|  Geography
Myanmar is Southeast Asia's largest country, sharing borders with China, Laos
and Thailand in the east, and Bangladesh and India in the north, Myanmar has a
2,832 km seaboard with the Indian Ocean to the west and south.
The Ayeyarwady
River, flows for more than 2,000km through Myanmar, before fanning out in a delta
on the south coast. Yangon stands beside one of its many mouths. Central Myanmar
is dominated by the Ayeyarwady basin which is shielded by the Rakhine, Chin and
Naga Mountains and the Patkai Hills to the west, the Kachin Hills to the north,
and the Shan Plateau to the east - which include peaks rising to over 3,000m,
influencing the local climate. The river's valley and delta are considered one
of the most fertile agricultural regions in Asia. Fruit, vegetables and citrus
crops grow abundantly on the Shan Plateau. Forest covers more than 50% of Myanmar's
land area.
Climate
Myanmar's tropical monsoon
climate splits the year into two distinct seasons - hot and humid from June to
September, and drier cooler conditions throughout the rest of the year. The coolest
period is between November to February, and the hottest from March to May, with
temperatures in the high 30s in Mandalay and Bagan. |
