Naypyidaw Union Territory
Myanmar's isolated planned capital hosting military regime headquarters amid nationwide crisis.
Naypyidaw Union Territory is Myanmar's planned capital—a purpose-built administrative city carved from jungle in 2006 to replace Yangon. The move reflected military junta concerns about coastal vulnerability and desire for controlled environment away from Yangon's population and potential unrest.
The city functions as political center rather than economic hub. Government ministries, military headquarters, and administrative offices employ the population. Commercial activity remains minimal compared to Yangon or Mandalay. This creates a peculiar economy—dependent on government employment with limited private sector.
Since the 2021 coup, Naypyidaw hosts the military regime's State Administration Council. The territory's purpose-built isolation now serves to insulate the junta from popular resistance concentrated in other cities. Security perimeters and sparse population density complicate opposition organizing.
The biological pattern is controlled habitat: Naypyidaw was constructed to provide artificial environment insulated from organic urban pressures, creating administrative functionality at the cost of economic vitality.