Myanmar

Myanmar (formal English name since 1989) or Burma (traditional English name) (Burmese: Bama or formally Myanma, anglicized to Myanmar) is a country in south-east Asia. Its official name is the Republic of the Union of Myanmar. The USA has refused since 1989 to use the official (and also self-determined) United Nations name of Myanmar. The CIA World Factbook consistently uses the name Burma, not even mentioning the new name other than in a concealed footnote: "since 1989 the military authorities in Burma have promoted the name Myanmar as a conventional name for their state; the US Government did not adopt the name, which is a derivative of the Burmese short-form name Myanma Naingngandaw". Thus the actual name used for the country is a heavily politicised matter.

Its largest city and former capital is Rangoon, officially known as Yangon. The new capital has been Naypyidaw since 2005.

Burma was a British colony until independence on 4 January 1948.

During the Second World War, there was heavy fighting in Burma. The Burma Road was the main supply route for Allied aid to China. The Japanese had taken neighboring Malaya and Thailand, invaded Burma, and controlled much of it for several years. They were resisted by Allied forces including troops from several parts of the British Empire, plus American and Chinese forces. The Allies achieved their main aims — there was no Japanese push into India and the Burma Road was re-opened after being cut off for some time — but costs were heavy on both sides.

In 1962, General Ne Win's coup overthrew the civilian government. Today, the military State Law and Order Restoration Council (the SLORC), under Than Shwe, rules Burma, despite the fact that in 1990 the National League for Democracy, led by Aung San Suu Kyi, won an election. Suu Kyi remains under house arrest.