Current Capital of Myanmar: Naypyidaw (Since 2005)

• Previous Capital: **Yangon (Rangoon)** — remains the **largest city, commercial hub, and former capital** (1885–2005).
• Reason for Move: Military government (SPDC) cited "central location," "security," "room for expansion." Widely seen as strategic isolation from coastal invasion/popular uprising.
• Character: **Planned, vast, low-density** (7,054 km² / 2,724 sq mi — 4x size of London). Zones: Government, Military, Residential, Hotel, Diplomatic. Wide highways (20 lanes), few pedestrians.
• Population: ~300,000–1M (estimates vary; many civil servants commute).
• Key Sites: Parliament (Pyidaungsu Hluttaw), Presidential Palace, Supreme Court, Uppatasanti Pagoda (Shwedagon replica), 20-lane Boulevard.

Foreign embassies **mostly remain in Yangon**; only a few have moved to Naypyidaw.