5 Methodology 1.1.2 MANDALAY Mandalay, founded in 1857, is Burma’s cultural capital and second-largest city with a population of 960,000.1 Mandalay served as the Burmese royal capital from 1861 until the British conquest in 1885. The most influential Buddhist universities in the country are located in and around the city which is said to have been visited by Buddha himself. Mandalay is a major commercial center with tea packing, silk weaving, jade cutting silverware, and goldware industries. It has International Airport and has close connections with China. 1.1.3 NAY PYI TAW Оn 6th November 2005, the administrative capital оf Burma wаs officially moved 320 km north оf Yangon and was officially named Nay Pyi Taw. All the ministeries and the military haedquarters have been moved to this new capital. So this is essentially an administrative and political capital city of Myanmar while most of the economic activity still takes place in Yangon which is the biggest city of the country. 1.1.4 MAWLAMYINE Mawlamyine, with about 300,000 populations, is the third largest city in Myanmar following Yangon and Mandalay, and is the capital of Mon State. The city is a port city situated at a mouth of the Thanlwin River, one of the great rivers of Myanmar besides the Ayeyarwadi River. The residential zone of Mawlamyine is spread around the hill located in the centre of the city. 1 Brinkoff, T. (2009) html City Population: Myanmar. Retreived from the website http://www.city population.de/Myanmar. Nay Pyi Taw