Yangon Region ရန်ကုန်တိုင်းဒေသကြီး Rangoon Region | |
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| Yangon Region | |
 Flag  Seal | |
| Nickname: YGN | |
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| Coordinates:17°0′N96°10′E / 17.000°N 96.167°E /17.000; 96.167 | |
| Country |  Myanmar |
| Region | Lower Myanmar |
| Financial capital | Yangon |
| Government | |
| • Chief Minister | Hla Soe |
| • Cabinet | Yangon Region Government |
| • Legislature | Yangon Region Hluttaw |
| • Judiciary | Yangon Region High Court |
| Area | |
• Total | 10,276.7 km2 (3,967.9 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 14th |
| Highest elevation | 484 m (1,588 ft) |
| Population | |
• Total | 7,360,703 |
| • Rank | 1st |
| • Density | 716.252/km2 (1,855.08/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Yangonite |
| Demographics | |
| • Ethnicities | Bamar,Kayin,Rakhine,Chinese,Indians,Mon |
| • Religions | Buddhism,Christianity,Hinduism,Islam |
| Time zone | UTC+6:30 (MST) |
| ‘Area code(s)' | 01 |
| ISO 3166 code | MM |
| Literacy rate (2019) |  99.98%[2] |
| HDI (2022) | 0.802[3] Very high ·1st |
| Website | yangon |
Yangon Region[4] (Burmese:ရန်ကုန်တိုင်းဒေသကြီး,MLCTS:rankun tuing desa. kri:,pronounced[jàɰ̃ɡòʊɰ̃táɪɰ̃dèθa̰dʑí]; formerlyRangoon Division andYangon Division) is an administrative region ofMyanmar. Located in central Myanmar, the region is bordered byBago Region to the north and east, theGulf of Martaban to the south, andAyeyarwady Region to the west. Yangon Region is dominated by its capital city ofYangon, the former national capital and the largest city in the country. Other important cities areThanlyin andTwante. The division is the most developed region of the country and the main international gateway. The division measures 10,170 km2 (3,930 sq mi).[5]
The region was historically populated by theMon. Politically, the area was controlled byMon kingdoms prior to 1057, and after 1057, with few exceptions, byBurman kingdoms from the north. The control of the region reverted toPegu-based Mon kingdoms in the 13th to 16th centuries (1287–1539) and briefly in the 18th century (1740–57). ThePortuguese were in control of Thanlyin (Syriam) and the surrounding area from 1599 to 1613.[6]
For centuries, Thanlyin was the most important port city in Lower Myanmar until the mid-18th century when KingAlaungpaya chose to enlarge a small village across the river near the greatShwedagon Pagoda named Dagon.[7]
TheBritish first captured Yangon in theFirst Anglo-Burmese War (1824–26) but returned it to Burmese administration after the war. The British seized Yangon and all of Lower Burma in theSecond Anglo-Burmese War of 1852, and subsequently transformed Yangon into the commercial and political hub of British Burma. Yangon was the capital ofBritish Burma and Hanthawaddy Province, which covered today's Yangon and Bago divisions. The British brought in manyIndians to serve as workers and civil servants. By the 1930s, the Indians made up half of Yangon city, and only one-third wasBurmese.
BetweenWorld War I andWorld War II, Yangon was the center of the Burmese nationalist movement. Many future Burmese political figures such asAung San,U Nu,U Thant andNe Win were all one-time Rangoon University students.[8] Yangon Region was underJapanese occupation between April 1942 and May 1945.
After Myanmar gained independence from the United Kingdom in January 1948, the Hanthawaddy Province was renamed Pegu (Bago) Division, with Yangon as its capital. In 1964, Rangoon Division was split from Pegu Division. The capital of Pegu Division was changed from Rangoon toPegu. In June 1974, Hanthawaddy (Hongsavatoi) andHmawbi townships were transferred from Pegu Division to Rangoon Division.[4]
Post-war Yangon grew tremendously. Successive Burmese governments built satellite towns near Yangon. Today, Yangon Region is essentially the Greater Yangon metropolitan area surrounded by a hollow rural hinterland.
There were only four districts in Yangon Region.[9] On 30 April 2022, the provisional government expanded the number of districts to 14 districts. Of the 45 townships in the region, the city of Yangon now encompasses 33 townships.[10][11][12]
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TheYangon Region Government runs the regional government.
TheYangon Region Hluttaw is the region's legislature.
TheYangon Region High Court is the region's highest-level court.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1973 | 3,190,359 | — |
| 1983 | 3,973,626 | +24.6% |
| 2014 | 7,360,703 | +85.2% |
| Source: 2014 Myanmar Census[1] | ||
According to 2014 census report, the population of Yangon region is 7.36 million.[13]Burmese is the primary language used by Burmese of all ethnic backgrounds.English is the mainsecond language among the urban elite of Yangon.[citation needed]
| Ethnic group | Percentage | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bamar | 89.0% | |||
| Other | 5.8% | |||
| Karen | 3.9% | |||
| Rakhine | 1.3% | |||
| Source: 2019GAD township reports | ||||
TheBamar make up the majority of the region's population. The region is also home to a large number ofSouth Asians (mainlyIndians) andBurmese Chinese, in addition to Karen and Rakhine communities..
