Mandalay Division

   One of Burma's 14 states and divisions, with an area of 37,946 square kilometers (14,651 square miles) and an estimated population in 2000 of 6.76 million (1983 census figure: 4,577,762). The divisional capital is Mandalay, which was Burma's last royal capital and is the country's second largest city. Mandalay Division comprises seven districts (Mandalay, Maymyo [Pyin-OoLwin], Kyaukse, Myingyan, Nyaung-U, Yamethin, and Meiktila) and 31 townships. Located in the Dry Zone, a "rain shadow" formed by the Arakan (Rakhine) Yoma, it receives scant rainfall compared to areas to the south. To alleviate water shortages, the State Peace and Development Council (SPDC) has built numerous dams and irrigation networks. The land is generally low-lying, although the division includes the foothills of the Shan Plateau (it is bordered by Shan State to the east), the northern part of the Pegu (Bago) Yoma, and isolated high points, such as Mandalay Hill and the volcanic Mount Popa. The Irrawaddy (Ayeyarwady) River runs along part of its western border with Magwe (Magway) Division, and tributaries of the Sittang (Sittoung) River flow south from the division. Elongated in a north-south direction, its northern arm includes Mogok (Mogoke), a famous center of ruby mining. Major crops include rice, millet, groundnuts, oil seeds (sesame and sunflower), pulses, beans, toddy (sugar) palm, and cotton. Mandalay Division has significant industry, including factories for the production of such consumer goods as textiles, soft drinks, and canned goods, and the rail transport workshops at Myitnge. Since the 1990s, industrial estates have been established in Mandalay city. Forestry is also economically important, and the town of Kyaukpadaung is a hub for highway transportation. Located in the Burman (Bamar) heartland (Upper Burma), Mandalay Division is the site of many of the country's old royal capitals: Mandalay, Pagan (Bagan) in Nyaung-U District, Ava (Inwa), and Amarapura. Even after the British shifted the center of political and economic power to Rangoon (Yangon), these towns have remained important as places where traditional art, culture, and manners are preserved. For example, Amarapura is a center for traditional silk weaving, and marble Buddha images are carved at Sagyin outside of Mandalay. Most of the population are Burmans, though there are smaller numbers of Shans and other indigenous ethnic minorities, and an undetermined (though probably large) population of migrants from the People's Republic of China. In 2005, the SPDC announced that a new national capital would be built at Pyinmana, in the southern part of Mandalay Division, and relocation of personnel commenced in November of that year.