Myanmar - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Myanmar. Strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes; the north-south flowing Irrawaddy River is the country's largest and most important commercial waterway. Mother's mean age at first birth is 24.7 years (2015/16 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 25-49), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 185 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Geographical data of Myanmar
Location Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
Geographic coordinates 22 00 N, 98 00 E
Map references Southeast Asia
Tarrain central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Natural Resources petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas, hydropower, arable land
Natural Hazards destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts
Irrigated Land 17,140 sq km (2020)
Major rivers (by length in km) Mekong (shared with China [s], Laos, Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam [m]) - 4,350 km; Salween river mouth (shared with China [s] and Thailand) - 3,060 km; Irrawaddy river mouth (shared with China [s]) - 2,809 km; Chindwin - 1,158 km

note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 6,522 km
Border Countries Bangladesh 271 km; China 2,129 km; India 1,468 km; Laos 238 km; Thailand 2,416 km
Coastline 1,930 km
Climate tropical monsoon; 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)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 653,508 sq km
Water Area 23,070 sq km
comparative Area slightly smaller than Texas
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Gamlang Razi 5,870 m
Lowest point Andaman Sea/Bay of Bengal 0 m
Mean elevation 702 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 19.9% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 16.8% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 2.3% (2022 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 0.7% (2022 est.)
Forest 42.8% (2022 est.)
Other 37.3% (2022 est.)
Population Distribution

Population concentrated along coastal areas and in general proximity to the shores of the Irrawaddy River; the extreme north is relatively underpopulated

People and Society

In Myanmar, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Burman (Bamar) 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Indian 2%, Mon 2%, other 5%

Population
Pop growth rate 0.71% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 15.7 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate