Naypyidaw or Naypyitaw [key], capital city of Myanmar and union territory (2009 est. pop. 925,000), 2,724 sq mi (7,054 sq km), in the S central part of the country. A planned city built specifically to replace Yangon (Rangoon) as the capital, it was under construction when Myanmar's military rulers announced in 2005 that the capital would be moved to central Myanmar near Pyinmana; the new capital was not named until 2006. In addition to the national legislature, presidential palace, and other government buildings, the Uppatasanti Pagoda (an almost exact replica of Yangon's Shwedagon Pagoda) and a zoo and botanical garden are there. Foreign embassies, however, have remained in Yangon.
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