Myanmar is located in the western part of Indochina Peninsula, with common borders on land with China, India, Bangladesh, Laos and Thailand.

With an area of nearly 677,000 square km, Myanmar has a population of about 57.5 million, consisting of 135 ethnic groups, with Myanmese accounting for about 65 percent of the total population.

Over 85 percent of Myanmar population believe in Buddhism which has existed in the country for more than 2,500 years. Large numbers of pagodas, temples and monks are considered the three distinctive features of Myanmar's Buddhist culture. With an estimated 100,000 pagodas across the country, Myanmar is also known as the "country of pagodas."