Capital of Naypyidaw Union Territory, Myanmar
About Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw, officially romanised as Nay Pyi Taw (NPT), is the capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory. It is unusual among Myanmar's cities in that it is an entirely planned city and not part of any state or region. The city, previously 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.
Etymology
Naypyidaw is Burmese for "abode of the king", and is generally translated as "royal capital", "seat of the king", or "abode of kings". Traditionally, it was used as a suffix to the names of royal capitals, such as Mandalay, which was called Yadanabon 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. Military construction projects were overseen by the Quartermaster General Tin Aung Myint Oo, while civilian construction projects were overseen by Thein Nyunt, an army colonel. Construction of the city was carried out by three main groups, including the military's engineering corps, contractors with familial ties to high-ranking military officials, and the military's conglomerate, Myanma Economic Holdings Limited. Construction was plagued with corruption and nepotism. It is estimated that the planned city development reached US$4 billion. …
Geography
Naypyidaw is located between the Bago Yoma and Shan Yoma mountain ranges. The city covers an area of 7,054 square kilometres (2,724 sq mi) and has a population of 924,608, according to official figures. 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 Aw), with a wet season from May to October. The dry season from November to April begins with very warm afternoons and comfortable mornings, but in the build-up to the wet season temperatures become sweltering. In the wet season temperatures are merely hot but much higher humidity makes for conditions equally unpleasant, although rainfall is not nearly so extreme as in coastal Myanmar cities like Mawlamyine or Sittwe.
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