Like many countries that became independent from their colonial rulers, the nation formerly known as Burma changed its name in the latter half of the twentieth century. The country’s name was changed to Myanmar in 1989 after a military coup toppled the ruling totalitarian Burma Socialist Programme Party. However, the symbolic meaning of the name change continues to cause controversy worldwide. The names Myanma and Bama are used for different purposes: the former in written language; the latter in spoken. Currently, two names have been existed concurrently, and are derived from the name of the largest ethnic group in Burma. You want to search for when did Burma become Myanmar, this article will adapt your purpose.
When did burma become myanmar?
Burma was the English name for the country dating back to the earlier years of the colonial period – around the mid-eighteenth century. The English adopted the name from the Portuguese name for the country, Birmania. The Portuguese word was likely a derivative of the colloquial word Bama, which was the name of the largest ethnic group in the region.
Bama itself is thought to be a derivative of the name Myanma, a term intermittently used for the country as early as 1235 CE. Though Myanma was not the only name used for the country over the centuries, a few anti-colonial independence groups resurrected the moniker from historical obscurity in the 1920s. To them, Myanma reflected their anti-colonial sentiments because it represented a time when the country ruled itself rather than being under foreign colonial rule. However, the mainstream independence movement did not adopt such a stance and instead used Bama, the more commonly-known term.
After its independence in 1948, the country underwent a series of military coups throughout the 60s, 70s, and 80s. Most regimes used Burma in their version of the country’s official name until 1989, when the coupled by General Saw Maung decided to change the English name to Myanmar. The regime justified the change by stating that Myanmar was more inclusive of minority ethnicities and cultures compared to Burma, a name which was derived from the name of the ethnic majority. Despite the reasonable justification, many opponents of the regime felt that it was wrong to change the official name of the country without seeking a vote from the people.
After the name was officially changed to “The Republic of the Union of Myanmar” in the late 1980s, many groups inside the country objected—and many foreigners became confused. To make matters worse, some countries today—mostly those where the English language dominates, including the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States—still refuse to officially recognize the no-longer-new name. Some believe the reason has been that these governments do not wish to add legitimacy to a military junta that oppresses its people, or because they wish to lend their support to pro-democracy ethnic and political groups inside Myanmar. These internal groups don’t recognize their government, and therefore do not believe it has the authority to change the country’s name.
The then-ruling military junta changed the name in 1989. The junta claimed both that Burma was a colonially imposed name and, as this newspaper explained in 2013, that it “had an ethnic-supremacist tinge since it referred to the ‘Burman’ majority”. Some countries recognised the change. Others, such as the US and the UK, did not. In fact, both names are used in the country however, Burma is more popular, Myanmar is more solemn.
Burma or Myanmar: The Controversy
While certain organizations (such as the United Nations) adopted the new name right away, other countries and organizations refused to use the new name in any official capacity in protest of the new regime. To this day, both the United States and United Kingdom use Burma in official government documents. In 2012, President Obama had a trip to the country, he departed from this convention by calling the country Myanmar. In his opinion, he supposed that the ability of Myanmar country. Maybe Obama had faith that the dictatorship would slowly evolve into a liberal democracy.
Burmese Nobel Peace Prize-winning activist (and current Foreign Minister and State Counsellor) Aung San Suu Kyi has openly announced that she does not care whether foreign diplomats and governments use either Burma or Myanmar since the country’s constitution does not mandate either name. Nevertheless, more and more governments and large news organizations are shifting towards using Myanmar exclusively.
Alongside countries such as India and Indonesia, Myanmar’s government has made strides to replace names that they consider to be colonial hand-me-downs. Like most post-colonial name changes, Myanmar’s is not without controversy. But as more time passes from the switchover, more people and institutions are embracing the new name as a gesture of optimism and hope for the country’s future prosperity.
To take challenges, the government has many policies to embark on social and economic reform in Myanmar. Finishing the opened market processing, many industry sectors changed. One of the most developed fields is tourism as it takes many useful from nature. In the world, there are many countries have changed name after happening the big event in the history such as Russia and the Czech Republic. You can ask the local people what is the meaning of the story behind name changes. When you have plan travel to new places, you should search for the information on the country’s government and culture such as the data when did Burma become Myanmar.
