Myanmar is a Unitary parliamentary republic. This diagram isn’t perfect. Even at 4,800 km², The Guardian‘s estimate, Naypyidaw would be (by area) the largest city in the world – three times bigger than Beijing. But visitors who explore the places where people actually live – getting to know the townships, the holy sites or fountain gardens after dark – will likely find that Naypyidaw, despite the unusual circumstances of its birth, appears to be maturing into a perfectly reasonable capital. The Uppatasanti Pagoda is modelled on the Shwedagon Pagoda in Yangon. 2020 World Population Day; 2019 World Population Day; 2018 World Population Day ; 2017 World Population Day ; 2016 World Population Day; 2015 World Population Day; 2014 World Population Day; Themes; About Us. There were 60 hotels in this zone alone, and a further two hotel districts after that. Burma, also known as Myanmar, Republic of Southeast Asia; 677,000 km 2, 53.7 million residents (2019).Burma borders north and northeast to China, east to Laos and Thailand and west to Bangladesh and India, and also has coast to Andaman Sea in the south and the Bengal Gulf in the west.Since November 2005, Naypyidaw is the new administrative capital Someone rang the door buzzer, and I opened it to find a young hotel employee grinning in the corridor. Jump to navigation Jump to search. The restaurant, as it turned out, was a short walk away across the resort; in a wood-panelled pagoda beside the outdoor swimming pool. Inside, however, the lobby was busy with uniformed staff. From street level, lifts carry visitors up to a raised walkway approaching the 99m structure. One moment, please.”. It was mesmerising. 1255 people/km². The air is unpolluted, no factories in this region. Myanmar has been a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) since 1997. Thanks! Source: Wikipedia, 2021. The government of Myanmar claims that Naypyidaw has a population of 925,000 people, which may or may not be accurate… but reports in the Western media have also suffered from grossly misleading data. Nay Pyi Taw has grown by 46,163 since 2015, which represents a 7.78% annual change. Statistical data - Population density according to the administrative structure. Another 10 years time would led the city to a perfect “Ghost City”. In Ordos, sprawling residential zones sat dusty and deserted. For a start, it’s small. UTC (standard time) in Myanmar is UTC+06:30 and UTC+06:30 in summer. In order to submit a comment to this post, please write this code along with your comment: 4165531aed3c29d9a7663c59ee2943d2. Naypyidaw is located 377 ft above sea level. Pagodas like giant golden bells rose above the implied, but unseen horizon. That’s miniscule for a major city. Before reading this I had no intention to go to Naypyitaw but now it will be on my list. That single moment, at the Fountain Park in Naypyidaw, would stick with me as the truest glimpse I saw of modern Myanmar. [5] The city hosted the 24th and 25th ASEAN Summit , the 3rd BIMSTEC Summit, the Ninth East Asia Summit , and the 2013 Southeast Asian Games . …and gives it a population density of around 378 residents per square mile. Fairy lights twinkled from the boughs of trees above. Myanmar’s capital of Naypyidaw meanwhile has 1.15 million inhabitants. A Russian firm announced its plan, in August 2011, to construct a 50km line beneath Naypyidaw; but the project was eventually cancelled for lack of funds and low demand. The results showed that the total population is 51,419,420—a figure well below the last available official population estimate of 60.98 million in October 2012. Largest Cities in Myanmar ), Various government-run bus services connect the residential zones to the offices of state. I saw a young couple pushing a pram, a Buddhist monk sat in prayer on a bench down by the water, and a teenage girl, dancing with friends, in a t-shirt that said ‘Yeezy For President.’. One day the whole Burma will be a “Country of Ghost”. is Naypyidaw (Pyinmana), with an estimated population of 97,400 in 2005. Now it’s a democracy and should therefore be called Burma. Contact Us; Events; Photos; Songs; Videos; Latest News 20, 1939), Lai Lai Win, Olympic sprinter (born Feb. 9, 1977), Soe Min Thu, Olympic long-distance runner (born Sep. 25, 1988), Zienia Merton, actress (born Dec. 11, 1945), Khin Khin Htwe, Olympic middle-distance runner (born Nov. 29, 1962), Aung San Suu Kyi, politician, diplomat & author (born Jun. Naypyidaw (Burmese: နေပြည်တော်; MLCTS: nepranytau, offeecially spelled Nay Pyi Taw an Naypyitaw; pronounced: [nèpjìdɔ̀]) is the caipital o Myanmar (kent