Naypyidaw

Located in Pyinmana Township – Mandalay Division, Nay Pyi Daw (also known as Naypyidaw or Nay Pyi Taw) has been the capital of Myanmar since November 6th, 2005. Formerly Kyetpyay, the city had its name officially changed on March 27th, 2006 – Myanmar’s Armed Forces Day. In Burmese language, Nay Pyi Daw means ‘royal city of the sun’, and it in fact was used as a suffix to any name of royal capital in Myanmar in the past.

QUICK FACT:

  • Location: 320 kilometers north of Yangon, Mandalay region
  • Status: capital city of Myanmar
  • Population: 925,000 (2009 census)
  • Area: the third largest city of Myanmar (after Yangon and Mandalay)
  • Among the ten fastest growing cities of the world in 2011

Located in Pyinmana Township – Mandalay Division, Nay Pyi Daw (also known as Naypyidaw or Nay Pyi Taw) has been the capital of Myanmar since November 6th, 2005. Formerly Kyetpyay, the city had its name officially changed on March 27th, 2006 – Myanmar’s Armed Forces Day. In Burmese language, Nay Pyi Daw means “royal city of the sun”, and it in fact was used as a suffix to any name of royal capital in Myanmar in the past. Being a new-born city with a short history, the construction of Nay Pyi Daw started in 2002 and completed in 2012. In comparison with other Asian major cities, Nay Pyi Daw is unique in that it is sparsely populated. With the total area of around 7,000 square kilometers, the city’s population is only 1,000,000. As a result, traffic jam is nowhere to be found on Nay Pyi Daw’s wide boulevards. In the coming years, this situation will definitely change due to Myanmar’s current boom; however, as they say “kiss while your lips are still red”, enjoy it while you can. In addition, the city is a transportation center thanks to its adjacent position with Shan, Kayah and Kayin States. Nay Pyi Daw is accessible by rail and bus from Yangon, by airway from Mandalay, Yangon, Bagan and also other countries. For contemplating Nay Pyi Daw’s landscape, take motorcycle taxi to travel around the city. This is the typical transportation in Nay Pyi Daw as well as other South East Asian countries such as Thailand and Vietnam. Another means of transportation is tuk tuk, known as Thaw Lar Gyi in Myanmar, with more people carried compared with motorcycle taxi. Nay Pyi Daw is divided into different zones, including residential, military, ministry and hotel. Remarkable destinations of the city consist of National Herbal Park with thousand medicinal plants representing hundreds of distinctive species, Naypyidaw Zoological Gardens built in 2008 which is the largest zoo among Myanmar, and Uppatasanti Pagoda whose size and shape are similar to Yangon’s Shwedagon Pagoda, finished in 2009. When you are at Nay Pyi Daw, do not miss the chance to shop at Myoma Market, a commercial hub of the city, Junction Centre and Thapye Chaung Market where you can buy a wide variety of products. Plus, in the hotel zone, there are two mid-sized shopping malls, which are Junction and Capital. Both of them are equipped with restaurants and a supermarket, and a cinema is available in Junction. Also, do not forget to try water slides at Ngalaik Lake Gardens, or play golf at one of these two courses: Nay Pyi Taw City and Yaypyar.

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