A brutal military dictatorship has kept Burma isolated and off the tourist trail with democracy campaigners urging a boycott of the country. If you do decide to visit Burma, you'll find a unique country with a rich historical heritage and some quite spectacular Buddhist monuments. Rangoon's Shwedagon Pagoda, the Golden Rock of Kyaiktiyo and the pagoda-filled landscapes of Pagan are some of the country's most beautiful sights. Burma conjures up a sense of mystery and exploration, no more so than sailing up the Irrawaddy River to the evocative and fascinating city of Mandalay. Explore in depth highlights of Burma.
| Tours | Unesco WHS | Guidebooks |
|---|---|---|
| groups tours with set departures |
World Heritage Sites | country, regions and cities |
| Time zone: | GMT +6.5 (Burma standard time) | Daylight savings: None |
|---|
| Main languages: | Burmese |
|---|
| Currency: |
kyats (MMK) €1 = K1381, $1 = K0.00, £1 = K0.00 (rates as of Sep 2016) |
|---|
| Internet Domain: | .mm | International Dialling Code: 95 |
|---|
For help planning your trip to Burma including visas, vaccinations, currency exchange, flights, accomodation and insurance, see our Burma trip planning page.
Further information on Burma
Discover more about Burma - the country's geogrpahy and natural features, an assessment of its status on freedom and rights and data on the country's population and economy.
Geography & Natural Features
Total area: 678,500 sq km (20,760 sq km under water)
Coastline: 1,930 km (Andaman Sea, Bay of Bengal)
Neighbours (border lengths): Bangladesh (193km), China (2,185km), India (1,463km), Laos (235km), Thailand (1,800km)
Climate: Tropical monsoon climate with cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September) and less cloudy with scant rainfall, mild temperatures and lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April). It is prone to cyclones and earthquakes, with flooding and landslides in the rainy season.
Highest mountain: Hkakabo Razi (5,881m)
Freedom & Rights
Summary status and rankings for Burma from classifications of different organisations measuring political and economic freedom, democracy and civil rights. See more details of these rankings.
| Index | Status | Rank | |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Freedom in the World | Not Free | - |
 | Democracy Index | Authoritarian regime | 141/167 |
 | Economic Freedom | Repressed | 161/179 |
 | Press Freedom | Difficult situation | 142/179 |
 | ILGA LGBT rights | No rights | - |
 | Corruption Perceptions | High corruption | 156/174 |
| Overall Ranking: | 177/195 | ||
Other Data & Links
Full name: Union of Burma Status: Independent Country
Population: 55,746,253 (rank: 24/196) Density: 82.1 people/sq km (rank: 96/196)
Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%
Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist 1%, other 2%
GDP (PPP): $111.1 billion GDP per capita: $1,700 (rank: 169/195)
Information derived from the CIA World Factbook. Other country profiles: BBC News.