Happy Birthday to Myanmar!

Street food vendor in Yangon. Yangon served as the capital of Myanmar until 2006. *Photo from Wikipedia

January 4 is Independence Day, celebrates the independence of Myanmar (Burma) from the United Kingdom in 1948.

The British conquered Myanmar after three Anglo-Burmese Wars in the 19th century and the country became a British colony. Myanmar became an independent nation in 1948, initially as a democratic nation and then, following a coup d’état in 1962, a military dictatorship.
In 2011, the military junta was officially dissolved following a 2010 general election, and a nominally civilian government was installed. While former military leaders still wield enormous power in the country, Burmese Military have taken steps toward relinquishing control of the government.

Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and also known as Burma, is a sovereign state in Southeast Asia bordered by Bangladesh, India, China, Laos and Thailand.

*Reference: Wikipedia