as Burma an aa). With Naypyidaw as its capital, it contains 14 states. If not for the distant rise of apartment buildings – and a golden pagoda which sat above the horizon – at times I could have guessed we were many miles from the nearest human settlement. Residents of Naypyidaw are known as Burmese . One hour later we were still in the car. Myanmar seems to be really keen on building replicas of significant places of worships in Buddhism, from Upatasanti Pagoda which is very similar to Yangon’s Shwedagon, to Maha Bawdi Pagoda which was clearly inspired by the Mahabodhi Temple in India where the Buddha attained enlightenment, and Damayka Pagoda which looks like a modern version of the Dhamekh Stupa in Sarnath, India, where the Buddha preached Buddhism for the first time. These are the pre-packed tourist destinations, but there are plenty other places worth exploring. The city is located at the center of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. If you ever write a book I want to read it. The national population density is 76 per square kilometre (200/sq mi), among the lowest in Southeast Asia. The residential zones of Naypyidaw, however, are actually quite homely and pleasant. Eventually we pulled into one at random. Myanmar’s longest river is the Ayeyawady river which is nearly 2170 kilometers long. It is an EXCELLENT, and very Beautiful City. It felt like we were driving without suspension on a road made out of pebbles. Naypyidaw is formed from eight townships – three older settlements, five purpose-built new suburbs – with highways drawing a ring from one to the next, and the spaces inside filled with new construction zones. I have been going to NPT for about 5 years now on a regular basis and have spent many weekends there as well. We drove to the Uppatasanti Pagoda after that. Another hopeless hour rolled by, and I might have been annoyed if this place weren’t quite so astonishing (or, indeed, if the taxi was charging on a meter). Back then the city was far from finished, and though it had been built to house a million people the place was still largely empty (as a result, the Western media had taken to calling it ‘China’s Ghost City’). There are public buses too, between different neighbourhoods. The census reported that the median age was 26.8 years, and 95 males per 100 females. U.N. staff estimated a protest of about 1,000 people on Sunday. I slept like a baby. The city is located at the center of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. (2019) Myanmar Department of Population (by elevenmyanmar.com). နေပြည်တော် NPT. However, as you said, Naypyidaw does see like a capital city in the making — it’s not quite there yet, but eventually it will be. Makes me very curious about how they came up with those numbers, because you’re right… they seem crazy and misleading. Myanmar, arguably, was ready for a new capital; but Naypyidaw is an extravagant response, and the very layout of this city can feel somewhat totalitarian. He was young, barely 18 I guessed, and his name was Htat. Where Is Naypyidaw Located? (1983) (2014) The 2014 Myanmar Population and Housing Census - The Union Report, May 2015 (web). Population Density The 2019 population density in Myanmar is 83 people per Km 2 (214 people per mi 2 ), calculated on a total land area of 653,290 Km2 (252,237 sq. For a tourist however, hoping to explore the city’s attractions independently, the only real option is a car. Thousands of new residents, government employees, live in modern residential districts: in buildings whose roofs are colour-coded by department (green for the Ministry of Agriculture, blue roofs for the Ministry of Health, and so on). We drove down 14-lane highways (broadening to 20 lanes, on the roads in the Ministry Zone) yet we might only pass a handful of other vehicles; service trucks, commuters on mopeds. The rest of the staff were just as cheery, a veritable legion of cleaners and bellboys who swarmed through the halls of the hotel. On the dresser beside the bed lay a room service menu the size of a bible, and a flashlight in case of powercuts. Before publishing this article, I spent a lot of time thinking about which I would use. Later that evening we hired another chauffeur, for a drive out to the markets at Myoma. From an urban design and sustainability perspective it would have been much better to design a denser city with facilities people need to travel to (e.g. But 225 miles to the north, Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s purpose-built capital, unveiled in 2005, was comparatively quiet. It’s just sloppy journalism, basically. The official language of Myanmar is Burmese. Chaungmagyi Dam is located a few kilometers to the north of Naypyidaw, while Ngalaik Dam is … I found the pagoda quite beautiful; and though it was only a few years old, I liked the feel of this place better than any other temple I saw in Myanmar. I have been to ‘Ghost Cities’ before though… and this is not one. This piece was so well written! But 225 miles to the north, Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s purpose-built capital, unveiled in 2005, was comparatively quiet. Interesting take! Its population, questionable official figures claim, is 924,608, which – even if true – adds up to a population density of just 339.5 per square mile. The population density was 164.4 people per km². The Ancient Ram Inn: A Visit to ‘England’s Most Haunted House’, The Soviet Legacy: Inside Cuba’s Unfinished Nuclear Power Station, Myth & Memory in the Balkans: The ‘Spomeniks’ of Former Yugoslavia. Naypyidaw, officially spelled Nay Pyi Taw (Burmese: နေပြည်တော်; MLCTS: Nepranytau; pronounced [nèpjìdɔ̀ ], formerly known as Kyetpyay, Pyinmana or Kyatpyay, Pyinmana, and in Japanese: ネピドー), is the capital city of Myanmar. In November 2005 the nation’s administrative core was transported – almost without a word of explanation – to the new site. Vendors sell food, clothes and souvenirs, taxi drivers honk and haggle, while in amongst the chaos, Buddhist monks drift gracefully through the crowds. This is a new view of Naypyidaw. * It is a small city stretched across the territory of a larger one, a series of perfectly pleasant and functional neighbourhoods that happen to have gaping, unfilled holes in between them. I have enjoyed my Yangon, Myanmar Life, with ALL my Families, Relatives, and, our Friends. [1] It is unusual among Myanmar's cities, as it is an entirely planned city The Bamar group is the largest in Myanmar with an estimated 68 percent of the population. Al Jazeera was playing archive footage of the 2007 Yangon riots: “…incredibly, some monks fought back. This, I realised, was what Myanmar looked like – what it could look like – in the 21st century. The driver asked him for directions, and it helped – though not immediately. In 1950, the population of Nay Pyi Taw was 11,719. With plenty to do and see. Where Is Naypyidaw Located? Sat at my corner table, I counted the staff I had seen so far this morning. The census reported that the median age was 26.8 years, and 95 males per 100 females. Coffee was delivered, and refilled automatically whenever I got down past the halfway mark. Its capital city is Naypyidaw (Nay Pyi Taw), and its largest city is Yangon (Rangoon). The Hotel Zone was huge, and the two in the front seemed to have no sense of direction. In some ways, it’s like they’re trying so hard to create the perfect, iconic capital that they haven’t given the place any room to develop its own character at all. Never heard that this way development goes on making the city empty. I told her it was incredible, and she blushed. The problem Naypyidaw seems to have, is simply that the plan was too ambitious. We took off our shoes at the barrier, and queued for an elevator – it rose and returned twice, before there was room for us inside. Back in February I had the chance to visit Naypyidaw for myself… but it was nothing like the city I was expecting. May Almighty GOD Bless Us. The 2014 population consists of an enumerated population of 50,279,900 and an estimated population of 1,206,353 (46,600 in Kachin, 69,753 in Kayin, and 1,090,000 in Rakhine). Yes, there definitely seems to be a tendency towards replicas! (2019) Myanmar Department of Population (by elevenmyanmar.com). It contains 4,477,638 residents. Its population, questionable official figures claim, is 924,608, which – even if true – adds up to a population density of just 339.5 per square mile. The city hosted the 24th and 25th ASEAN Summit, the 3rd BIMSTEC Summit, the Ninth East Asia Summit, and the 2013 Southeast Asian Games. The population data of the table below is an estimation form 2019, last available data. Then there are the townships – some of them much, much older than the new capital – with their noisy markets, leafy green streets, parks and war memorials, cemeteries, monasteries and herb gardens. Why are you calling it Myanmar? In 2006 this purpose-built metropolis replaced Yangon as the nation’s capital. Instead it looks like a grandiose project built on mid 20th century values – not only in terms of government power a la the Soviet Union, but also in terms of the economy and environment. The №1 Basic Education High School was the first school to open in Naypyidaw and since then another half-dozen-or-so have appeared, including the ‘Wisdom Hill School’ and the ‘Conqueror Academy of Education.’ Mobile phone coverage was extended to the capital in 2009, and now almost every establishment seems to have reasonable wifi. We hadn’t passed more than a handful of cars all the way, but here we were facing a maze of luxury hotels, each the size of a mansion, each brand new, with their doors open and lights shining bright from inside. See all 19 comments on “The Real Naypyidaw: Inside Myanmar’s ‘Ghost City’ Capital”, Poltergeists, ritual murder & a live-in succubus – the 1000-year-old pub with a ghostly reputation. I have seen photographs of it by day, in the sun’s full heat, with the courtyard completely empty. In the case of The Independent, it’s easy to see where they went wrong. I understand your point, but as Aung San Suu Kyi said in November 2015, neither name is technically wrong (“because there is nothing in the constitution of our country that says that you must use any term in particular”). Fortunately, the Aureum Palace Hotel seemed to have dealt with this scenario before. There were 262,253 households; the mean household size was 4.1. It was at the Fountain Park, however, that we discovered the real soul of Naypyidaw. That might all change though, once the people start arriving… I would very much like to go back here, perhaps 10 years from now, and see how it develops. We leave at 4am and normally arrive around 9am after stopping for breakfast at the 115 mile marker spot on the main highway. Naypyidaw isn’t the metropolis they claim, but rather it’s roughly one-sixth the size of London. The park’s entrance is marked by steel arches, that face onto a stretch of nondescript road; but beyond lay 165 acres of flower gardens, playing fields, parkland, ponds and coffee shops. Nothing is more than half an hour away. And while I do agree that maybe in 40 years, the generals who built this place will have the last laugh as the city fills up, it doesn’t make the place any less ridiculous in that they built these massive 14+lane roadways in the meantime, that are already deteriorating quickly. Thank you for such a well written and interesting article. Very interesting. “Mingalaba,” said the girl at the desk, when I came down shortly after breakfast. An endless parade of neon signs flashed past: Golden Myanmar Hotel; Golden Guest House; Sky Palace Hotel; Junction Hotel; Royal Naypyitaw Hotel; The Oasis; The Hotel Amara. He shrugged, so I said it again. When it comes to making sense of Naypyidaw, not all statistics are helpful. Ethnicity in Burma. That’s miniscule for a major city. They are much busier than before. I’m not sure where the Guardian figure comes from, but I think the other one is the official figure for the size of Naypyidaw Province. Another time, if I write about Bagan or somewhere like that, I may just call the country ‘Burma,’ as the locals did there. The currency in Myanmar is the Burmese kyat Ks (MMK). In the time I have been going I can notice the difference in the market areas. I’m surprised as a “Bohemian” you haven’t assessed the environmental sustainability of the city. The borders are open, and tourism is finally blooming in this once-reclusive state. That's miniscule for a major city. It’s certainly a lot better suited to the 21st century needs of Myanmar than Yangon was: the former Burmese capital established by the British Empire, and located on the coast chiefly for the benefit of the British Navy. World Population Day . [*I say ‘seems to have’ because Naypyidaw is clearly a city built for the future. Our tools allow individuals and organizations to discover, visualize, model, and present their data and the world’s data to facilitate better decisions and better outcomes. Just looking at the massive distances between Ministeries, between the Ministries districts and housing and hotels and commercial areas, its clear that this city must generate a lot of car journeys that would be completely unnecessary in a better planned city. A canvas-covered golf buggy pulled up shortly at the glass doors of the hotel, its driver another smart young man in a dress shirt, bowtie and longyi. "That's compared to Toronto's 4,149.5," it says. The metro area population of Nay Pyi Taw in 2020 was 594,000, a 8.79% increase from 2019. Many people live in brick and wooden houses in the older townships, traditional styles that predate the arrival of the capital. Nay Pyi Taw (Naypyidaw) Official language Myanmar (Burmese) Official religion none 3 Monetary unit Myanmar kyat (K) Population (2020 est.) And every person I met called there country Burma. Myanmar reminded them of suppression. Inside, Mamma Mia was playing on a big screen TV with Burmese subtitles. Naypyidaw is located 377 ft above sea level. Meanwhile, elaborate twists and spirals of water burst into the air around us, as spotlights pulsed through shades of red, green and purple; painting everything in rich, surreal colours. Bugs hummed in the darkness outside, while the lobby was silent but for the swish of spinning fans. I had booked a hotel online: the Aureum Palace Hotel, a 4.5-star luxury resort at roughly €30 a night. Naypyidaw. Click on the column header brings the table in order of the column header. Naypyidaw took over 12 years to complete, and once it was finally finished, no one came. That’s interesting, I had quite a different experience – while ‘Burma’ seemed more popular with the people I spoke to in Mandalay and Bagan, for example, everyone I met in Naypyidaw called their country ‘Myanmar.’. I agree with ALL the Reasons, or, No Reason, for the New Capital City, which is located in the Central of Myanmar. The city is located at the center of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. I live and work in Naypyidaw since 2016. 19, 1945), Jimmy Crampton, Olympic middle-distance runner (born Jul. Naypyidaw occupies an area of 7,054.37 square km and hosts a population of 924,608. The 2014 Myanmar Census reported that Naypyidaw Union Territory had a population of 1,160,242. Rangoon/Yangon is the largest city and the capital of the area. Later, returning for our shoes, the cloakroom attendant wanted to know what us foreigners thought of their temple. Naypyidaw is located between the Bago Yoma and Shan Yoma mountain ranges. A few years ago, I travelled to Ordos in China. 23, 1949), Dick Strawbridge (aka Colonel Dick), environmentalist & TV presenter (born Sep. 3, 1979). Thank you for a very interesting and good report with very good photos. The capital city is located between the two mountain ranges of the Bago Yoma and the Shan Yoma. There is an overwhelming sense of emptiness in these wide-open concrete spaces. Residents of Naypyidaw are known as Burmese . Naypyidaw is notable for its unusual combination of large size and very low population density. We drove from Hotel Zone №1 in a beeline through the city, towards the museum district. Largest Cities in Myanmar. The last tattered remnants of the Cuban nuclear program. A month-long monument hunt, and what I learned along the way. (This is the riddle of Naypyidaw in a nutshell: it desperately needs a metro system but couldn’t possibly justify it. Some of the more famously beautiful spots in Myanmar now feel like trendy backpacker towns… but nobody seems to be visiting Naypyidaw yet. I visit the gym in the evenings and eat healthy salads and fresh fruit. I’m a teacher at the international school (yes, there is one, with mostly local children, but also Chinese, Russian, Thai and Singaporean students whose parents work in Naypyidaw). United Nations population projections are also included through the year 2035. Two staff waited on us, while a third laid the table for a larger party. Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Nick Drake, singer-songwriter (born Jun. We have thought a country will have a capital city. We arrived at the market late, as the stalls were packing up. For all its offerings though, the unusual geography of Naypyidaw makes it a very strange place to explore. Naypyidaw occupies an area of 7,054.37 square km and hosts a population of 924,608. Security guards slept beneath the bushes outside museums, market vendors hid under canvas awnings, and nobody – unless they absolutely had to – ventured out onto the streets. Population: 925,000 (Nay Pyi Taw) at August 31, 2020 Density: 340 people per square mile (131 per square kilometer) Population: 54,472,300 (Myanmar) at August 31, 2020 The lack of nightlife venues and pizza restaurants has been a bonus for me. miles). Three people felt proud of their country. It became the official capital in 2006, when the city’s name was finally announced on Myanmar’s Armed Forces Day. Tonight though, it was busy with visitors. Sollte ein Staat getrennte Regierungs- und Parlamentsstädte haben, werden beide genannt. If the official population figure is correct, this would mean that Naypyidaw is just over half as densely populated as London is. Historical Data; Objectives & Responsibilities; Media Room. Log in. Using that figure to calculate Naypyidaw’s population density then, is the