Dry Zone (Myanmar)

The Dry Zone (also called the Central Dry Zone) or Anyar (Burmese: အညာ) is a region of Myanmar located in central Upper Myanmar - including most of Magway, Mandalay, and Sagaing regions. As a major population centre of the country, the Dry Zone is home to between one-fourth to one-third of the country's population, 80% of whom are farmers and farm laborers. As the ancestral heartland of the Bamar, the Dry Zone has served as the power centre for governments throughout Myanmar's history, including to the present day.

The Dry Zone is named for its semi-arid climate and sparse, erratic rainfall, caused by the Arakan Mountains, which prevents monsoons from reaching the region. It is the country's most water-stressed region. The region has been especially impacted by land degradation and desertification, due to factors like water and wind erosion, soil fertility depletion, and deforestation. Consequently, the Dry Zone is one of Myanmar's most chronically food insecure regions.