Today’s Wonder of the Day was inspired by Henry. Henry Wonders, “Why many people dont know about Burma?” Thanks for WONDERing with us, Henry!

Do you ever dream of traveling to faraway, exotic lands? Do you yearn to experience cultures other than your own? Would you like to visit places that few others around the world have been able to experience? If so, we have just the place for you. What are we talking about? Let's spin the globe and find out just where in the world Myanmar is!

Located in Southeast Asia, Myanmar is a country just a bit smaller than Texas. It lies along the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea in the Thailand/Cambodia part of the Indochinese peninsula. Its neighbors include India, China, Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand.

Its position along the Bay of Bengal made Myanmar (known as Burma for most of history) an important area for trade. The British East Indian Company attempted to set up posts as early as the 1600s, but the Burmese natives resisted these efforts.

Over the next couple of centuries and a few wars, Burma eventually became a British colony. Burma gained its independence from Britain in 1948. The country has remained isolated, and Burma has been ruled by military governments since 1962.

The military leaders of Burma changed its official name to Myanmar in 1989. Many governments around the world, however, do not recognize Myanmar's military government and continue to call the country Burma.

Experts believe the military government keeps the country's economy from developing, leading to a life of poverty for many of its 60 million citizens.

Myanmar is rich in natural resources, including precious stones, oil, and natural gas. Other notable resources include timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, marble, and limestone.

Myanmar also boasts significant agricultural resources, thanks to its tropical monsoon climate. Myanmar summers tend to be hot, humid, and rainy, while winters are dry and mild.

Myanmar's climate also makes it a very ecologically diverse area. Myanmar is home to over 100 species of birds, 300 species of reptiles, 300 different mammals, and over 7,000 plants and flowers!

Standards: C3.D2.Civ.5, C3.D2.Civ.12, C3.D2.Civ.14, CCRA.L.3, CCRA.L.6, CCRA.R.1, CCRA.R.2, CCRA.R.4, CCRA.R.10, CCRA.SL.1, C3.D2.Geo.1, C3.D2.Geo.2, CCRA.W.2, CCRA.W.4, CCRA.W.9, CCRA.L.1, CCRA.L.2

Wonder What's Next?

Tomorrow’s Wonder of the Day is furry and wild…or is it?