Travel Myanmar: Myanmar Geography

Located in Southeast Asia, Myanmar covers an area of 261,228 square miles (676,580 square kilometers). It shares borders with India and Bangladesh to the west, China to the north, and Laos and Thailand to the east. Myanmar’s territory is shaped like a kite, with a long, tapering southern coastal strip facing the Andaman Sea. From north to south, the country spans about 1,275 miles (2,052 km).


A temple sits atop Mount.Popa, the core of an extinct volcano in central Myanmar

Mountains and Plains

Myanmar’s heartland is a central plain flanked by the Shan Plateau to the east and mountains to the north and west. Coastal plains lie to the south and southwest of the central plain.

Widely regarded as the cradle of Burmese civilization, the central plain once supported the majority of Myanmar’s royal capitals, including Bagan, Inwa (Ava), and Mandalay. Also known as the dry zone, the central plain receives very little rainfall. Crops grown there include millet, sesame, and irrigated rice. About half of the population of Myanmar is concentrated farther south, in the delta area of the Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River. Few people inhabit the mountainous areas that cover half the country. The northern mountains form a complex of ranges, with Mount Hkakabo Razi, Myanmar’s highest peak, rising to 19,295 feet (5,881 meters). The western ranges include the Rahkine Yoma and extend northward, through the Chin Hills and the Naga Hills, along the border with India. The Shan Plateau in eastern Myanmar has an average elevation of 3,000 feet (914m) and was formed between 245 million and 66 million years ago.

Myanmar has two strips of coastal land, the southwestern Rahkine coast and the Taninthayi coast in the far south. These areas receive very heavy rainfall, making them ideal for growing rice and a variety of tropical fruits. The division of Bago also forms part of the southern coastline. From the Ayeyarwady delta, the ports of Yangon (Rangoon) and Pathein (Bassein) look out across the Andaman Sea. Myanmar’s longest river, the Thanlwin (Salween), flows into the Shan Plateau from the Himalayas and empties into the Gulf of Mottama (Gulf of Martaban).