Rangoon

views updated May 11 2018

Rangoon (Yangon) Capital of Burma (Myanmar), a seaport on the Rangoon River. The site of a Buddhist shrine, it became capital in 1886, when the British annexed the country. It was the scene of heavy fighting between British and Japanese forces in World War II. It is the country's chief trade centre. Industries: oil refining, timber, rice, iron ore. Pop. (2002 est.) 4,016,000.