Upper Myanmar (Burmese:အထက်မြန်မာပြည် orမြန်မာပြည်အထက်ပိုင်း, also calledUpper Burma) is one of two geographic regions inMyanmar, the other beingLower Myanmar. Located in the country's centre and north stretches, Upper Myanmar encompasses six inland states and regions, includingMandalay,Sagaing,Magway Regions, andChin,Kachin andShan States. By contrast, Lower Myanmar encompasses the southern and coastal-facing regions of Myanmar. Upper Myanmar is home to several distinct cultural regions, including the homeland of theBamar in the low-lying central plains, and those of theChin,Kachin, andShan peoples in the highlands. Home to over 23 million people, the region's agricultural sector, natural resources, and shared borders with India, China, and Thailand have made Upper Myanmar a major economic hub. Four ofMyanmar's ten largest cities—Mandalay,Taunggyi,Monywa, andMyitkyina—are located in the region.

Upper Myanmar is geographically diverse, bounded by theHimalayas andTibetan Plateau to the north, and theArakan Mountains to the west, the latter of which separates this region fromRakhine State in Lower Myanmar. Upper Myanmar is home to the country's highest peak,Hkakabo Razi. The region is bisected by the country's primary river, theIrrawaddy River, which runs throughout the length of the country. The eastern stretches of Upper Myanmar are surrounded by the Shan Hills, and theThanlwin River, which separates parts of Myanmar from China and Thailand. The low-lying central plains (also dubbed the 'Irrawaddy Basin') between the Arakan Mountains and Shan Hills are predominantly inhabited by the Bamar, while theShan Hills are inhabited by various Shan-speaking ethnic groups and other minorities.

In 1044, KingAnawratha establishedPagan Kingdom in present day Upper Myanmar region. After Mongol invasion and the collapse of Pagan Kingdom, it becameMyinsaing Kingdom. In 1313 and 1315, the regency was divided into two Kingdoms. The northern part of Upper Myanmar region becameSagaing Kingdom and southern part of the region becamePinya Kingdom. Sagaing Kingdom and Pinya Kingdom reunited asAva Kingdom in 1326. Ava Kingdom was divided into three provinces; Ava, Prome and Toungoo.Prome Kingdom andToungoo Dynasty became independence from Ava Kingdom in 1482 and 1510 respectively. The newly independent Toungoo Dynasty conquered Prome Kingdom in 1542 and Ava Kingdom in 1555. Ava became a province of Toungoo Dynasty. During late 17th century, Prome and Toungoo provinces were merged into Ava province. In 1762, Ava province became a province ofKonbaung Dynasty with the name of Upper province (အညာ). After the loss ofSecond Anglo-Burmese war, British annexedProme andToungoo from Upper province. After the fall of Konbaung Dynasty in 1885, British divided Upper province into three new division;Magwe Division,Mandalay Division andSagaing Division. British also added Chin mountains into Magwe Division and Kachin mountains into Sagaing Division. After independence in 1948, the Burmese government establishedKachin State and Chin Special Division.^{[citation needed]}

The term 'Upper Burma' was first used by theBritish to refer to the central and northern areas of what is nowmodern-day Myanmar, a division that accentuated between 1852 and 1885.^[1] After theSecond Anglo-Burmese War of 1852,Lower Burma was annexed by theBritish Empire, while Upper Burma remained independent under theKonbaung empire until theThird Anglo-Burmese War of 1885. Historically, Upper Burma was predominantlyBurman (whereas Lower Myanmar was historicallyMon-speaking until the early 19th century), while the Frontier Areas, as designated by the colonial administration, included areas inhabited by ethnic minorities, such as modernKachin State andChin State.

In the aftermath of the2021 Myanmar coup d'état, Upper Myanmar, including the Bamar heartland, has become a major centre of anti-military resistance and fighting in the ongoingMyanmar civil war (2021–present), due to the presence ofPeople's Defence Forces andethnic armed organisations.^[2]

Upper Myanmar continues to be used as a geographic designation with respect to government administration and legislation. The national government'sMinistry of Home Affairs invokes separate land and revenue laws for Upper and Lower Myanmar.^[3][4] Myanmar's national weather agency, the Department of Meteorology and Hydrology, has a dedicated sub-department for Upper Myanmar.^[5] Likewise, the country's civil service commission, theUnion Civil Service Board, operates separate civil service academies for Upper and Lower Myanmar.^[6][7] Until 2015, Myanmar'sDepartment of Higher Education was divided into separate departments to support tertiary schools in Upper and Lower Myanmar.

