States and Administrative Divisions of Burma

Burma which is also known as Myanmar is known to be divided into fourteen administrative subdivisions. Out of this fourteen administrative subdivisions there are seven states i.e. pyi-ne and seven divisions i.e. tyne. The names of these divisions are also the names of the capital cities. But there are only two exceptions. One is Ayeyarwady Division and the other one is Tanintharyi Division. In addition to all these data, the states and divisions can be depicted as ethnically-divided. The states are ethnic minority-dominant while the divisions are Bamar-dominant.

The largest population can be seen in Ayeywarwady Division while the most densely populated division can be known as Yangon Division. The Kayah State has the smallest population. If you want to decide in accordance with the land area, Yangon Division is the smallest whereas the Shan State is the largest in Burma.

The divisions and states are divided into districts i.e. kayaing. Again this in turn is divided into townships. A township is consists of wards, towns and villages.

Burma was a province of British India in the year 1900. The country was separated into two subdivisions. The names can be mentioned as Upper Burma and Lower Burma. Lower Burma is the place whose capital was Rangoon while Upper Burma is the place whose capital was Mandalay.

In Lower Burma there were four divisions. The names were Irrawaddy, Arakan, Tenasserim and Pegu. Upper Burma had six divisions whose names can be mentioned as Minbu, Meiktila, N. Federated Shan States, Sagaing, and S. Federated Shan States.

In 1922 on 10th October, the Karenni States of Kantarawaddy, Bawlake and Kyebogyi became a part of the Federated Shan States. In the year 1940, Minbu division’s name was changed. It was then become popular as Magwe. There were some more changes such as Meiktila Divisions became part of Mandalay District.