Mandalay is the second-largest city and the last royal capital of Myanmar. Located 716 km (445 mi) north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy River, the city has a population of 1,225,553.
Mandalay is the economic hub of Upper Burma and considered the center of Burmese culture. Despite Naypyidaw’s recent rise, Mandalay remains Upper Burma’s main commercial, educational and health center.
The Mandalay City Development Committee (MCDC) is the city government. The Mandalay District consists of seven townships.
- Amarapura
- Aungmyethazan
- Chanayethazan (city centre)
- Chanmyathazi
- Maha Aungmye
- Patheingyi
- Pyigyidagun
Mandalay’s strategic location in Central Myanmar makes it an important hub for transport of people and goods. The city is connected to other parts of the country and to China and India by multiple modes of transportation.
Mandalay International Airport, located 35 km south of Mandalay in Tada-U, is one of only three international airports in Myanmar. The airport is the largest and most modern airport in the country, connecting 11 domestic and four international destinations.
The Ayeyarwady River remains an important arterial route for transporting goods such as farm produce including rice, beans and pulses, cooking oil, pottery, bamboo and teak.
Mandalay is the major trading and communications center for northern and central Burma. Much of Burmese external trade to China and India goes through Mandalay.
Among the leading traditional industries are silk weaving, tapestry, jade cutting and polishing, stone and wood carving, making marble and bronze Buddha images, temple ornaments and paraphernalia, the working of gold leaves and of silver, the manufacture of matches, brewing and distilling.