Yangon

Yangon, which has been the capital of Myanmar since 1885, lies in lower Myanmar on the banks of the Ayeyarwady river. It still retains its colonial heritage, as very little has changed in the town over the last decades. The town's major attraction is the Shwedagon pagoda, which contains a huge 107m stupa covered with 60 tonnes of gold leaf. Other interesting sights are pagodas, the National Museum, the Royal lakes with the Karaweik stone boat and the colonial town centre. Since 2005 Yangon is no longer the capital of Myanmar. The new capital is Naypyidaw, a new city located 320km to the north.