After the 2014Census in Myanmar, the Burmese government indefinitely withheld release of detailed ethnicity data, citing concerns around political and social concerns surrounding the issue of ethnicity in Myanmar.[14] In 2022, researchers published an analysis of theGeneral Administration Department's nationwide 2018-2019 township reports to tabulate the ethnic makeup of the region.[15][14]
According to the2014 Myanmar Census,Buddhists make up 91% of Yangon Region's population, forming the largest religious community there.[17] Minority religious communities includeChristians (3.2%),Muslims (4.7%), andHindus (1%) who collectively comprise the remainder of Yangon Region's population.[17] 0.1% of the population listed no religion, other religions, or were otherwise not enumerated.[17]
According to theState Sangha Maha Nayaka Committee’s 2016 statistics, 88,442 Buddhist monks were registered in Yangon Region, comprising 16.5% of Myanmar's totalSangha membership, which includes both novicesamanera and fully-ordained bhikkhu.[18] The majority of monks belong to theThudhamma Nikaya (81.2%), followed byShwegyin Nikaya (13.6%), with the remainder of monks belonging to other smallmonastic orders.[18] 16,960thilashin were registered in Yangon Region, comprising 28.1% of Myanmar's total thilashin community, the largest in Myanmar.[18]
Yangon Region is the most developed region in the country. According to the government's official statistics for FY 2010–2011, the size of the economy of Yangon Region was 8.93 trillion kyat, or 23% of thenational GDP.[19] Greater Yangon is Lower Myanmar's main trading hub for all kinds of merchandise – from basic food stuffs to used cars.Bayinnaung Market is the largest wholesale center in the country forrice,beans andpulses, and otheragriculturalcommodities. Much of the country's legal imports and exports go through Thanlyin'sThilawa port, the largest and busiest port in Myanmar. At least 14 lightindustrial zones ring Yangon,[20] employing thousands of workers. Outside Greater Yangon, rice farming remains predominant. Other important crops include jute, pulses, rubber, sugarcane, and groundnut.[5]
Yangon Region has the best transportation infrastructure in the country. All transport to and from the rest of the country (and the world) goes through Yangon. Five "highways" link Yangon to the rest of the country.[21] (To be sure, the definition of highway is loosely used. Most highways are no more than two lane roads.)Yangon International Airport is the main international gateway of the country.Yangon Central Railway Station is a major hub of the 5,068-kilometre (3,149 mi)Myanmar Railways system.Twante Canal, which links Yangon to Ayeyarwady Region, is also widely used for both transport and commerce.
As motor transportation is highly expensive for most people, buses are the main mode of transportation within the division or regions nearby. In January 2008, Yangon Region had nearly 182,000 motor vehicles, 17.7% of the country's total.[22]
Although the city of Yangon has the best education facilities in the country, the educational facilities and opportunities available in the rest of Yangon Region are extremely poor. Many students in rural and poor districts do not finish middle school. According to official statistics, only about 23% of primary school students make it to high school.[23] Most students are enrolled in the public school system. Private schools, which cost at least $8,000 a year in tuition per student, are strictly the preserve of the elite.[24]
| AY 2002-2003 | Primary | Middle | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schools | 2,245 | 240 | 158 |
| Teachers | 15,600 | 10,100 | 3600 |
| Students | 540,000 | 302,000 | 123,000 |
Nearly all of the division's universities are in Greater Yangon.Dagon University inNorth Dagon and theUniversity of East Yangon in Thanlyin are among the largest undergraduate universities in the country. Yangon'sUniversity of Medicine 1, Yangon,University of Medicine 2, Yangon,Yangon Technological University,University of Computer Studies, Yangon and Thanlyin'sMyanmar Maritime University are among the most selective universities in Myanmar.[25]
TheUniversity of West Yangon inHtantabin and theOfficers Training School inHmawbi are two major institutions of higher education outside Greater Yangon.
The general state of health care in Myanmar is poor. The military government spends anywhere from 0.5% to 3% of the country's GDP on health care, consistently ranking among the lowest in the world.[26][27] Although health care is nominally free, in reality, patients have to pay for medicine and treatment, even in public clinics and hospitals. Public hospitals lack many of the basic facilities and equipment. Still, Yangon Region has the best medical facilities and personnel available in the country. The following is a summary of the public health system in the division, in the fiscal year 2002-2003.[28]
| 2002–2003 | # Hospitals | # Beds |
|---|---|---|
| Specialist hospitals | 9 | 3,800 |
| General hospitals with specialist services | 8 | 3,220 |
| General hospitals | 26 | 1,055 |
| Health clinics | 24 | 384 |
| Total | 67 | 8,459 |
Places adjacent to Yangon Region | |
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Capital:Yangon | |||||||||||||||||||
| Taikkyi District |  | ||||||||||||||||||
| Hlegu District | |||||||||||||||||||
| Hmawbi District | |||||||||||||||||||
| Yangon |
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| Thanlyin District | |||||||||||||||||||
| Twante District | |||||||||||||||||||
| Main cities and towns | |||||||||||||||||||
1 - partially in Yangon city;2 - part of Yangon city | |||||||||||||||||||
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"MM".