What are the most popular places in Myanmar?
Yangon
The largest city in Myanmar – Yangon is known as the city without motorcycles, the main means are only cars and buses. Yangon is one of the most popular destinations for tourists to Myanmar by its friendly people, multicolored culture, ideal visiting spots.
Like the other monument in Myanmar, architecture in this ancient capital of Yangon is boldly the color of Buddhism – the main religion of more than 80% of Myanmar’s population. The Buddha’s towers are everywhere, they are very beautiful and the most famous is Shwedagon Pagoda. Shwedagon is a totally splendid Pagoda with the main tower of 99 meters high. The temple has a dome with 8 tons of gold so Shwedagon is also called “Golden Pagoda”. Around the main temple are 64 small pagodas. There are 4 entrances leading to the main temple, each with a large pair of lions guarding it. In the temple, many places such as the background, the sanctuary, the pattern are decorated with thousands of diamonds, gold, emerald, ruby, sapphire and many other gemstones. In the mind of Myanmar’s people, the Shwedagon is not only a sacred place of worship but also a national pride.
In addition, Yangon has two large lakes, Inya Lake and Kandawgyi Lake. Inya Lake is larger but more famous is Kandawgyi Lake. Dawn and sunset here offer an extremely beautiful and brilliant view from the wooden bridge to Shwedagon Pagoda. Not a bustling or modern city, but Yangon is an ideal place for a tranquil holiday or relaxing vacations.
Bagan
The ancient Bagan city was the royal capital of Burma thousands of years ago. Owns a distinctive beauty, Bagan is located nearby the Ayeyarwady River, where dense concentration of temples, pagodas, and sanctuaries. There are five famous temples in Bagan, including Ananda Phaya, Dhamma Yangyi, Sulamani Pahto, Thatbyinnyu Pahto and especially Shwezigon Golden Temple.
Bagan is very peaceful. Getting to Bagan, you have to try horse riding and cycling once to experience a unique adventure, to immerse your soul into the old timeless feeling of the ancient capital. Bagan possesses a glorious history behind the dense red dust. The temples in Bagan are endlessly spread all over, through the ups and downs of the thousand years that are still there. If Angkor exhibits its subtlety in rocks and bricks, Bagan is glistening in the dust and immense walls that are intact over time.
In Bagan, temples still retain their original beauty despite disaster or time. The climate in Bagan is dry, so the buildings are better preserved in humid climates. The temples are restored very skillfully, technically reconciled backward by the hands of the Myanmar people. To them, this work is not a restoration of an ancient ancestral building, but rather an expression of respect for the Buddha.
In this ancient land, the most wonderful moment is probably dawn and sunset. Because dawn and sunset are the most sacred or because it is the best time to wander by romantic soul, to look and take pictures. The best time in the year to admire sunlight here should be from November to March. In this season, the sky is very clear. You can climb a high place or take a ride with hot air balloon to admire the panorama of beautiful Bagan, breathtaking scenery of this sacred land.
Mandalay
Mandalay is located in central Myanmar, 716 kilometers North of Yangon. Beautiful city on the banks of the romantic Ayeyarwady River, at the foot of the hill of the same name. From Yangon, if traveling by car, it takes nearly 2 days. It is best to go by plane, a little expensive but save time.
Compared with many other capitals in the world, Mandalay has a slower pace of life. It is not vibrant, but quiet, tranquil. There are many beautiful temples here, most notably the Mahamuni Pagoda, also known as Payagi, Big Paya, Rakhang Paya.
Besides, going to Mandalay, visitors cannot miss watching the sunset on U Bein bridges in the suburbs. This is the longest and oldest bridge in the world made of wood. The 1,200-meter-long bridge over Taungthaman Lake contains 1,086 pillars, 482 spans and thousands of planks which were removed from homes in Sagaing and Inwa for transportation. Moreover, you can take a boat ride to see the freshwater dolphin on the Ayeyarwady River or to see the 90-ton Mingun bell or Mya Nan San Kyaw – meaning “the great royal palace in gold”. Then, let’s find a high place and look away. From there, you can admire the tower of gold or silver iridescent, highlight among peaceful village.
