Steve, Please edjumacate yourself before you make ignorant remarks, Thank You. Burma, officially the Union of Myanmar[1] (Burmese: , pronounced [pjìdàunzṵ mjəmà nàinŋàndɔ̀]), is the largest country by geographical area in mainland Southeast Asia.The British began conquering Burma in 1824 and incorporated the country into the British Raj in 1886. Burma was administered as a province of British India until 1937 when it became a separate, self-governing colony. The country achieved independence from the United Kingdom on 4 January 1948, as the "Union of Burma". It became the "Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma" on 4 January 1974, before reverting to the "Union of Burma" on 23 September 1988. On 18 June 1989, the State Law and Order Restoration Council (SLORC) adopted the name "Union of Myanmar" for English transliteration. This controversial name change in English was not recognized by the opposition groups and many English-speaking nations.