popular culture...

, Bahan township

Bahan Township

Bahan Township is located in the north central part of Yangon. The township comprises 22 wards, and shares borders with Yankin township and Mayangon township in the north, Sanchaung township and Kamayut township in the west, Tamwe township in the east, and Dagon township and Mingala Taungnyunt...

 and Mayangon township in the west, and Tamwe township

Tamwe Township

Tamwe Township is located in east central Yangon, Myanmar. The township comprises 20 wards, and shares borders with Yankin township in the north, Thingangyun township and Mingala Taungnyunt township in the east, Bahan township in the west, and Mingala Taungnyunt township in the...

 in the south. The township has 13 primary schools, seven middle schools and two high schools.

Yankin is a thriving commercial hub of Yangon. Yankin Centre is a leading shopping destination in Yangon, attracting shoppers from around the city. Saya San Road is the main thoroughfare that runs through most of the important places in the township. The Kokkine Swimming Pools, and the 18-hectare (44.5-acre) Myakyuntha Amusement Park are both located here.

Yankin is a mix of upscale and middle class area with a multi-ethnic character. The township has a large Tamil

Tamil people

Tamil people , also called Tamils or Tamilians, are an ethnic group native to Tamil Nadu, India and the north-eastern region of Sri Lanka. Historic and post 15th century emigrant communities are also found across the world, notably Malaysia, Singapore, Mauritius, South Africa, Australia, Canada,...

 community, and a rich collection of Hindu temples, (most of which are dedicated to Kali

Kali

' , also known as ' , is the Hindu goddess associated with power, shakti. The name Kali comes from kāla, which means black, time, death, lord of death, Shiva. Kali means "the black one". Since Shiva is called Kāla - the eternal time, Kālī, his consort, also means "Time" or "Death" . Hence, Kāli is...

 and Ganesh) as well as a large Chinese temple called Fushan Si Temple

Fushan Si Temple

Fushan Si Temple , located on Kaba Aye Pagoda Road in Bahan Township, Yangon, is a Hokkien Chinese temple founded in January 1875 by overseas Chinese with ancestry from Anxi County in Fujian Province. The temple is managed by the Kheng Hock Keong Temple in downtown Yangon. Fushan Si is dedicated to...

, believed to be the largest in Yangon.

The Mogaung Pagoda is the principal pagoda of the area, and the annual Mogaung Pagoda Festival attracts a number of people from around the city.

Etymology

Yankin means Free of Strife. The name was given by 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...

 of Konbaung Dynasty

Konbaung dynasty

The Konbaung Dynasty was the last dynasty that ruled Burma from 1752 to 1885. The dynasty created the second largest empire in Burmese history, and continued the administrative reforms begun by the Toungoo dynasty, laying the foundations of modern state of Burma...

 in 1755 after he had conquered a small village named Thanlyin Kin as part of his reunification of the country.

Landmarks

Yankin was home to a number of government ministry headquarters before they were moved to Naypyidaw

Naypyidaw

Naypyidaw is the capital city of Burma, also known as Myanmar. It is administered as the Naypyidaw Union Territory, as per the 2008 Constitution. On 6 November 2005, the administrative capital of Myanmar was officially moved to a greenfield 3.2 km west of Pyinmana, and approximately...

 in 2006.
The Central Bank of Myanmar

Central Bank of Myanmar

The Central Bank of Myanmar is the central bank of Myanmar . It was established under the Central Bank of Myanmar Law in 1990. Its headquarters are in Yankin Township, Yangon, Yangon Division and is headed by a 17-member board of directors, headed by Than Nyein...

, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Industries 1, the Ministry of Industries 2, the Ministry of Mines and the Ministry of Forestry all had their main offices here.

Yankin Apartments was part of one of the many public housing programs implemented by 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...

's government.

The following is a list of landmarks protected by the city in Yankin township.

Structure	Type	Address	Notes
Kalayana Temple (Zekwet Pagoda)	Temple	Dhammayon Road
Mogaung Pagoda	Pagoda	Mogaung Pagoda Road (Corner of Dhmmayon Road)
Nagalein Pagoda	Pagoda	Budayon Road
Supramanayan Hindu Temple	Hindu Temple	Budayon Road