When did Burma become Myanmar?
The nation that was formerly referred to as Burma altered its name during the second half of the 20th century. This is not unusual for any country that gained its independence from its colonial rulers.
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However, exactly when did Burma become Myanmar?
The name of the country was altered to Myanmar in the year 1989, this was after the popular and ruling totalitarian Burma Socialist Programme Party was toppled by a military coup.
However, there is still a worldwide controversy as to the symbolic meaning of this name change.
Where do Myanmar and Burma names come from?
Burma is actually the country’s name that dates back to the early years of colonial period, this was during the mid 18th century.
It is the Portuguese name for Birmania country that was adopted by the English. This Portuguese word is likely a derivative of the word Bama, this referred to the largest ethnic group in the region.
However, the term Bama itself is a derivative of Myanma/Mranma. The term was intermittently utilized for the country from 1235 CE.
It should be noted that throughout the various centuries, the country had more than just the one name of Myanma.
To most people, Myanma was a clear reflection of anti-colonial sentiments since it represented a duration when the country governed itself.
The mainstream independence movement used Bama because it never adopted such a stance.
When the name changed?
When did Burma become Myanmar? After gaining its independence in the year 1948, Burma experienced a number of military coups in the 60s, the 70s and the 80s.
Until the year 1989, most of the regimes adopted and used the term Burma as the official name of the country. It was after that year that General Saw Maung led coup that altered the English name 
to become Myanmar.
The regime’s justification of the name change was that Myanmar felt more inclusive of the minority cultures and ethnicities in comparison to Burma.
As earlier mentioned, Burma was a derivative of the country’s ethnic majority.
The justification did not prevent numerous opponents of the regime from feeling dissatisfied, they generally desired that the opinion of the people should have been sought prior to the change.
Controversy
Some organizations like the United Nations immediately adopted and used the new name Myanmar but others opposed it as a sign of protest to the new regime.
In fact, to this present moment, both the United Kingdom and the United States use the name Burma in all official government documents.
This only goes to show that there is still a significant controversy between the name Burma and Myanmar.
Conclusion
The above insightful information clearly explains the rich history of Burma, where the name comes from and why/when it was changed.
It also shows that there is still much controversy to the name change to date.
However, more institutions and people are embracing the new name more and more with the passing of time.
This is a gesture of both hope and optimism for the future of the wonderful country.
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