Editing Myanmar (section)

== Geography ==
{{main|Geography of Myanmar}}

Myanmar has a total area of {{convert|678500|km2}}. It lies between latitudes [[9th parallel north|9°]] and [[29th parallel north|29°N]], and longitudes [[92nd meridian east|92°]] and [[102nd meridian east|102°E]]. Myanmar is bordered in the northwest by the [[Chittagong Division]] of [[Bangladesh]] and the [[Mizoram]], Manipur, [[Nagaland]] and [[Arunachal Pradesh]] states of India. Its north and northeast border is with the [[Tibet Autonomous Region]] and [[Yunnan]] for a Sino-Myanmar border total of {{convert|2185|km|abbr=on}}. It is bounded by [[Laos]] and [[Thailand]] to the southeast. Myanmar has {{convert|1930|km|abbr=on}} of contiguous coastline along the [[Bay of Bengal]] and [[Andaman Sea]] to the southwest and the south, which forms one quarter of its total perimeter.{{r|World Factbook}}

In the north, the [[Hengduan Mountains]] form the border with China. [[Hkakabo Razi]], located in [[Kachin State]], at an elevation of {{convert|5881|m|ft|0}}, is the highest point in Myanmar.<ref>{{cite book| editor = Patrick Hesp | year=2000 | title=Geographica's World Reference | publisher=Random House Australia | pages =738, 741|display-editors=etal}}</ref> Many mountain ranges, such as the [[Rakhine Yoma]], the [[Bago Yoma]], the [[Shan Hills]] and the [[Tenasserim Hills]] exist within Myanmar, all of which run north-to-south from the [[Himalayas]].<ref name="myathan">{{cite book | first=Mya | last=Than | year=2005 | title=Myanmar in ASEAN: Regional Co-operation Experience | isbn=978-9812302106 | publisher=Institute of Southeast Asian Studies | location=Singapore}}</ref> The mountain chains divide Myanmar's three river systems, which are the [[Irrawaddy River|Irrawaddy]], [[Salween River|Salween (Thanlwin)]], and the [[Sittaung River|Sittaung]] rivers.<ref name="myatthein">{{cite book | first=Myat | last=Thein | year=2005 | title=Economic Development of Myanmar | isbn=978-9812302113 | publisher=Inst. of Southeast Asian Studies | location=Singapore}}</ref> The Irrawaddy River, Myanmar's longest river at nearly {{convert|2170|km|mi|0}}, flows into the [[Gulf of Martaban]]. Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the [[mountain chain]]s.<ref name="myathan" /> The majority of Myanmar's population lives in the [[Irrawaddy River|Irrawaddy]] valley, which is situated between the [[Rakhine Yoma]] and the [[Shan Plateau]].

Myanmar is one of the most seismically prone countries in the world.<ref name=":6">{{Cite web |date=28 March 2025 |title=Expert reaction to Myanmar earthquake |url=https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-myanmar-earthquake/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250328130459/https://www.sciencemediacentre.org/expert-reaction-to-myanmar-earthquake/ |archive-date=28 March 2025 |access-date=28 March 2025 |website=Science Media Center}}</ref> The [[Sagaing Fault]] between the [[Indian plate|Indian Plate]] and the [[Eurasian plate|Eurasian Plate]] runs north-south through the center of the country.<ref name=":6" /> There have been many small and some big [[List of earthquakes in Myanmar|earthquakes]] with a 7-8 magnitude.<ref name=":6" />

=== Administrative divisions ===
{{main|Administrative divisions of Myanmar}}

{{Burma Administrative Divisions Image Map}}
Myanmar is divided into seven states ({{lang|my|ပြည်နယ်}}) and seven regions ({{lang|my|တိုင်းဒေသကြီး}}), formerly called divisions.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar/index.htm |title=Myanmar. States & Regions |publisher=Myanmar's NET |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104160039/http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar/index.htm |archive-date=4 November 2013 }}</ref> Regions are predominantly Bamar (that is, mainly inhabited by Myanmar's dominant ethnic group). States, in essence, are regions that are home to particular ethnic minorities. The administrative divisions are further subdivided into [[Districts of Myanmar|districts]], which are further subdivided into townships, [[Ward (country subdivision)|wards]], and villages. Since 30 April 2022, districts inside regions and states have been expanded to total count of 121.<ref>{{cite news
| title = နေပြည်တော်၊ တိုင်းဒေသကြီးနှင့် ပြည်နယ်များတွင် ခရိုင် ၄၆ ခရိုင် အသစ်တိုးချဲ့ဖွဲ့စည်းသည့်အတွက် စုစုပေါင်းခရိုင် ၁၂၁ ခရိုင်ရှိလာ
| newspaper = News Eleven 
| location = Myanmar
| language = my
| date = 1 May 2025
| url = https://news-eleven.com/article/229873
| access-date = 20 May 2025}}</ref>

