Yangon

Yangon

Yangon is the commercial capital and gateway to Myanmar by air and sea, adorned with idyllic lakes and tropical vegetation. It was founded by King Alaungpaya on a small settlement called Dagon, when he conquered lower Myanmar in 1755. The name Yangon means "End of Strife". Later the city centre was shaped and extended by Lieutenant Fraser of the British military engineers, the same man who designed Singapore. The Shwedagon Pagoda is the most prominent monument, visible from kilometres away and one of the wonders of the world. Other points of interest are the Chauk Htet Gyi Reclining Buddha, Sule Pagoda, downtown colonial buildings, Bogyoke (Scott) Market, the National Museum and Kaba Aye Pagoda (World Peace), in whose large complex the 6th World Buddhist Synod was held in 1954.