Yangon, formerly and probably better known to many as Rangoon, is the largest city and the commercial capital of Myanmar with a population of about 4.5million. It is situated in the southern part of this country of some 600,000 square miles in the Irrawaddy delta on the Yangon River (See map). Yangon was the official capital of Myanmar form 1948 when Burma gained independence from Britain. It remained the capital until 2005 government suddenly named Nay Pyi Taw, some 160 miles north and located mid-way between Mandalay and Yangon, as the administrative capital of the country and began moving government offices there.
Its name Nay Pyi Taw translates as ‘Royal Capital’ or ‘Seat of Kings’ and it is said that its construction over 5 years was kept secret from even high officials who thought the new city was to be a military base. One Friday afternoon, however, it is reported that civil servants received a call to pack up their offices so that they could be moved to the new capital over the weekend!
Yangon, however, remains the country’s principal seaport and its main commercial, manufacturing and transportation centre. Major products include processed food, wood and metal items but shipbuilding, ship repair and petroleum refining are also important the city’s economy.
The source of the teak seen in Cochin (Although I was told that the teak is first exported to Malaysia since India and Myanmar are not as yet on good terms) was certainly in evidence since the two ships behind the Balmoral were loading huge teak logs from a multitude of lorries. On our travels we were to encounter many such lorries carrying this valuable wood from the northern jungles.
It is said that Myanmar has 25% of the world’s teak but on the scale seen here and witnessed in Cochin one wonders how long this valuable resource will last. One of our guides told us that the Government has now taken steps to conserve and replace this valuable resource.
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