Below are the number of districts, townships, cities/towns, wards, village groups and villages in each division and state of Myanmar as of 30 April 2022:

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! No.
! [[Country subdivision|State/Region]]
! Districts
! Town<br />ships
! Cities/<br />Towns
! [[Ward (country subdivision)|Wards]]
! Village<br />groups
! Villages
|-
| 1
| [[Kachin State]]
| 6
| 18
| 32
| 172
| 594
| 2547
|-
| 2
| [[Kayah State]]
| 4
| 7
| 10
| 44
| 74
| 517
|-
| 3
| [[Kayin State]]
| 5
| 7
| 18
| 86
| 376
| 2092
|-
| 4
| [[Chin State]]
| 4
| 9
| 18
| 66
| 464
| 1347
|-
| 5
| [[Sagaing Region]]
| 10
| 37
| 50
| 271
| 1755
| 5989
|-
| 6
| [[Tanintharyi Region]]
| 4
| 10
| 18
| 90
| 267
| 1237
|-
| 7
| [[Bago Region]]
| 6
| 28
| 52
| 328
| 1414
| 6487
|-
| 8
| [[Magway Region]]
| 7
| 25
| 32
| 199
| 1538
| 4788
|-
| 9
| [[Mandalay Region]]
| 11
| 28
| 30
| 280
| 1415
| 4799
|-
| 10
| [[Mon State]]
| 4
| 10
| 17
| 106
| 366
| 1143
|-
| 11
| [[Rakhine State]]
| 7
| 17
| 26
| 171
| 1045
| 3741
|-
| 12
| [[Yangon Region]]
| 14
| 45
| 21
| 743
| 621
| 2143
|-
| 13
| [[Shan State]]
| 20
| 55
| 86
| 513
| 1562
| 13773
|-
| 14
| [[Ayeyarwady Region]]
| 8
| 26
| 45
| 300
| 1919
| 11864
|-
| 15
| [[Naypyidaw Union Territory]]
| 4
| 8
| 8
| 58
| 187
| 796
|-
|
| '''Total'''
| '''121'''
| '''330'''
| '''463'''
| '''3427'''
| '''13597'''
| '''63268'''
|}

=== Climate ===
{{main|Climate of Myanmar}}

[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map MMR present.svg|thumb|upright=1.35|Myanmar map of Köppen climate classification]]

