Naypyidaw
Naypyidaw, officially romanized Nay Pyi Taw (Burmese: နေပြည်တော်; MLCTS: Nepranytau; pronounced [nèpjìdɔ̀] lit. 'Grand Capital'), is the capital and third-largest city of Myanmar. The city is located at the centre of the Naypyidaw Union Territory.[1] It is unusual among Myanmar's cities in that it is an entirely planned city outside of any state or region. The city, then 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.[5]
Naypyidaw
နေပြည်တော်NPT
8 townships
2005
2008
Nay Pyi Taw City Hall
Myo Aung (Mayor)
7,054.37 km2 (2,723.71 sq mi)
115 m (377 ft)
924,608
131.1/km2 (339.5/sq mi)
067
As the seat of the government of Myanmar, Naypyidaw is the site of the Union Parliament, the Supreme Court, the Presidential Palace, the official residences of the Cabinet of Myanmar and the headquarters of government ministries and military. Naypyidaw is notable for its unusual combination of large size and very low population density.[6][7] The city hosted the 24th and 25th ASEAN Summit, the 3rd BIMSTEC Summit, the Ninth East Asia Summit, the 2013 Southeast Asian Games and the 2014 AFC U-19 Championship.
Etymology[edit]
Naypyidaw is Burmese for "abode of the king", and is generally translated as "royal capital",[8] "seat of the king", or "abode of kings".[3] Traditionally, it was used as a suffix to the names of royal capitals, such as Mandalay, which was called Yattanarbon Naypyidaw (ရတနာပုံနေပြည်တော်).
Sports[edit]
Naypyidaw F.C, a Myanmar National League football club, is based at Wunna Theikdi Stadium in Naypyidaw.
Arts and entertainment[edit]
The Myanmar Motion Picture Academy Awards are held annually in Naypyidaw given to the highest achievers in Burmese cinema.[70] There is a movie theater in the Junction Centre Mall as well as in the Ocean Shopping Mall. There are two others in nearby Pyinmana, and one in Tatkone Township.[28]
Costs and issues[edit]
One estimate puts the cost in the range of $3–4 billion USD although only part of this estimate is for cash spending because non-cash investments were also reportedly involved in supporting the construction effort.[51]
There is now continual travel by vehicles along the 300 km (190 mi) highway from Yangon to Naypyidaw, which is four lanes for most of the way. There are relatively few vehicles for much of the time on the road. Most trucks traveling north from Yangon to Naypyidaw and Mandalay are prohibited from using the highway. The Asian Development Bank has estimated that allowing more trucks onto the road would save over $100 million per year in reduced traveling time and other savings.[72] There are plans to turn the road into a six-lane highway for greater safety.[73]
The proportion of housing that meets expatriate needs is limited because the majority of existing apartments are for government employees.[74]
In popular culture[edit]
In March 2014, Naypyidaw was one of the locations featured on the British motoring TV show Top Gear during a two-part special event in Myanmar.
In 2018, Naypyidaw was on the TV show Dark Tourist.
Uppatasanti Pagoda (western view)
Government reception
Planetarium
Thatta Thattaha Maha Bawdi Pagoda
Maha Thakya Yan Thi Pagoda
Naypyidaw Gems Museum
Union Parliament (Interior View)
A press conference in Naypyidaw
A ceremonial reception in Naypyidaw
