A country of southeast Asia on the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. Site of ancient Mon and Burman kingdoms, Burma was a province of British India from 1886 to 1937 and a separate crown colony from 1937 to 1948, when it gained its independence. The civilian government was overthrown by a military coup in 1962 and again in 1988. The country was officially renamed Myanmar in 1989. Yangon (formerly Rangoon) is the capital and the largest city. Population: 47,400,000.
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2007. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
