Mandalay

Mandalay (pop. 533,000), city in central Myanmar (Burma), on the Irrawaddy River. It is the center of Burmese Buddhism, with numerous monuments, including the Arakan pagoda, and is the country's transportation center. Mandalay was founded in the mid-19th century and served (1860–85) as the last capital of the kingdom of Burma before annexation by the British.