Shan State

Shan State
မိူင်းတႆး (Shan)
ရှမ်းပြည်နယ် (Burmese)
Pindaya Caves in Shan State
State Government Office
Inn Oo Pagodas
Kyaukme market
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Location of Shan State in Myanmar
Location of Shan State in Myanmar
Coordinates: 21°30′N 98°0′E / 21.500°N 98.000°E / 21.500; 98.000
CountryMyanmar
RegionUpper
Before becoming StateFederated Shan States
Establishment4 January 1948
Direct rule by the Government1 October 1959
CapitalTaunggyi
Government
 • Chief MinisterSai Htein Soe
 • CabinetShan State Government
 • LegislatureShan State Hluttaw
 • JudiciaryShan State High Court
Area
 • Total
155,801.3 km2 (60,155.2 sq mi)
 • Rank1st
Highest elevation2,641 m (8,665 ft)
Population
 (2014)
 • Total
5,824,432
 • Rank4th
 • Density37.38372/km2 (96.82339/sq mi)
 The last official census in Myanmar was in 2014.
DemonymShan
Demographics
 • Ethnicities
 • Religions
Time zoneUTC+06:30 (MMT)
ISO 3166 codeMM-17
HDI (2019)0.509
low · 14th
Websitewww.shanstate.gov.mm
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Shan State (Shan: မိူင်းတႆး, Möng Tai; Burmese: ရှမ်းပြည်နယ်, pronounced [ʃáɰ̃ pjìnɛ̀]) is a state of Myanmar. Shan State borders China (Yunnan) to the north, Laos (Louang Namtha and Bokeo Provinces) to the east, and Thailand (Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai and Mae Hong Son provinces) to the south, and five administrative divisions of Myanmar in the west (Kachin State, Mandalay Region, Kayin State, Kayah State, and Sagaing Region). The largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km2, almost a quarter of the total area of Myanmar. The state gets its name from the Burmese name for the Tai peoples: "Shan people". The Tai (Shan) constitute the majority among several ethnic groups that inhabit the area. Shan State is largely rural, with only three cities of significant size: Lashio, Kengtung, and the capital, Taunggyi. Taunggyi is 150.7 kilometres (93.6 mi) northeast of the nation's capital Naypyitaw.

The Shan state, with many ethnic groups, is home to several armed ethnic groups. While the military government has signed ceasefire agreements with most groups, vast areas of the state, especially those east of the Salween River, remain outside the central government's control, and in recent years have come under heavy ethnic-Han Chinese economic and political influence. Other areas are under the control of military groups such as the Shan State Army.

According to data from the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Shan State is the region that produces the most opium in Myanmar, though production declined through the mid-to-late 2010s.