After the Burmese military staged a coup in 1988 after the 8888 Uprising, the military junta, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) began the process of re-romanizing and renaming many place names (including the names of streets, cities, rivers, and geographic features) and ethnonyms throughout the country, often to better approximate their native endonymic pronunciations.

On 18 June 1989, SLORC enacted the Adaptation of Expressions Law, which officially renamed "Burma" as "Myanmar" and "Burmese" as "Myanma," and permitted authorities to rename any of the English language names of any state, division, township zone, township, town, ward, village-tract, village or any river, stream, forest, mountain or island to better conform with the Burmese pronunciation, via notification in the Burma Gazette. Prior to the renaming, many coastal towns and cities had colonial-era English names, based on nonstandard approximations of their Burmese names.

The renaming of "Myanmar" remains highly contested. Many opposition parties and human rights groups, especially among ethnic minorities, view "Myanmar" as a name that reinforces the dominance of the Bamar majority and disregards the distinct identities of the country's many diverse ethnic groups. They often prefer "Burma" as a more neutral term. Despite the official renaming of the country from Burma to Myanmar and its capital from Rangoon to Yangon, the names and spellings in the Burmese language have mostly remained unchanged — မြန်မာ (Myanmar) and ရန်ကုန် (Yangon).

Country

Burma → Myanmar

Cities & towns

Akyab → Sittwe Amherst → Kyaikkhami Ava → Inwa Bassein → Pathein Henzada → Hinthada Hsenwi → Theinni Hsipaw → Thibaw Kemmendine → Kyimyindaing Keng Tung → Kyaing Tong Lawksawk → Yatsauk Kyaukpyu → Kyaukphyu Magwe → Magway Martaban → Mottama Maymyo → Pyin Oo Lwin Mergui → Myeik Möng Kawng → Mogaung Möng Mit → Momeik Möng Nai → Mone Möng Pai → Mobye Möng Yang → Mohnyin Moulmein → Mawlamyine Panglong Pinlon Pagan → Bagan Pegu → Bago Prome → Pyay Ramree → Yanbye Rangoon → Yangon Salween → Thanlwin Sandoway → Thandwe Syriam → Thanlyin Tavoy → Dawei Tenasserim → Tanintharyi Toungoo → Taungoo Syriam → Thanlyin Victoria Point → Kawthaung Yawnghwe → Nyaungshwe

Regions & states Arakan State → Rakhine State Irrawaddy Division → Ayeyarwady Region Karen State → Kayin State Karenni State → Kayah State Magwe Division → Magway Region Pegu Division → Bago Region Rangoon Division → Yangon Region Tenasserim Division → Tanintharyi Region

Geographic features

Rivers Bassein River → Pathein River Chindwin River → Chindwinn River Irrawaddy River → Ayeyarwady River Salween River → Thanlwin River Sittang River → Sittaung River

Mountain ranges

Arakan Yoma → Rakhine Yoma Pegu Yoma → Bago Yoma

Islands

King Island → Kadan Island Negrais Island → Hainggyi Island Ramree Island → Yanbye Island

Ethnonyms

Arakanese → Rakhine Bre → Kayaw Burman → Bamar Burmese → Myanma. Note: the Burmese language is called the "Myanmar language" in the 2008 Constitution of Myanmar. Hmong → Myaung Zee Karen → Karen Karenni → Kayah Padaung → Kayan Palaung → Ta'ang Taungthu → Pa-O

References