As one of the most forested countries in the world, Myanmar has such rich mineral deposits

The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, or Burma for short. It is a country in Southeast Asia and a member of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. It is bordered by the Andaman Sea to the southwest, India and Bangladesh to the northwest, China to the northeast, Thailand and Laos to the southeast, and the capital is NayPyidaw.

Administrative divisions of Myanmar

Myanmar is rich in mineral resources, including oil, natural gas, tungsten, tin, lead, silver, nickel, antimony, gold, iron, chromium, jade and so on.

Oil is one of Myanmar's important economic resources. Before the war, oil was Myanmar's largest mining industry, with a maximum annual output of about 1 million tons. The oil is distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Irrawaddy River in Ren'anchan, Shaobu, Singu, Ren'anga, Rangyo, Minbu, Pallahyong, Yodaya, Dandai, Bidobin, Nyanma, Yingdao, Yanbetsu (Langley Island) and the southern islands of Sittwe. After 1960, oil was discovered in Ayado, Mian Ang, Bemu, Rebeda, Man, Libando and other places. At the end of the 1980s, Myanmar implemented an open-door policy, and the government signed contracts with nine oil companies in South Korea, the Netherlands, Australia, Canada, the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom to explore oil and gas in Motama on the shelf, Mawlamyine, Rakhine Valley, and Chintun River. According to the Asian Development Bank's energy assessment report, Myanmar has a total of 104 oil and gas extraction blocks, of which 53 are inland and 51 are offshore. According to the measurements, there are about 160 million barrels of oil and 20.11 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. [1]

Non-ferrous metals such as gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, tin, tungsten, and manganese in Myanmar are widely distributed, from northern Kachin State to Maliwen in southern Terindayi, where:

Gold is distributed in The kachin State near Maki, Chatuchak, Sagaing Province, and around Mongmi and Gelu in Shan State.

Silver-lead symbiosis ore is found in southeastern Kachin State and along the Nmeikai River, In Boton, Shan State, Boli and Kyaukch in Mandalay Province, Koludu and Dichaya in Kayin State, and Dawei in Delindayi Province.

Tin-tungsten blended ore is distributed in Taunggyi, Kayah State, Kayah State, Kayin State Tong, Mawlamyine and Terindayi Province, Towa and Meji area.

Zinc and manganese are distributed in southern Shan State.

It is found in the northwestern, northern and eastern Shan states, Kayah and Kayin States.

Boton, Shan State (Baudwin) is a multi-metal mining area with gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc and antimony. Before World War II, the mine had nearly 3,000 underground workers. The mine was damaged during the war and was only restored in 1951.

The Mochi mine in Kaye State mainly produces tin and tungsten, although its scale is not as good as Bolton, but the output of tungsten ranks first in the country, before the war the mine produced more than 5500 tons of tin and tungsten, accounting for half of the national output, half produced in dawei and Moji.

Iron is found in the upper reaches of the Nmeikai River, northwestern Shan State and eastern Mandalay. In June 1961, the Burmese Petroleum and Mineral Exploration Company and the German Company of Flangoyo discovered an iron ore with a reserve of 63 million tons in the Pymbai area near Dongzhi, with an iron content of 53%.

Coal Myanmar coal is not very abundant, but coal is found in Tuwa, Indy, Ruimao, Nandu, Kohlu, Kachin State, east of Mandalay, Sittwe in Rakhine State, and Murji in Tarindayi. In June 1961, a coal mine with reserves of 128 million tonnes was discovered in Galilea.

Myanmar is the world's most famous source of gemstones and jade. The main source of gemstones is Mogu, which is rich in rubies and sapphires. In 1989, a new gem source was discovered in the village of Nga Nong in Nandu, Shan State, and the Burmese government designated the area around Nga Nong as a state-exclusive gem-producing area. The jade ore is distributed in the northern region of Kachin State, and the main production areas are Menggong, Gambaidi, Nongken and Pagan. Diamonds are mainly produced in the area around Jingduo Village in Mengmi Township.

Myanmar is one of the most forested countries in the world. In 1994, the total area of Myanmar's forests (including 43% of closed forests and 30% of thin forests) was 34.42 million hm, accounting for about 51% of the total land area, and the forest coverage rate was about 52.3%.

Myanmar is rich in forest resources, and by the mid-1990s, 1347 tall tree species, 741 small tree species, 1696 species of shrubs, 96 species of bamboo plants, 36 species of vines and 841 species of flower plants had been discovered. Of the 2088 tree species, 85 are already used in wood production for multiple uses.  

In 2010, the forest coverage rate was 41%, mainly distributed in the north, west and south. The Central Bago Mountains are the main producers of teak. There are 2,300 species of forestry in Myanmar, of which more than 1,200 species are trees, and 60% of the world's teak reserves and 75% of the teak on the international market are produced in Myanmar. Myanmar is also rich in sandalwood, shrubs, chicken wings, iron, acidwood, rosewood and other hardwoods and precious hardwoods, with a potential annual output of about 1.3 million tons of hardwood. In addition, Myanmar is rich in bamboo and rattan resources. There are 97 kinds of bamboo species, and the bamboo forest area is 9630 square kilometers, mainly distributed in The Rakhine and Central Myanmar regions. There are 32 kinds of vines, with an annual output of about 76 million, mainly distributed in Kachin and Shan States, with water vines and red vines, and only a small part of them are exported.

Myanmar is home to a dense network of rivers, with the main rivers being the Irrawaddy, Salween, Chintun and Mekong rivers, with tributaries throughout the country. Among them, the Irrawaddy, Salween and Mekong rivers all originate in China. The Irrawaddy River is the largest river in Myanmar, with a basin area of 430,000 square kilometers, abundant water and gentle water flow, flowing from north to south through six provinces including Kachin State, Mandalay and Yangon, and finally from Yangon into the Indian Ocean, with a total length of 2,200 kilometers, a total drop of 4,768 meters, an average ratio of 2.13 ‰ for the whole river, and an average flow of 13,600 cubic meters per second. The Salween River is the second largest river in Myanmar, exiting from Luxi, Yunnan into Myanmar, 1,660 kilometers in Myanmar, with a basin area of about 205,000 square kilometers, passing through Shan, Kayah, Kayin and Mon States, and finally incorporating Motama Bay into the Indian Ocean. The Mekong River flows from Xishuangbanna into Myanmar and flows mainly through myanmar's Shan State border with Laos and Thailand.

Myanmar has great potential to use hydropower to generate electricity. According to surveys by Western countries and international organizations, Myanmar has an installed capacity of 18 million kilowatts of hydropower.

Myanmar has a long coastline, numerous inland lakes and abundant fishery resources, and has great potential for foreign cooperation and development due to conditions such as capital, technology, fishing, processing, and aquaculture. Myanmar has a coastline of 2,832 km, an exclusive economic zone of 486,000 km, 225,000 km of suitable fishing area, and an average annual catch of 1.05 million tonnes.

1. Mineral Resources of Myanmar [Cited on 2020-02-02]

This article is edited by headline encyclopedia users Xiao Peng Rufeng, Xiao Fei TianXia Woman, Wan Ding XingChen Dong, Wan Ding Xing Chen Xiao Mu zi, and Wan Ding Xing Yu Li Yu.