Myanmar Population and People
● Myanmar’s population stands at an estimated 54 millions. The majority of the population (68%) are Burmese-speaking Bamars, the San ( 9%), the Karen, the Chin..others.
● What makes a country is not merely its geography, but more its people. While it is true that Myanmar has breathtaking historical sites you don’t want to miss, its real charm resides in its people.
● Apart from its devout practice of Theravada Buddhism, Myanmar is also known for its ethnic diversity and warm hospitality
● Myanmar has great sights to explore, but you may find that one of the main highlights of your journey is your interaction with local people. We hope that when you visit Myanmar, you will get to know the people there in a more personal way and be entranced by their hospitality and diversity.
Myanmar Language
● The official language is Burmese, spoken by the people of the plains and, as a second language, by most people of the hills.
● During the colonial period, English became the official language, but Burmese continued as the primary language in all other settings.
● Burmese is a tonal, pitch-register, and syllable-timed language,largely monosyllabic and analytic, with a subject–object–verb word order. It is a member of the Lolo-Burmese grouping of the Sino-Tibetan language family. The Burmese alphabet is ultimately descended from a Brahmic script, either Kadamba or Pallava.
Religion in Myanmar
● Officially there is no state religion in Myanmar, but in practice the vast majority adhere to Theravada Buddhism – which is given a special position of importance in Burmese society
● Myanmar is the world’s most religious Buddhist country in terms of money spent on religion and proportion of monks in the population, and it is estimated that around 89% of the population are Theravada Buddhists.
● Monks (and to a lesser extent, nuns) are given an extremely high position in society, and it is part of Burmese culture to donate food and alms to them in order to accrue merit – which in turn brings about good karma for the giver.
● Others to mentioned : Nat worship, Islam ( ~4% population ), Christianity ( ~4% ), Hinduism…
A brief history of Myanmar
● Myanmar is a country founded on history and heritage. From the British colonial era to when it becomes independent in 1948 , Myanmar has seen some tough times. At its Golden Era when an assortment of progressive kingdoms ruled this region long before it became Burma. The Pagan Dynasty was the first kingdom to unify the regions as one.
● From 1824-1885 the British took steps to conquer the country and colonial rule brought in a large India population as civil servants as well as a hefty contingency of Chinese traders.
● WWI saw the Japanese join forces with Burma to drive out the British and declare independence. However, Burma ended up switching back to the Allies to drive out the Japanese by the end of the war after losing faith with the country.
● Socialist General Ne Win led a coup in 1962 and nationalised everything in his path, effectively crippling the economy of the country and stirring mass demonstrations from the people.
● In 1988, huge conflicts occurred between pro-democracy demonstrators and the military, resulting in thousands of deaths. The Buddhist monks condemned the dictatorship and finally Ne Win had to go.
● A final landmark was the 2015 elections which marked the first democratically elected government in more than 50 years.
