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
was a term 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. Upper Burma was predominantly
Bamar.
See also
There are few settlements in the area, but the Mons were the oldest. They arrived in the region of Burma/Myanmar as early as 2500 BC. It is said to have been that the Mons were the close cousins of the Khmer, together, they came down from Mongolia to the regions of Cambodia, Thailand, and Burma/Myanmar. They took the long journey from the north towards the region Burma/Myanmar. At a very early point in their history, they converted to Theravada-Buddhism, Burma was the centre of Theravada-Buddhism. The religion was very convenient for all parties; it was strict, yet very peaceful. The Thais and Cambodians were jealous of its idea; they converted from Hinduism and Mahayana Buddhism to Theravada Buddhism. They brought Theravada-Buddhism to Burma, changing the area around them in the way they thought and acted. The Mon people spoke the language of Mon, which the modern Burmese people adopted many of the Mon ways, including their writing system. They arrived from Mongolia, by the way the men were supposed to travel, walking; with their babies on the back and their eldest sons towing the caribou behind them.
When the Mon people arrived in the region of Burma/Myanmar, there was only one place the Mon people would settle, and that was the rivers. The main one was the Irrawaddy River. This river was the best place to settle because it was full of fish and the rare Irrawaddy dolphin; another advantage of living here was that the Northwestern border was close to India, the land of spice. The surrounding area of the Irrawaddy River was also very fertile, making rice and agriculture prosperous.
