This is manifested in its language, cuisine, music, dance and theatre. Bamar culture has been influenced by the cultures of neighbouring countries. Several strains of Hinduism existed alongside both Theravada Buddhism and Mahayana Buddhism in the Mon and Pyu period in the first millennium, and down to the Pagan period (9th to 13th centuries) when "Saivite and Vaishana elements enjoyed greater elite influence than they would later do.Burmese folk religion is practiced by many Bamars alongside Buddhism.Ī diverse range of indigenous cultures exist in Myanmar, the majority culture is primarily Buddhist and Bamar. According to the 2010 estimates of the Pew Research Center, 7% of the population is Christian 4% is Muslim 1% follows traditional animisticbeliefs and 2% follow other religions, including Mahayana Buddhism, Hinduism, and East Asian religions.Jehovah's Witnesses have been present since 1914 and have about 80 congregations around the country and a branch office in Yangon publishing in 16 languages.A tiny Jewish community in Rangoon had a synagogue but no resident rabbi to conduct services.Īlthough Hinduism is practised by 0.5% of the population, it was a major religion in Myanmar's past. Other religions are practised largely without obstruction, with the notable exception of some religious minorities such as the Rohingya people, who have continued to have their citizenship status denied and treated as illegal immigrants instead, and Christians in Chin State.Īccording to 2014 census, 6.2% of the population identifies as Christian 4.3% as Muslim 0.8% as followers of tribal religions 0.5% as Hindus 0.2% as followers of other religions and 0.1% follow no religion.
Theravāda Buddhism is the most widespread. According to 2014 Myanmar Census, 87.9% of the population identifies as Buddhists. More than 200,000 Muslims have fled to Bangladesh over the last 20 years to escape persecution.Ī large majority of the population practices Buddhism estimates range from 80%[ to 89%. Such persecution and targeting of civilians is particularly notable in Eastern Myanmar, where over 3000 villages have been destroyed in the past ten years. The Christian and Muslim populations do, however, face religious persecution and it is hard, if not impossible, for non-Buddhists to join the army or get government jobs, the main route to success in the country. Religious edifices and orders have been in existence for many years. It cant also be denied that the time when Burma as known in those years were used as a part of the overland route from China to India, different words and languages were taught or just passed to the natives. All of these were acquired from the many different conquerors and colonizing parties that have plunged in Myanmar. Most of the formed words used in Myanmar language are loaned from other languages. These are derived from the early scripts of Phavi from the South of India. The official Myanmar language’s alphabet is made up of 10 vowels and 32 consonants. It is also tonal, just like any other Tiberto-Chinese languages. The Burmese language is a monosyllabic language. This percentage though, still speaks in different pronunciation that varies from area to area. Imagine how can 45 Million of people discover and use 111 languages to each other? That is not supposed to be taken as a mere probability as that is actually happening in the great country of Myanmar! Around 80% of the overall population of Myanmar speaks in Burmese, the official Myanmar language. Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1997.
Its capital city is Naypyitaw and its largest city and former capital city is Yangon (Rangoon). Myanmar is 676,578 square kilometers (261,227 sq mi) in size. The country's 2014 census counted a much lower population than expected, with 51 million people recorded. To its south, about one third of Myanmar's total perimeter of 5,876 km (3,651 miles) forms an uninterrupted coastline of 1,930 km (1,200 mi) along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Myanmar is bordered by India and Bangladesh to its west, Thailand and Laos to its east, and China to its north and northeast.
Myanmar officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in the region of Southeast Asia.