The Republic of the Union of Myanmar, also known as Burma, is a Southeast Asian country; Yangon (Rangoon) serves as its capital. Myanmar was once a powerful empire, with the Taungoo Dynasty and Konbaung Dynasty owning large territories in Southeast Asia. In 1824, the United Kingdom colonized Burma, conquering the rest of the country in a series of wars that lasted throughout the 19th century. British Burma, ruled mostly by Scottish administrators, was given its independence as a dominion in 1948 as the Union of Burma. Myanmar was ruled as a military dictatorship from 1962 to 2011, with Ne Win ousting Aung San's democratic government and replacing it with a military junta. For years, the government oppressed ethnic and religious minorities, leading to the Internal conflict in Burma of 1948-present. In 2011, democratic elections were held, and the opposition National Leage for Democracy, led by jailed opposition activist Aung San Suu Kyi, won a majority in the 2016 elections. Myanmar's transition to democracy did not end the internal conflict, however, and violence continues. In 2014, Myanmar had a population of 51,486,253 people.
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