Much of the country lies between the [[Tropic of Cancer]] and the [[Equator]]. It lies in the [[monsoon]] region of Asia, with its coastal regions receiving over {{convert|5000|mm|in|1|abbr=on}} of rain annually. Annual [[Precipitation (meteorology)|rainfall]] in the [[river delta|delta]] region is approximately {{convert|2500|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}, while average annual rainfall in the dry zone in central Myanmar is less than {{convert|1000|mm|in|1|abbr=on}}. The northern regions of Myanmar are the coolest, with average temperatures of {{convert|21|C|F}}. Coastal and delta regions have an average maximum temperature of {{convert|32|C|F|1}}.<ref name="myatthein" />
Previously and currently analysed data, as well as future projections on changes caused by [[Climate change in Myanmar|climate change]] predict serious consequences to development for all economic, productive, social, and environmental sectors in Myanmar.<ref name=":1">{{cite web|title=Impact of Climate Change and the Case of Myanmar {{!}} Myanmar Climate Change Alliance|url=https://myanmarccalliance.org/en/climate-change-basics/impact-of-climate-change-and-the-case-of-myanmar/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181205141140/https://myanmarccalliance.org/en/climate-change-basics/impact-of-climate-change-and-the-case-of-myanmar/|archive-date=5 December 2018|access-date=2 December 2018|website=myanmarccalliance.org|language=en-GB}}</ref> In order to combat the hardships ahead and do its part to help [[combat climate change]] Myanmar has displayed interest in expanding its use of renewable energy and lowering its level of carbon emissions. Groups involved in helping Myanmar with the transition and move forward include the [[UN Environment Programme]], Myanmar Climate Change Alliance, and the [[Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation]] which directed in producing the final draft of the Myanmar national climate change policy that was presented to various sectors of the Myanmar government for review.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news|title=National climate change policy finalised|language=en|work=The Myanmar Times|url=https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/yangon/25824-national-climate-change-policy-finalised.html|access-date=18 October 2018|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215224221/https://www.mmtimes.com/national-news/yangon/25824-national-climate-change-policy-finalised.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In April 2015, it was announced that the [[World Bank]] and Myanmar would enter a full partnership framework aimed to better access to electricity and other basic services for about six million people and expected to benefit three million pregnant woman and children through improved health services.<ref name=":4">{{Cite news|title=Millions to Benefit from Myanmar's New Partnership Framework With the World Bank Group|language=en|publisher=World Bank|url=http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/04/23/millions-benefit-myanmar-new-partnership-framework-world-bank-group|access-date=2 December 2018|archive-date=23 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923051600/http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2015/04/23/millions-benefit-myanmar-new-partnership-framework-world-bank-group|url-status=live}}</ref> Acquired funding and proper planning has allowed Myanmar to better prepare for the impacts of climate change by enacting programs which teach its people new farming methods, rebuild its infrastructure with materials resilient to natural disasters, and transition various sectors towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions.<ref name=":5">{{cite web|title=Myanmar Climate Change Policy|url=http://myanmarccalliance.org/mcca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/National-Myanmar-Climate-Change-Policy-DRAFT-1_for-website.pdf|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200322094917/http://myanmarccalliance.org/mcca/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/National-Myanmar-Climate-Change-Policy-DRAFT-1_for-website.pdf|archive-date=22 March 2020|website=myanmarccalliance.org}}</ref>

=== Biodiversity ===
{{main|Wildlife of Myanmar}}
[[File:Kaw Gon towards Shwe Kyar Pwint.jpg|thumb|The limestone landscape of [[Kayin State]]]]
{{further|Deforestation in Myanmar|List of protected areas of Myanmar}}

Myanmar is a [[biodiverse]] country with more than 16,000 [[plant]], 314 [[mammal]], 1131 [[bird]], 293 [[reptile]], and 139 [[amphibian]] species, and 64 terrestrial [[ecosystems]] including tropical and subtropical vegetation, seasonally inundated wetlands, shoreline and tidal systems, and alpine ecosystems. Myanmar houses some of the largest intact natural ecosystems in [[Southeast Asia]], but the remaining ecosystems are under threat from land use intensification and over-exploitation. According to the [[IUCN Red List of Ecosystems]] categories and criteria more than a third of Myanmar's land area has been converted to [[Anthropogenic biome|anthropogenic ecosystems]] over the last 2–3 centuries, and nearly half of its ecosystems are threatened. Despite large gaps in information for some ecosystems, there is a large potential to develop a comprehensive [[protected area network]] that protects its terrestrial biodiversity.<ref>{{cite journal| last1 = Murray | first1 = Nicholas J.| last2 = Keith | first2 = David A.| last3 = Duncan | first3 = Adam| last4 = Tizard | first4 = Robert| last5 = Ferrer-Paris | first5 = Jose R.| last6 = Worthington | first6 = Thomas A.| last7 = Armstrong | first7 = Kate| last8 = Nyan Hlaing | last9 = Win Thuya Htut | last10 = Aung Htat Oo | last11 = Kyaw Zay Ya | last12 = Grantham | first12 = Hedley | date = 2020 | title = Myanmar's terrestrial ecosystems: Status, threats and conservation opportunities
| journal    = Biological Conservation | volume     = 252 | page      = 108834 | doi        = 10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108834 | s2cid = 228850408| doi-access = free | bibcode = 2020BCons.25208834M| hdl = 1959.4/unsworks_73305 | hdl-access = free }}</ref>

Myanmar continues to perform badly in the global [[Environmental Performance Index]] (EPI) with an overall ranking of 153 out of 180 countries in 2016, among the worst in the [[South Asia]]n region. The environmental areas where Myanmar performs worst (i.e. highest ranking) are [[air quality]] (174), health impacts of [[environmental issues]] (143) and [[biodiversity]] and [[habitat]] (142). Myanmar performs best (i.e. lowest ranking) in [[environmental impacts of fisheries]] (21) but with declining [[Fish stocks|fish stock]]s. Despite several issues, Myanmar also ranks 64 and scores very good (i.e. a high percentage of 93.73%) in environmental effects of the agricultural industry because of an excellent management of the [[nitrogen cycle]].<ref>{{Cite journal|url=http://epi.yale.edu/reports/2016-report|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160204021925/http://epi.yale.edu/reports/2016-report|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 February 2016|title=2016 Report|journal=EPI Report|access-date=17 December 2016}}</ref><ref>EPI (2016): [http://epi.yale.edu/country/myanmar Myanmar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424221820/http://epi.yale.edu/country/myanmar |date=24 April 2017 }}</ref> Myanmar is one of the most highly vulnerable countries to [[climate change]]; this poses a number of social, political, economic and foreign policy challenges to the country.<ref>Overland, I. et al. (2017). [https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320622312 Impact of Climate Change on ASEAN International Affairs: Risk and Opportunity Multiplier] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728065717/https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320622312_Impact_of_Climate_Change_on_ASEAN_International_Affairs_Risk_and_Opportunity_Multiplier |date=28 July 2020 }}. Norwegian Institute of International Affairs (NUPI) and Myanmar Institute of International and Strategic Studies (MISIS).</ref>

Myanmar's slow economic growth has contributed to the preservation of much of its environment and ecosystems. [[Forest]]s, including dense tropical growth and valuable [[teak]] in lower Myanmar, cover over 49% of the country, including areas of [[acacia]], [[bamboo]], [[Hopea odorata|ironwood]] and ''[[Magnolia champaca]]''. [[Coconut]] and [[betel palm]] and rubber have been introduced. In the [[highland]]s of the north, oak, pine and various rhododendrons cover much of the land.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199909/msg00690.html |title=Myanmar's Forest Law and Rules n |publisher=BurmaLibrary.org |access-date=15 July 2006 |archive-date=11 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061011134623/http://www.burmalibrary.org/reg.burma/archives/199909/msg00690.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Heavy logging since the new 1995 forestry law went into effect has seriously reduced forest area and wildlife habitat.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reid |first1=Robert |last2=Bindloss |first2=Joseph |last3=Butler |first3=Stuart |year=2009 |chapter=Environment: National Parks |title=Myanmar (Burma) |edition=10th |publisher=Lonely Planet |location=Footscray, Victoria, Australia |page=[https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetmyan00joeb/page/85 85] |isbn=978-1-74104-718-9 |chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetmyan00joeb |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetmyan00joeb/page/85 }}</ref> The lands along the coast support all varieties of tropical fruits and once had large areas of [[Myanmar Coast mangroves|mangroves]] although much of the protective mangroves have disappeared. In much of central Myanmar (the dry zone), [[vegetation]] is sparse and stunted.

Typical jungle animals, particularly [[tiger]]s, occur sparsely in Myanmar. In upper Myanmar, there are [[rhinoceros]], [[wild water buffalo]], [[clouded leopard]], [[wild boar]]s, [[deer]], [[antelope]], and [[elephant]]s, which are also tamed or bred in captivity for use as work animals, particularly in the [[lumber industry]]. Smaller mammals are also numerous, ranging from [[gibbon]]s and [[monkey]]s to [[flying foxes]]. The abundance of [[bird]]s is notable with over 800 species, including [[Rose-ringed parakeet|parrots]], [[myna]], [[peafowl]], [[red junglefowl]], [[weaverbirds]], [[crow]]s, [[heron]]s, and [[Eastern barn owl|barn owl]]. Among reptile species there are [[crocodile]]s, [[gecko]]s, [[cobra]]s, [[Burmese python]]s, and [[turtle]]s. Hundreds of species of freshwater fish are wide-ranging, plentiful and are very important food sources.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar-culture/myanmar-flora-fauna.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060923162044/http://www.myanmars.net/myanmar-culture/myanmar-flora-fauna.htm |archive-date=23 September 2006 |url-status=dead |title="Flora and Fauna" at |publisher=Myanmars.net |access-date=17 April 2010}}</ref>