equivalent of trying to show the density of New York City by dividing its population by the total area of New York State. Its official name, Nay Pyi Taw, translates as ‘Abode of the King’ and its design shows all the hallmarks of a dictator’s fortified citadel. The map segment above shows a total area of 2,640 km² (60 km by 44 km). An inquisitive security guard emerged from his hut, spitting out a mouthful of the red betel nuts that Myanmar people are so fond of chewing (it’s a mild stimulant, and the nuts have the effect of dyeing the user’s teeth and gums bright red). Brightly lit boulevards folded one into the next, with glowing flower sculptures at every junction. The scene was as peaceful as it was alien. At almost 40°C (100°F) with no shade, it’s no wonder the place looked abandoned. The scattered, inconsistent nature of Naypyidaw’s urban areas makes it hard to draw a precise outline of the city. More than that though: The city is far from empty, and there are only certain parts of it that look even remotely like a ghost town. This situation means that rental prices for houses are much less than those in Yangon and Mandalay – my school pays about $350 a month to rent me a modern, 3-bedroom house with garden. Even at 4,800 km², The Guardian ‘s estimate, Naypyidaw would be (by area) the largest city in the world – three times bigger than Beijing. The administrative capital . I can see why people have likened it to a ghost town. These population estimates and projections come from the latest revision of … Naypyidaw sits adjacent to the more turbulent Shan, Kayah, and Kayin states to the east, close enough to keep watch; and it’s only a few kilometres from Yezin, a campus town established in the 1970s, which hosts the University of Veterinary Science, the Yezin Agricultural University and the University of Forestry. The National Museum includes a room full of gifts the former dictator received from foreign leaders, while the military museum is said to take some five hours to fully explore: featuring a huge open-air space filled with military jets and vehicles. I’m pretty sure I said No to the vegetable omelette, but it arrived all the same… followed by a plate of passionfruit, bananas, and a strawberry tart. …and gives it a population density of around 378 residents per square mile. Other information included were indicators such as sex ratio and population density. Besides, as I was writing about a city built by the former regime, it seemed somehow fitting to use this name – because Naypyidaw was very much built to be the ‘capital of Myanmar.’. I would question the government’s 925,000 citizen number… in the same way I would question any number that the government provides. Already, one eager young driver was dragging our bags towards his taxi; I showed him the hotel address, and he nodded in vigorous approval. The interior was immaculate, all polished tiles, lace tablecloths and gold detailing. The figure they use, 7,054 km², is the area of ‘Naypyidaw Union Territory’: the whole province that contains the capital city. Naypyidaw has infrastructure to spare. Out the window however, I was looking at nothing but fields. Lively article and extremely interesting and well written. Sixteen, I made it, and now I had my first glimpse of other guests at the Aureum Palace Hotel: on another table, three men in business suits sat talking over toast crumbs. It is a capital built for the future, in a country preparing to grow at incredible speed. The default order is the Area name. Right now, Myanmar (previously known as Burma) is poised at an exciting stage in its history. Thirty minutes and two security guards later, we pulled up outside the grand entrance hall of the Aureum Palace Hotel & Resort. It grew in secrecy, at first, surrounded by sugarcane fields and rice paddies in the centre of Myanmar; but any temptation to brand this the ‘middle of nowhere’ should be avoided. My own trip was so quick I didn’t really get much time to examine what I was looking at, but yes – the problem is, even if the city does prove to be well designed it’s still got to sit and wait and feel the effects of time for a while before everyone moves in. Known as an ethnically diverse country, Burma is home to 135 distinct ethnic groups, all of which are recognized by the government. To celebrate the occasion, more than 12,000 soldiers marched in Naypyidaw’s first military parade. There are currently many thousands of people living in Naypyidaw – but if you want to meet them, you’re going to have to stay here overnight.
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