Geography

Myanmar (Burma), which has a total area of 676,578 square kilometres is the largest country in mainland Southeast Asia, and the 40th-largest in the world (after Zambia). It is almost three times the size of the UK, and slightly smaller than Turkey.

Borders

The country is located between Chittagong Division of Bangladesh and Assam, Nagaland and Manipur of India to the northwest. It shares its longest borders with Tibet and Yunnan of China to the northeast for a total of 2,185 km (1,358 mi). It is bounded by Laos and Thailand to the southeast. Myanmar (Burma) has a 1,930 km (1,199 mi) contiguous coastline along the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea to the southwest and the south, which forms one-third of its total perimeter.

Mountains

In the north, the Hengduan Shan mountains form the border with China. Hkakabo Razi, located in Kachin State, at an elevation of 5,881 m (19,295 ft), is the highest point in Myanmar (Burma). Three mountain ranges, namely the Rakhine Yoma, the Bago Yoma, and the Shan Plateau exist within the country, all of which run north-to-south from the Himalayas.

Fertile plains exist in the valleys between the mountain chains. The majority of Myanmar's population lives in the Ayeyarwady valley, which is situated between the Rakhine Yoma and the Shan Plateau.

Rivers

The mountain chains divide the country's three river systems, which are the Ayeyarwady, Thanlwin, and the Sittang rivers. The Ayeyarwady River, Myanmar's longest river, nearly 2,170 km (1,348 mi) long, flows into the Gulf of Martaban.