Ethnicity, Language, & Religion of Myanmar
Ethnicity
Just over two thirds of the people of Myanmar are ethnically Burman or Bamar, which is an ethnic group that is most closely related to the Tibetans (in China) and falls in the ethnic family of the Sino-Tibetan, making them more distantly related to the Han Chinese. The last third of the people in Myanmar fall into numerous groups as no other single ethnic group makes up more than 10% of the population. Among these ethnic minorities are the Shan, Karen, Rakhine, Chinese, and Indians.
Language
Burmese is the only official language in Myanmar, although numerous ethnic minorities speak additional native languages. Burmese (or Myanmar language) is a member of the Tibetan side of the Sino-Tibetan language family and hence, Tibetan is one of the language's closest relatives.