Yangon was the present-day capital of Myanmar (Burma) until recently, when the current military government moved the capital to a new greenfield site called Naypyidaw (also spelt Nay Pyi Taw) located in Pyinmana Township approximately 320 kilometres to the north, on 6 November 2006.

Sri Lanka chronicles suggest that there was a settlement known as Okkala in the Yangon area as far back as 2,500 years ago, and the settlement grew after the Shwedagon Pagoda was built. But it was the British who moved the capital of Burma to Yangon and renamed it Rangoon, after they annexed the country as part of British India on 1 January 1886.

Like other parts of Burma, Yangon also seems to be stuck in a time warp, dating back to the British colonial era before WWII, although there are some signs of recent developments since the last years of the 20th century. But it still looks and feels like an antiquated city. The massive Shwedagon Pagoda continues to dominate the physical landscape of Yangon, from its post on Singuttara Hill north of the city centre, symbol of a country in which Buddhism pervades every aspect of life.