Yangon (Rangoon) is the capital city of Myanmar. Yangon was founded as Dagon in the 500's by the Mon, who dominated the lower portions of present-day Myanmar at the time. Dagon was a small fishing village centred around the Shwedagon Pagoda. Legend says that the pagoda was built during the lifetime of Gautama Buddha, after he gave eight of his hairs to two travelling merchant brothers to take back to Myanmar. In 1755, King Alaungpaya (the founder of Kon-Baung Dynasty) accomplished his military campaign to reunite the whole of Myanmar, following his conquest of Dagon. Accordingly, he renamed the town Yangon which is translated as "End of Strife". Etymology Yangon is a combination of the two words “yan” and “koun”, which mean "enemies" and "run out of" respectively. The city was destroyed by a fire in 1841. The British Empire seized Yangon in 1852, transformed it into the commercial and political hub of Burma and the name also was changed to Rangoon. "Rangoon" most likely comes from the British imitation of the pronunciation of "Yangon" in the Rakhine dialect of the Burmese language. The name of Rangoon was officially changed in 1989 to Yangon.
Yangon has an equatorial monsoon climate with three distinct seasons: an extremely humid and hot rainy season from June to October, a cooler and drier "winter" from November to February and the hot and dry season starts from the beginning of March up until the end of May. The average daily temperatures in Yangon (Rangoon) range from 18°C (64°F) to 32°C (90°F) in January, during the cool season, and from 24°C (75°F) to 36°C (97°F) in April, during the hot season.
Yangon is the country’s main center for trade, industry, real estate, media, entertainment and tourism. Much of the country’s legal imports and exports go through Thilawa Port, the largest and busiest port in Myanmar. The city is usually vibrant with many different commercial enterprises emanating from the delta area, which is the rice bowl of Myanmar. The city’s major industries: iron and steel sheet, aluminum, rubber, textiles, soap, food-processing and clothing-manufacturing establishments. The central area of the city contains the commercial district of banks, trading corporations, and offices, as well as shops, brokerage houses, and bazaars.
All international air travel arrives at the Yangon International Airport, which is located about 19 km (12 miles) from Downtown Yangon. There are over 250 bus lines running around Yangon, buses are cramped with daily commuters. Buses are normally operated by the state-owned Road Transport Enterprise. Smaller pick-up trucks that have been converted into passenger transport vehicles are also available, with rows of seats installed in the back. Taxis are plenty in Yangon, they are cheap and affordable, but do not have meters. Trishaws are the cheapest and most convenient mean to get through the whole city. Yangon is a busy city and travelling during the office hours may have heavy traffic.
Yangon has the best educational facilities and the highest number of qualified teachers in Myanmar where state spending on education is among the lowest in the world. The disparity in educational opportunities and achievement between rich and poor schools is quite stark even within the city. Yangon University is the most well-known university in the country. Established in 1878 as an affiliate of University of Calcutta, Rangoon College was operated and managed by the British. Yangon attracts many students from around the country in its universities. The city's University of Medicine 1, University of Medicine 2, Yangon Technological University, Yangon University of Computer Studies and Yangon Institute of Marine Technology are the most selective in the country.
The charm of Yangon is enhanced by the many colonial buildings that stand like monuments near the river or sprawl in red-bricked Victorian splendour. Most of them are now government-owned office buildings that have been included on a heritage list, which gives official protected status to nearly 200 structures in Yangon.
The Shwedagon Pagoda, situated on a small hill, is visible from all parts of the city and is considered one of the most magnificent monuments on earth. It was described by Rudyard Kipling as, "a beautiful, winking wonder" because it's stupa is plated with 8,000 solid gold slabs and it's tip set with diamonds, rubies, sapphires and topaz. A huge emerald in the middle of the stupa catches the first and last rays of the sun. Eight hairs of the Buddha and other relics are said to be enshrined in this pagoda.
Other tourist attractions include" the 70-metre long Reclinging Buddha of Chauk-tat-gyi Pagoda, Mahawizaya Pagoda, Kandawgyi Lake, Kaba Aye (World Peace) Pagoda, Nga-tat-gyi Pagoda, Lawka Chantha Abhaya Labbha Muni Buddha Image, National Museum, Zoological Garden, Bogyoke Aung San Park, People' Square and People's Park.
The Bogyoke Aung San Market is the most popular market and a great tourist destination in Yangon. The market was first built and inaugurated on the present premises in 1926. It was named Scott Market after Mr. C. Scott, the then Municipal Commissioner. Nowadays, it is called Bogyoke Aung San Market in honour of our national leader General Aung San who was assassinated in 1947.
Yangon’s most notable temple, the Shwedagon Pagoda, holds its annual festival around the full-moon day of Tagaung. Numerous vendors set up stalls at the bottom of the hill, in front of the entrance to the temple, to sell foods and other locally-made products. Shows featuring traditional theatre, music and dance are staged by well-known troupes from around Myanmar.
The New Year Festival of Nagas has a great attraction both for Locals and Foreigners. The Naga New Year falls in the middle of January after the harvest. It is celebrated from 14th to 15th January. It is the time for them to welcome visitors, to share the joy and happiness with friends and guests at this auspicious time. During this New Year festival you will be busy shaking hands with Naga warriors wearing hats made from bear fur, wild boar tusks, hornbill feathers, and tiger claws. Some also have tiger fangs hanging from their necklaces. This expedition involves a crossing wild pristine forests and tribal villages where civilization has almost never touched.