Parts of Kachin and Shan States remain contested; they are administered to varying degrees by the central government as well as numerous non-state actors likeethnic armed organisations. Upper Myanmar is also home to all of the country'sself-administered zones:Danu,Kokang,Naga,Pa Laung,Pa'O, andWa.

Anya (အညာ,lit. 'upstream', also spelt Anyar), the Bamar heartland, is situated around the low-lying central plains of theChindwin andIrrawaddy Rivers that now compriseSagaing,Magway, andMandalay regions.^[8][9][10] The region has been the homeland of the predominantly BuddhistBamar people for over a millennium. The Anya region (အညာဒေသ) is often called the 'CentralDry Zone' in English due to its paucity of rainfall and reliance on water irrigation.^[10] For 1,100 years, this region was home to a series ofBurmese royal capitals, until the British annexation of Upper Burma (the last remaining part of theKonbaung Kingdom) in 1885.^[8] Bamar from this region are calledanyar thar (အညာသား) in Burmese, while their counterparts fromLower Myanmar are calledauk tha (အောက်သား).^[11]

Agricultural cultivation is a mainstay in Upper Myanmar. The region's proximity to major undammed rivers has also made it the site of manyhydropower dams. Natural resources also play a big role in the economy, including extraction of timber (includingTeak), precious gems (including jade, rubies, sapphires and gems), metals and minerals (including silver, lead, zinc, and gold, barite).^[12][13][14] Sharing of natural resources remains primary factor driving armed conflict in many parts of Upper Myanmar.^[15] Upper Myanmar is also home to controversial economic projects, including theMyitsone Dam andLetpadaung Copper Mine.^[16][17] Upper Myanmar's contested border regions, particularly theGolden Triangle andWa State, are also major global producers ofmethamphetamines andopium.^[18][19]

The Central Dry Zone in Upper Myanmar cultivates 35% of the country's grain crops and occupies two-thirds of arable land in the country.^[20][21] However, the region is remains food insecure, and is the most water-stressed region of the country, due to lack of regular rainfall (the lowest in the country, at 500–1,000 mm (20–39 in)), inequitable distribution of water, andclimate change, which has intensified droughts in the region.^[21][22] 80% of the land there is used to grow pulses (e.g.,chickpea,black gram,mung bean, etc.), legumes, sesame, and sunflower.^[22][23] Shan State cultivates most of Myanmar's soybeans.

Upper Myanmar is a major hub forborder trade due to its shared borders with India, China, Laos and Thailand. The region is home to all five of Myanmar's official border gates with China (i.e.,Muse,Chinshwehaw,Lweje,Kanpaikti, andKyaingtong), one of seven border gates with Thailand (i.e.,Tachileik), and both border gates with India (Tamu andRikhawdar).^[24] In 2022, total trade volume at these gates stood at US$2.7 billion.^[24]

According to the2014 Myanmar Census, Upper Myanmar had a population of 23,354,199, who make up 46% of the country's population.^[25] 75% of residents in Upper Myanmar live in rural townships. 75% of the population in Upper Myanmar lives in Mandalay and Sagaing Regions, and Shan State.

State / Region	Urban	Rural	Total	%
Mandalay Region	2,143,436	4,022,287	6,165,723	26%
Shan State	1,395,847	4,428,585	5,824,432	25%
Sagaing Region	911,335	4,414,012	5,325,347	23%
Magway Region	588,031	3,329,024	3,917,055	17%
Kachin State	592,368	1,050,473	1,642,841	7%
Chin State	99,809	378,992	478,801	2%
Total	5,730,826	17,623,373	23,354,199	100%

25°N96°E / 25°N 96°E /25; 96

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• Geography of Myanmar

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