Naypyidaw

Coordinates: 19°44′51″N 96°06′54″E / 19.74750°N 96.11500°E / 19.74750; 96.11500
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Naypyidaw
နေပြည်တော်
NPT
Water Fountain Garden, Ministry Zone, Gems Museum, Union Parliament
Naypyidaw is located in Myanmar
Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw
Location of Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar
Naypyidaw is located in Asia
Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw (Asia)
Coordinates: 19°44′51″N 96°06′54″E / 19.74750°N 96.11500°E / 19.74750; 96.11500
Country Myanmar
DivisionNaypyidaw Union Territory[1]
Subdivisions8 townships
Settled2005
Incorporated2008
SeatNay Pyi Taw City Hall
Government
 • BodyNaypyidaw Development Committee
 • ChairmanMyo Aung (Mayor)
Area
 • Total7,054.37 km2 (2,723.71 sq mi)
Elevation
115 m (377 ft)
Population
 • Total924,608
 • Density131.1/km2 (339.5/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+06:30 (MMT)
Area code067

Naypyidaw, officially

romanized Nay Pyi Taw (Burmese: နေပြည်တော်; MLCTS: Nepranytau; pronounced [nèpjìdɔ̀] lit.'Grand Capital'), is the capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory.[1] It is unusual among Myanmar's cities in that it is an entirely planned city outside of any state or region. The city, then known only as Pyinmana District, officially replaced Yangon as the administrative capital of Myanmar on 6 November 2005; its official name was revealed to the public on Armed Forces Day, 27 March 2006.[5]

As the seat of the government of Myanmar, Naypyidaw is the site of the

.

Etymology

Naypyidaw is Burmese for "abode of the king", and is generally translated as "royal capital",[8] "seat of the king", or "abode of kings".[3] Traditionally, it was used as a suffix to the names of royal capitals, such as Mandalay, which was called Yattanarbon Naypyidaw (ရတနာပုံနေပြည်တော်).

History

Naypyidaw was founded on a

greenfield site near Pyinmana, about 320 kilometres (200 mi) north of the old capital, Yangon. Construction started in 2002 and was completed by 2012.[9] At least 25 construction companies were hired by the military government to build the city.[10] It is estimated that the planned city development reaches US$4 billion.[11][12]

On 27 March 2006, more than 12,000 troops marched in the new capital in its first public event: a massive military parade to mark Armed Forces Day, the anniversary of Burma's 1945 revolution against the Japanese occupation. Filming was restricted to the concrete parade ground, which contains enormous sculptures of Kings Anawrahta, Bayinnaung and Alaungpaya. The city was officially named Naypyidaw[13] during these ceremonies,[14] and the official, albeit mostly administrative, capital of the country was relocated from Yangon to Naypyidaw.

On April 4, 2024, the

People's Defense Force launched an unprecedented drone attack against Aye Lar airbase, the main Tatmadaw headquarters, and Min Aung Hlaing's residence. Almost 30 drones were deployed; junta forces claimed 7 were shot down.[15][16]

Rationale behind moving the capital

There are several assumptions why the capital was moved: Naypyidaw is more centrally located than the old capital, Yangon. It is also a transportation hub located adjacent to the Shan, Kayah, and Kayin states. It was felt by governmental and military leaders that a stronger military and governmental presence nearby might provide stability to those chronically turbulent regions.[17] The military's purpose appears to have been to build an impregnable citadel, able to withstand foreign invasion or popular uprisings.[18] The official explanation for moving the capital was that Yangon had become too congested and crowded with little room for future expansion of government offices.[3]

Geography and climate

Naypyidaw is located between the Bago Yoma and Shan Yoma mountain ranges. The city covers an area of 7,054 km2 (2,724 sq mi) and has a population of 924,608, according to official figures.[19]

Chaungmagyi Dam is located a few kilometres to the north of Naypyidaw, while Ngalaik Dam is a few kilometres to the south. The Yezin Dam is farther away in the north-east.

Naypyidaw has a tropical savanna climate (Köppen Climate Classification Aw).

