Yangon and Kolkata: Why they are similar?

From the moment I stepped foot in Yangon, I have been feeling that I am in Kolkata, but in a different time. May be, a time before I was born. I have lived in Kolkata and now I am exploring Yangon and see a lot of similarities. Below are the similarities that have come to my attention so far.


1) Both cities have got their name changed. Calcutta to Kolkata and Rangoon to Yangon.

2) Both cities were capitals of the British empire in their respective geographies.

3)They share a similar weather pattern, which is warm and humid throughout the year with a strong monsoon season.

4) They have colonial buildings everywhere in the city.


5) They have a multi-cultural population that is cosmopolitan and spans many religions.

6) They love their street food. Noodles, fish and potatoes are a favorite.

7) Both cities are close to the Bay of Bengal, but don’t have a beach.

8) They have a big river’s distributary flowing next to it. Kolkata has the Hooghly river. Yangon has the Yangon river.


9) Both cities are next to a delta of the country’s largest rivers. Kolkata is close to the Sunderbans, the delta of the Ganges and Yangon is close to the Ayerawaddy delta.

10) The people in both cities are very nice, very cultural and very colorful.

11) The men of both the cities like chewing betel nuts and paan.

12) Both places celebrate their festivals with great gusto.