Burma

The Nation we know as Burma was first formed during the goldenage of Pagan in the 11th century. King Anawratha ascended the throne in 1044, uniting Burma under his monarchy. His belief in Buddhism lead him to begin building the temples and pagodas for which the city of Pagan (above) is renowned. Paganbecame the first capital of a Burmese kingdom that included virtually all of modern Burma. The golden age of pagan reached its peak in during the reign of Anawratha's successor,Kyanzitta (1084-1113), another devout Buddhist, under whom it aquired the name 
By 300 BC a rich civilization existed in southern Burma. A people called the Mon lived in the estuaries of the rivers Sittang and Saliveen. The Indians called it the Land of Gold. This civilization in Burma was also known to the Chinese

 " City of four million pagodas ".

However during the 1950s Burma went through an economic crisis. Finally in 1962 General Win seized power. He announced that Burma would follow the 'Burmese Way to Socialism'. However it turned out to be the 'Burmese Way to Poverty'. As in other countries socialism did not work and standards of living in Burma fell.
Eventually the people of Burma lost patience. Demonstrations were held in 1987 and 1988. Ne Win stepped down in July 1988 but the military continued to rule Burma. On 8 August 1988 a popular demonstration was held but it was crushed by the military. Thousands of people were killed.
Nevertheless the military government in Burma promised to hold elections. The opposition rallied around Aung San Suu Kyi. However she was banned from participating in the election and was placed under house arrest.
Not surprisingly the opposition won the election but the military government refused to let the elected parliament take power.
Moreover in 1999 the International Labor Organisation recommended sanctions against Burma because of its government's use of forced labor.
Burma remained a very poor country after decades of economic mismanagement even though Burma is rich in resources. Furthermore Burma suffered from mass unemployment and high inflation.
In 2007 price rises prompted Buddhist monks to demonstrate and the long-suffering Burmese people flocked to support them. However the military government brutally suppressed the demonstrations. Many people were killed or detained.
In 2008 Burma was devastated by Cyclone Nargis, which killed tens of thousands and left many more homeless. Nevertheless the junta went ahead with a referendum on a new constitution. The junta claims that 92% voted yes.
Aung San Suu Kyi was released in 2010. In 2012 by-elections ere held in Burma and she won a seat in parliament. A general elction was held in 2015 and in 2016 Htin Kyaw was sworn in as president. Meanwhile Burma is rich in minerals. It has gas and oil deposits. Furthermore the soil in Burma is fertile. So there is every reason to be optimistic about the future of Burma.
Today the population of Burma is 54 million.
2017 Burma is in the headline of social media , news channels because of the situation of burma The United Nations Refugee Agency reports that 123,000 people—mostly Rohingya Muslims—have fled into Bangladesh since August 25, escaping a new round of violence in Burma’s western Rakhine state. The refugees have walked for days, after a series of Rohingya insurgent attacks on Burmese police were met with a strong government response and the burning of thousands of homes. The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority living in parts of a hostile and overwhelmingly Buddhist Burma. U.N. officials say their relief camps are reaching full capacity as thousands of refugees continue to cross into Bangladesh.