Myanmar: Flag and Facts
Myanmar's flag has yellow, green, and red horizontal bands of equal height, with a large white five-pointed star in the center that spills over onto the top and bottom bands.
- Official name
- Republic of the Union of Myanmar
- Capital
- Naypyidaw
- Region
- South-Eastern Asia
- Population
- 58 million (2025)
- Languages
- Burmese
- Currency
- Burmese kyat
- Area
- 676,578 km² (261,228 sq mi)
- People
- Burmese
- Calling code
- +95
- Highest point
- Gamlang Razi 5,870 m
- Independence
- 4 January 1948 (from the UK)
- National symbols
- chinthe (mythical lion)
- Borders
- Bangladesh, China, India, Laos, Thailand
About Myanmar
The yellow, green, and red triband is not new. Burma flew those same three colors from 1943 to 1945, while Japan occupied the country, and the current flag brings that look back. The national colors list adds white, which comes through in the star. Another symbol Burmese people point to is the chinthe, a mythical lion.
Britain swallowed Burma gradually across roughly six decades, starting in the 1820s, and governed it as part of India until 1937. Full independence arrived on 4 January 1948. Generals have held power for much of the time since, starting when Ne Win took control in 1962. In 2007, a jump in fuel prices sparked mass protests led partly by Buddhist monks, later called the Saffron Revolution. The land itself is a bowl: central lowlands sit inside a ring of steep highlands, and Gamlang Razi tops out at 5,870 meters.
Did you know?
- Myanmar's national anthem is "Kaba Ma Kyei," a title that translates as Till the End of the World.
- Yangon has about 5.6 million residents, roughly three and a half times as many as Mandalay.
- Summer monsoon rains soak Myanmar from June to September, while the December to April winter stays drier and milder.
Want to test yourself? The random flag generator has a quiz mode, and the full flags of the world page shows every flag at once.
Questions about Myanmar
What is the capital of Myanmar?
Naypyidaw is the capital. Yangon, also called Rangoon, is the biggest city.
Which money do people spend in Myanmar?
The Burmese kyat, written with the symbol Ks.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.