Myanmar could reckoned as a forest-clad mountainous country, with plateaus, valleys and plains. The mountain ranges with varying altitudes from 3000 to 7000 feet form natural boundaries between Myanmar and her neighbors. The general incline of the country is from north to south, and all rivers flow in the same direction. The Ayeyarwady, Chindwin, Sittaung and Thanlwin constitute the four major river channels, and the basins of the first three, with deltaic Ayeyarwady as the most extensive, form the major crop lands of the country. On the other hand, the Thanlwin river which cuts across the Shan plateau from north to south provides very little riverine flat land for cropping.

Prominent features of the Rakhine and Taninthary coastal regions are narrow strips of plains along the sea coast. The gradient gradually rises towards the inland on the east climaxing in high mountain ranges called Rakhine and Tanintharyi Yomas. Short small rivers traverse the narrow plains in both regions. And with an annual rainfall varying from 150 to 200 inches, coastal regions form the main area for plantation crops such as rubber, cocoa, oil palm and coconut.

The Ayeyarwady delta and its adjoining coastal plains extend northward inland to varying distances of some 50 200 miles. This expanse of alluvial land with a network of small rivers and streams is the main rice growing area of the country.

The flat plains of middle Myanmar extend northwards from the Ayeyarwady delta for some 300 to 350 miles, bounded on the west by the Rakhine and Chin hills and on the east by the Shan plateau. The Bago Yoma as a low range of hills, in central Myanmar, divides the southern portion of this flat region into the Ayeyarwady river basin on the west and the Sittaung river basin on the east. Further another low range of hills in the northern portion divide the Ayeyarwady river basin on the east and Chindwin river basin on the west.

And with an annual rainfall varying from 25 to 80 inches, a large variety of crops are grown in this region, dispending on soil and agro climatic conditions.

The Chin and Shan States form most of the remaining hilly regions. However, improper land use methods adopted during the colonial days have resulted in the formation of large expanse of land which are no longer suitable for crop production. In order to avoid recurrence of such incidences, steps are being taken for strict adherence to "terrace cultivation" and "conservative farming" methods in those areas.