Upper Burma

History of Myanmar
Prehistory of Myanmar 11,000–200 BCE Pyu city-states 200 BCE–1050 CE (Sri Ksetra Kingdom, Tagaung Kingdom) Mon kingdoms 825?–1057 Arakanese kingdoms 788?–1406
Pagan Kingdom 849–1297 Early Pagan Kingdom 849–1044 Warring states period Upper Burma 1297–1555 Myinsaing and Pinya Kingdoms 1297–1364 Sagaing Kingdom 1315–64 Kingdom of Ava 1364–1555 Prome Kingdom 1482–1542 Hanthawaddy Kingdom 1287–1539, 1550–52 Shan States 1215–1563 Kingdom of Mrauk U 1429–1785 Toungoo Dynasty 1510–1752 First Toungoo Empire 1510–99 Nyaungyan Restoration 1599–1752 Restored Hanthawaddy 1740–57 Konbaung Dynasty 1752–1885
British colonial period 1824–1948 Anglo-Burmese wars 1824–85 Nationalist movement 1900–48 Japanese occupation 1942–45
Modern era 1948–present Union of Burma 1948–62 Socialist Republic 1962–88 Union of Myanmar 1988–2010 Political reforms 2011–12
Timeline List of capitals Leaders Royal chronicles Military history

Political geography of Burma as understood by the British c. 1885. Upper Burma in orange; British Burma (Lower Burma) and other British possessions in pink

Upper Burma (Burmese: အထက်မြန်မာပြည်, also called Real Myanmar) refers to a geographic region of Burma (Myanmar), traditionally encompassing Mandalay and its periphery (modern Mandalay, Sagaing, Magway Regions), or more broadly speaking, Kachin and Shan States.

In the Burmese language, people originating from Upper Burma are typically called a-nya tha (အညာသား), whereas those from Lower Burma are called auk tha (အောက်သား).

The term was first used by the British to refer to the central and northern area of what is now the country of Myanmar (Burma). After the Second Anglo-Burmese War of 1852, Lower Burma was annexed by the British Empire, while Upper Burma remained independent under the Kingdom of Burma until the Third Anglo-Burmese War of 1885. Upper Burma was also known as Burma proper and the Kingdom of Ava. Historically, Upper Burma was predominantly Bamar (whereas Lower Burma was historically Mon-speaking until the early 19th century), while the Frontier Areas, as designated by the colonial administration, included ethnic minority areas, such as the Shan States and modern Kachin State.

This distinction between Upper and Lower Burma is also found in some government departments (for instance, the Ministry of Education has departments assigned to Upper or Lower Burma), while some newspapers make a distinction between the two bodies. The Burmese language edition of the The Myanmar Times is an example; the newspaper devotes a section to news from Upper Burma.^[1] In terms of linguistic differences, there are minute differences between the variants of Burmese spoken by Upper Burmese, especially in vocabulary choice (such as kinship terms that differentiate the maternal and paternal sides of a family, which is not made in Lower Burmese speech). However, there is remarkable uniformity in the Burmese spoken throughout the Irrawaddy River valley, which also includes the delta-lying and coastal region of Lower Burma.

See also

• Lower Burma

References