Mandalay (; in Burmese, in English) is the second largest city and the last royal capital of Burma. Located north of Yangon on the east bank of the Irrawaddy river, the city has a population of nearly 1 million, and is the capital of Mandalay Division.Mandalay is the economic hub of Upper Burma and considered the center of Burmese culture. A continuing influx of Chinese immigrants mostly from Yunnan Province in the past twenty years has reshaped the city's ethnic makeup and increased its economic dynamism. Despite Naypyidaw's recent rise, Mandalay remains Upper Myanmar's main commercial, educational and health center.
Etymology
The city gets its name from the nearby Mandalay Hill. The name is likely a derivative of a Pali word although the exact word of origin remains unclear. The root word has been speculated as: "Mandala" (meaning, circle or plains land), "Mandare" (believed to mean "auspicious land"), or "Mandara" (a mountain from Hindu mythology).When it was founded in 1857, t