lonely-planet-myanmar-burma-11-edition

322One end ofthe 1860-milelongHimalayamountain chain,formed whenthe Indian andEurasian tectonicplates collided140 million yearsago, extendsto Myanmar’sKachin State.According to theAsean Centrefor Biodiversity(www.aseanbiodiversity.org),Myanmar is hometo 300 speciesof mammal, 400species of reptileand around 1000bird species.Environment &WildlifeA bit bigger than France and slightly smaller than Texas, Myanmar covers261,228 sq miles. It borders (clockwise from the west) Bangladesh,India, Tibet, China, Laos and Thailand, with 1199 miles of coastline facingthe Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Within the country’s bordersis extraordinary diversity, a slice of almost every habitat but desert.From frozen alpine country to steamy jungles, blushing coral reefs toopen grasslands, you name it, Myanmar’s got it. Scientists continue todiscover new species here, but at the same time, the country’s lack ofenvironmental standards is killing off many others.GeographyMyanmar’s south is similar to Malaysia and its north to northern Indiaor China. The centre is an overlap of the two, producing ‘zones’ whoseuniqueness is manifest in the scenery and creatures that hop around in it.The area southwest of Yangon is a vast delta region notable for itsproduction of rice. Paddy fields are also an ever-present feature of Myanmar’scentral broad, flat heartland, known as the ‘dry zone’ for its lackof rain. This area is surrounded by protective mountain and hill ranges.Most notable are the rugged Kachin Hills, which serve as the first stepsinto the Himalaya to the north; Hkakabo Razi, on the Tibetan border,which at 19,295ft is Southeast Asia’s highest mountain; and Mt Victoria(Nat Ma Taung), west of Bagan in Chin State, which rises to 10,016ft.Three major rivers – fed by monsoon downpours and melted Himalayansnows from Nepal and India – cut north to south through the country.The 1240-mile-long Ayeyarwady (Irrawaddy) River, one of Asia’s mostnavigable big rivers, feeds much of the country’s rice fields. It connectslower Myanmar (based around Yangon) with upper Myanmar (aroundMandalay). North of Mandalay, the Chindwin River connects the hillsto the north, while the Thanlwin (Salween) River leads from China tothe Gulf of Mottama, through Myanmar’s east. Also, the Mekong Riverpasses by on the short border with Laos.Flora & FaunaMyanmar, which sits on a transition zone between the plants and creaturesof the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and the Himalayanhighlands, is a biodiversity hotspot. However, the troubled politics of thecountry over the last century have made it difficult for researchers togain an accurate picture of the current state of the country’s wildlife.AnimalsWhen Marco Polo wrote about Myanmar in the 13th century, he described‘vast jungles teeming with elephants, unicorns and other wild