The sublime spectacle of the Union spirit
By Maung Nyein Aye
Believing with firm conviction of international boundaries, we all are residing in the Union of Myanmar with awesome wonder in the spirit of a nation as a large family like brothers and sisters of various ethnic nationalities.
Assessing in a broader aspect on the ethnic nationalities in shaping into a nation, we are related to each other that could be seen in the chronicle of the Union.
Geographical situation
In the recorded history of the world, the people moved to new places where the grass is greener and have comfortable landscape. Naturally, people loved good soil and fresh water with fine weather where abundant harvests prevail, and called it home.
Large population moved to such places and settled down, and that Myanmar is one of the lands that people rushed in for settlements. Since the ancient times, the population to become Myanmar people had moved to that place, and the landscape of the whole areas is stable and secure for habitation in terms of geographical situation until today.
To be noted
At the southern end of the harbor lies the beautiful cape, named for King Bayint Naung, a Burmese monarch, and that Khakaborazi Snowcapped Mountain is believed to be Myanmar’s highest mountain in the north, and with its height of 5,881. The peak is enclosed within Khakaborazi National Park.
Maungdaw is a town in Rakhine State, in the western part of Myanmar, and that Kyaing Tong is far from the rest of Myanmar in the heart of the Golden Triangle in the far east of Shan State. Kyaing Tong is set in the far east of the country.
Location
Myanmar is situated in Southeast Asia and located between latitudes 09 32’N and 28 31’N and longitudes 92 10’E and 101 11’E.
Kyaing Tong is situated near Mekong River, and that Tropic of Cancer runs near Ma Bane, Kut Khaing, Ta Gaung and Tiddim. The East Longitude 96 degree is the most remarkable line, where the time of noon in Myanmar is being slotted on.
Geography
The country covers an area of 677,000 square kilometers (261,228 square miles) ranging 936 kilometers (581 miles) from the east to west and 2051 kilometers (1275 miles) from north to south.
It is a land of hills and valleys and is rimmed in the north, east and west by mountain ranges forming a giant horseshoe. Enclosed within the mountain barriers are the flat lands of Ayeyawaddy, Chindwin and Sittaung River valleys where most of the country’s agricultural land and population are concentrated.
The Myanmar Standard Time, taken as on East Longitude 97 degree 30′, is 6 hours 30 minutes ahead of Greenwich meantime.
Country with spacious land
Myanmar is the second largest country in South East Asia with (167) million acres of land, larger than Japan and double the size of Britain. The country accommodated her people with comfortable land spaces for many years.
Myanmar has a long coastal line of (1,385) miles from Naff River to King Bayunt Naung Cape in the south. The country is bordered by China to the north and northeast, Laos to the east, Thailand to the southeast, the Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal to the south and southwest, Bangladesh to the west, and India to the northwest. It has international boundary of (3800) miles.
Adorable Structure
Myanmar consists of 14 states and regions; or 7 states representing the areas of 7 main ethnic nationalities and 7 regions. All 7 states 1, whilst the regions are mainly plain areas with the exception of Sagaing, Bago and Taninthayi Regions.
States and Regions are structured as follows.
Ayeyawaddy Region; Bago Region; Chin State; Kachin State; Kayah State; Kayin State; Magway Region; Mandalay Region; Mon State; Rakhine State; Shan State; Sagaing Region; Tanintharyi Region; Yangon Region; Nay Pyi Taw Area.
Looking at states in clockwise, we can see Rakhine State; Chin State; Kachin State; Shan State; Kayah State; Kayin State, and Mon State in a horseshoe shape. Up and inside, we can find Sagaing Region; Mandalay Region; Magway Region. We can see Bago Region; Yangon Region; Ayeyawaddy Region, down and inside, and Tanintharyi Region in the lower part of the country. On the world map, it is like a human form of the head, the body, the waist line, and the limbs.
Good Feature
Geographical structure and physical condition of Myanmar is very much resembled like a human being, and moreover, the heart and soul of the nation has all the natural functioning capacities of the anatomy of an individual.
Being defended by mountains as well as high lands, they are like the natural warriors of the country with the Bago Yoma Mountain standing tall in the middle.
The famous and mighty Ayeyawaddy River is flowing as the life blood of the nation with the sister rivers namely Chindwin River, Sittaung River, Sanlween River and other rivers running down from north to south.
The head like feature of the country stands out with the snowcapped mountain Khakaborazi with the elevated level of over (19,000) feet rising up in the sky along with Gamlang Razi Mountain, showing the natural beauty.
Natural Gifts
Snowcapped mountains, deep valleys, twists and turns of the rivers and creeks, and all the splendors of lakes large and small can be enjoyed in the country.
We have different types of landscape such as that of dry-zone, plain, wetland area, mountain, mountain range, cliff, coast, littoral zone, shrub-land, forest, rainforest, woodland walks, jungle, moors and rough lands.
The Shan Hills, also known as Shan Highland, elevated (3,000) to (5,000) feet, is a vast mountainous zone that extends through Yunnan to Myanmar and Thailand. The whole region is made up of numerous mountain ranges separated mostly by narrow valleys as well as a few broader intermountain basins.
Inle Lake is in the Shan Hills of Myanmar. At its southwestern edge, Phaung Daw Oo Pagoda with gilded Buddha statues. In the hills, near the market town of Indein, the Shwe Inn Dein Pagoda resembles a field of gold spires.
Myanmar Leg-Rowers are seen at Inle Lake. With an acrobat’s alertness, an Intha fisherman stands upright with one leg locked around a beautiful long oar and the other foot firmly gripping the flat bed of his boat as he rows along the lake.
There are many mountains in Myanmar coming down from Himalayan Mountains standing tall as defence columns with the fertile lands namely Bago Region, Yangon Region and Ayeyawaddy Region. Since the inception of Mighty Ayeyawaddy River, it has created deltic region with excellent soil for cultivation, especially rice crops.
Balanced Prosperity
With all the available rivers and creeks in the whole of the country, many dams and reservoirs have been built, releasing water for cultivation and generating electricity.
Myanmar is well endowed with forests and other natural resources. Forests cover about 40% of the total land area. They are traditionally classified into two categories such as reserved forests and unclassified (or public) forests. Forest exploitation is controlled by law, but the government allows rural communities to use various forest products.
The sea in the southern part of Myanmar has abundant resources and creates fine weather to the country.
With regard to Myanmar gemstones, the first thing that springs to mind is high quality rubies and sapphires from Mogok in the Mandalay Region.
The jade trade in Myanmar consists of the mining, distribution, and manufacture of the variety of jade, called jadeite, which is produced in the nation.
As Myanmar still have plenty of vast lands in the country, it could provide its people with space of comfort without the worrisome of food, clothing and shelter.
By fully utilizing the natural resources with modern technology, the nation is poised for development.
Stability
The boundary demarcations of Myanmar and the geographical condition of the country indicate the fine and secured sovereign status, as a nation requires solid and firm grounds of her territorial integrity. The adorable geographical condition must remain intact for the sovereignty and independence of a nation.
One heart one soul
Sovereignty is the power of a state to do everything necessary to govern itself, such as making, executing, and applying laws; imposing and collecting taxes; making war and peace; and forming treaties or engaging in commerce with foreign nations.
Therefore, the notion of ‘one heart, one soul, one nation forever, one aim, one goal, one determination for all’ must be deeply ingrained in the minds of all the citizens of the country. Let us united and save the beauty of our nation and land from vulnerability so that we stayed on in the land of awesome wonder in the spirit of Union.
Translated by UMT (Ahlon)
