Geography of Myanmar

Continent	Asia
Region	Southeast Asia
Coordinates	22°00′N 98°00′E / 22.000°N 98.000°E / 22.000; 98.000
Area	Ranked 40th
• Total	261,228 sq mi (676,580 km2)
• Land	96.94%
• Water	3.06%
Coastline	1,384 mi (2,227 km)
Borders	Total land borders: 4,053 mi (6,523 km) Bangladesh: 168 mi (270 km) People's Republic of China: 1,323 mi (2,129 km) India: 912 mi (1,468 km) Laos 148 mi (238 km) Thailand: 1,501 mi (2,416 km)
Highest point	Hkakabo Razi 5881 m (19,294.62 ft)
Lowest point	Andaman Sea 0 m (0 ft) (sea level)
Longest river	Ayeyarwady River
Largest lake	Indawgyi Lake
Natural resources	Jade, Rubies, Sapphires, Petroleum, Natural Gas, Gold, Teak, Tin, Antimony, Zinc, Hydropower potential, Copper, Iron, Coal[1]
Exclusive economic zone	205,706 sq mi (532,780 km2)

Myanmar (also known as Burma) is the northwesternmost country of mainland Southeast Asia located on the Indochinese peninsula. With an area of 261,228 sq mi (676,578 km²), it is the second largest country in Southeast Asia and the largest on mainland Southeast Asia.^[2] The kite-shaped country stretches from 10'N to 20'N for 1,275 miles (2,050 km) with a long tail running along the western coast of the Malay Peninsula.^[3]

Myanmar lies along the Indian and Eurasian Plates, to the southeast of the Tibetan Plateau. To its west is the Bay of Bengal and to its south is the Andaman Sea. The country is nestled between several mountain ranges with the Arakan Mountains on the west and the Shan Plateau dominating the east.^[3] The central valley follows the Irrawaddy River, the most economically important river to the country with 39.5 million people, including the largest city Yangon, living within its basin.^[4] The country is home to many diverse ethnic groups, with 135 officially recognized groups. It is strategically located near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes and was historically home to overland trade routes into China from the Bay of Bengal. The neighboring countries are China, India, Bangladesh, Thailand and Laos.

Area and boundaries

Area

• Total: 676,578 km² (261,228 sq mi)
  • country rank in the world: 39th
• Land: 653,508 km² (252,321 sq mi)
• Water: 23,070 km² (8,910 sq mi)

Maritime borders

The southern maritime boundary follows coordinates marked by both Myanmar and Thailand towards the maritime tripoint with India's Andaman and Nicobar Islands. The maritime India-Myanmar border resumes end south of Coco Islands before heading towards Myanmar's narrow boundary with international Bay of Bengal waters. Myanmar has a total coastline of 1,384 mi (2,227 km) and has several islands and archipelagos- most notably the Mergui Archipelago. The county has a total water area is 8,910 square miles (23,100 km²) and an Exclusive Economic Zone covering 205,706 sq mi (532,780 km²).^[2]

Land borders

Myanmar has a land border totaling 4,053 miles (6,523 km) bordering five countries and encompassing a total land area of 261,228 square miles (676,580 km²).^[2]

The Bangladesh-Myanmar border begins at the mouth of the Naf River at the Bay of Bengal and head north around the Mayu Range in a wide arc before head back north through the Chittagong Hill Tracts to the tripoint with India at the peak of Teen Matha for a total of 168 miles (270 km).

The India-Myanmar border heads north through the Chin Hills towards the Tiau River. It follows this river upstream and then through various rivers near Manipur before going northeast through the Patkai range to the Chaukan Pass and the Mishmi Hills for a total of 912 miles (1,468 km).^[5]

The tripoint with China and India is disputed due to the Sino-Indian border dispute but lies de facto north of the Diphu Pass. The China-Myanmar border heads northeast to Hkakabo Razi just one mile west of its summit. It then turns southeast following the Hengduan and Gaoligong Mountains through many irregular lines towards the Taping River and Shweli River. It then heads south-eastwards across the far Shan Hills, following hills and rivers, until it reaches the Mekong river. It follows the Mekong until the tripoint with Laos for a grand total of 1,333 miles (2,145 km).

The Laos-Myanmar border runs entirely along the Mekong river from the tripoint with China the tripoint with Thailand at the confluence of the Kok and Mekon Rivers for 148 miles (238 km)

The Myanmar-Thailand border follows the Kok River and Sai River briefly before continuing overland on a series of irregular lines southwards through the Daen Lao Range before heading southwest to the Salween River. The border follows the Salween and then the Moei River before going overland again through the Tenasserim Hills towards the Malay Peninsula. Near Prachuap Khiri Khan, the border comes within 6.81 mi (10.96 km) to the Gulf of Thailand. It then heads south towards the Kraburi River which it then follows towards a wide estuary before ending in the Andaman Sea, forming Myanmar's longest border at 1,501 miles (2,416 km).

Climate

Tropical monsoon in the lowlands below 1,000 m (3,281 ft); cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April).

Myanmar has three seasons: the cool and drier northeast monsoon running from late October to mid-February, the hot and dry intermonsoonal season from mid-February to mid-May and the rainy southwest monsoon from mid-May to late-October.^[3] Colloquially, they are called the winter, summer and rainy seasons respectively.^[6] The alternating mountain ranges and valleys create alternate zones of heavy and subdued precipitation during the monsoon season, with the majority of the country's precipitation coming from the southwest monsoons.

Climate varies in the highlands depending on elevation; subtropical temperate climate at around 2,500 m (8,202 ft), temperate at 3,000 m (9,843 ft), cool, alpine at 3,500 m (11,483 ft) and above the alpine zone, cold, harsh tundra and Arctic climate. The higher elevations are subject to heavy snowfall, especially in the north. Distance from the sea also affects temperature and inland highlands can experience daily temperature ranges spanning 22'F (12'C) despite the tropical latitude.^[3]