Yangon Travel Package Tours, Myanmar Tour Information Hotel Guide

YANGON OVERVIEW

Yangon, formerly Rangoon, is the largest city and former capital of Myanmar (previously known as Burma). The city is located at the convergence of the Yangon and Bago Rivers about 30 km away from the Gulf of Martaban. At 16�48' North, 96�09' East , its standard time zone is UTC/GMT +6:30 hours. In November 2005, the military junta began relocating the capital to Naypyidaw, Mandalay Division which was officially named as the new capital on 26 March 2006. Yangon is a combination of the two words yan and koun, which mean "enemies" and "run out of" respectively. It is also translated as "end of strife". "Rangoon" most likely comes from the British corruption of the pronunciation of "Yangon" in the Arakanese dialect of Burmese. The city is the most developed place in the country with trains routes, car roads, traffic lights, government buildings, private and government banks, post offices, some internet cafes, mini markets, markets, bus stations, boat piers, pagodas, schools and colleges and universities, hospitals, hotels and many private businesses, foreign embassies, religious buildings, gardens, etc. Yangon ports and custom houses and warehouses are among the largest in the country. Plenty of buildings and roads have been developed during the last two decades, 1980's to 2000's. Many of these have been built without careful planning and cooperation, and hence there have been problems such as too narrow or small staircases, lack of waste disposal systems, lack of cultural and environmental consideration, bad appearance, and so on. Colonical era buildings most of which are now government departments could be seen along the Yangon river in the southern part (the down town) of the city. Three kinds of roads were incorporated into the design. Roads running west to east were broad roads 160 feet wide. Roads running south consisted of two small 30 feet wide roads, one medium-sized road 50 feet wide, two more 35 feet wide roads and then one broad 100 feet wide road. This order was repeated from west to east. The smaller roads were numbered, while the medium and broad roads were given names, some for eminent persons of that time.

History
Yangon was founded as Dagon in the 500s by the Mon, who had dominated the lower portions of present-day Myanmar at the time. Dagon was a small fishing village centred about the Shwedagon Pagoda. In 1753, King Alaungpaya conquered Lower Burma, and renamed Dagon, "Yangon". The city was destroyed by a fire in 1841, and suffered extensive damage in the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852. The British Empire seized Yangon in 1852 and transformed it into the commercial and political hub of Burma, and Anglicized the name to "Rangoon." As Lower Burma became integrated into British India, the city's present boundaries were established, with the Cantonment's streets paved in a chessboard fashion along the eastern banks of the Yangon River following the Second Anglo-Burmese War, planned by military engineers Fraser and Montgomerie, and developed by the Public Works Department and the Bengal Corps of Engineers. In addition, the British introduced a westernised educational system to Burma, establishing major colleges, such as Government College and the Theological College for Karens. In addition, many religiously-affiliated boarding schools were built to teach English, Anglo-Burmese and Christian Karen children. During the colonial period, Rangoon's main industries were rice and timber, although other exports, such as raw cotton, precious stones, cheroots, and ivory were also exported. By the early 1900s, Rangoon had public services and infrastructure on par with London. A view from the Custom House on Dalhousie Street showing the extent of the damage in Rangoon during World War II.Rangoon was heavily damaged by an earthquake and tsunami in 1930, and again during World War II. After the war, it retained its position as capital of Myanmar. Before WWII, Indians formed the majority in Rangoon; after independence, the population became more Bamar.. Because of the dismantling of the colonial policies that encouraged Indian and Chinese immigration, as well as the departure of most of the Caucasian population with its intermixing with the local Bamar, the presence of these ethnicities has dwindled significantly. The English name Rangoon was officially changed in 1989 to Yangon, at the same time as many names throughout the country were changed. While this change does reflect the correct pronunciation of the city in the local dialect, it was nonetheless controversial because the military junta that changed the name is not officially recognised as legitimate by some governments and citizens. For example, the United States government still maintains the usage of the old names of "Rangoon" and "Burma". At the same time, street names were changed to Burmese names. However, many locals continue to use British names for major streets. In 1996, to protect some colonial buildings under government jurisdiction, the Burmese government devised a "Heritage List", of buildings to preserve. Yangon was the site of the World Buddhist Summit in December 2004, which was attended by over 1,000 monks and world leaders including Thaksin Shinawatra, Prime Minister of Thailand. On 6 November 2005, the junta began its move from Yangon to the newly-developed city of Naypyidaw, 320 km north in Mandalay Division. The motives for this were unclear, although it has been suggested that the regime moved further inland for a better position in the event of an Iraq-style invasion. Other theories include easier control of Karen, Shan, and Chin States, and that the regime wanted a capital free from foreign telecommunications. As of mid-2006, residents living in certain townships of Yangon have been required to hang family photographs for security purposes. Likewise, residents of Yangon must keep a list of family members. Visitors and guests living in the homes of Yangon residents must register with local authorities prior to moving in.

Economy
Yangon is the economic centre of Myanmar. Major economy of the satellite townships surrounding the city is agriculture with rice as their main crop. There are many industries such as food processing, textile, house furnishing, chemical, stationary and printing, ceramics, metal and engineering. Many service related companies, brokerage companies, import-export and man power suppliers are also based in Yangon.