Climate data for Naypyidaw
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 32
(90)
35
(95)
38
(100)
39
(102)
37
(99)
34
(93)
33
(91)
33
(91)
34
(93)
35
(95)
34
(93)
32
(90)
34.5
(94.1)
Daily mean °C (°F) 23
(73)
25
(77)
29
(84)
32
(90)
31
(88)
29
(84)
29
(84)
28
(82)
29
(84)
29
(84)
27
(81)
24
(75)
27.9
(82.2)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 16
(61)
17
(63)
21
(70)
25
(77)
26
(79)
26
(79)
25
(77)
25
(77)
25
(77)
24
(75)
22
(72)
18
(64)
22.5
(72.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 5
(0.2)
2
(0.1)
9
(0.4)
33
(1.3)
154
(6.1)
160
(6.3)
198
(7.8)
229
(9.0)
186
(7.3)
131
(5.2)
37
(1.5)
7
(0.3)
1,151
(45.5)
Average precipitation days 1 0 1 3 14 21 23 24 19 12 4 1 123
Source: Weather2Travel.com. Retrieved 26 March 2013

Cityscape

Naypyidaw is organized into a number of zones.

Naypyidaw Aerial Image

Residential zones

Apartment building in Naypyidaw

The residential areas are carefully organised, and apartments are allotted according to rank and marital status.[20] The city has 1,200 four-story apartment blocks.[21] The roofs of apartment buildings are colour-coded by the jobs of their residents; Ministry of Health employees live in buildings with blue roofs and Ministry of Agriculture employees live in those with green roofs.[20] High-ranking government officials live in mansions,[22] of which there are about 50. However, in 2019, quite a few of the ministerial mansions were reported to be unused and left in a neglected state in overgrown compounds.[23]

Ministry zone

Presidential Palace, during the meeting between President of Myanmar U. Htin Kyaw and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi.
Union Parliament

The city's Ministry zone contains the headquarters of Myanmar's government ministries. All the ministry buildings are identical in appearance.

parliamentary complex consisting of 31 buildings[25] and a 100-room presidential palace are also located there.[20] The zone also contains the city hall building, which has many characteristics of Stalinist architecture
, but with a Burmese-style roof.

Military zone

High-ranking military officers and other key officials live 11 km (6.8 mi) away from regular government employees in a complex said to consist of tunnels and bunkers; this area is restricted to the public.[20] The city also hosts a military base, which is inaccessible to citizens or other personnel without written permission.[9]

Diplomatic zone

The government has set aside 2 hectares (4.9 acres) of land each for foreign embassies and headquarters of United Nations missions. The Chinese embassy formally opened its interim liaison office in 2017. The liaison office is the first foreign office to be permitted to open in Naypyidaw.[26] Bangladesh and Malaysia have also signed agreements to open embassies in Naypyidaw. The government confirms that proposals have been put forward by 11 other countries to move their embassies to Naypyidaw, namely Russia, China, the United States, India, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the Philippines, Indonesia, Thailand, Turkey and Kuwait.[27] In February 2018, State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi chaired a meeting at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Naypyidaw where she urged foreign governments to move their embassies to the capital.

Wunna Theikdi Indoor Stadium

Hotel zone

The Hotel zone has a handful of villa-style hotels on the hilly outskirts of the city. There are twelve hotels located in or near Naypyidaw. Eight of these are located within the Naypyidaw Hotel Zone, and two are located in Laeway (

2013 Southeast Asian Games, which was hosted in Naypyidaw.[29]

Shopping

Myoma Market

Naypyidaw Myoma Market is the commercial centre of Naypyidaw. Other shopping areas include Thapye Chaung Market , Junction Centre Naypyidaw and Naypyidaw Wholesale. Junction Centre is the city's first privately operated shopping centre.[19] There are also local markets and a restaurant area.

Recreation

Safari Park

Ngalaik Lake Gardens is a small water park situated along the Ngalaik Dam, near Kyweshin Village on Ngalaik Lake (about 11 kilometres (7 mi) from Naypyidaw). Opened in 2008, facilities at the Ngalaik Lake Gardens include water slides, natural resorts, lodging and a beach. The gardens are open to the public during Thingyan holidays.[30]

Also opened in 2008, the 81-hectare (200-acre) National Herbal Park has exhibits of plants having medicinal applications from all of the major regions of Myanmar. There are thousands of plants at the park, representing hundreds of different species.[31] Behind the city hall, there is a park with a playground and water fountain complex, which hosts a musical light show every night.[20]

The Naypyidaw Zoological Gardens opened in 2008 with 420 species and now with 1500 animals. The main attraction of the zoo is the climate-controlled penguin house. The animals were shipped to it from the old one in Yangon.[32][33] The Naypyidaw Safari Park officially opened on 12 February 2011.[34][35]

Naypyidaw also has two golf courses, Naypyidaw City Golf Course and Yaypyar Golf Course, and a gem museum.[28]

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