[citation needed] The area of the Shan Highland is a combination of hill ranges, steep river valleys and a few elevated plains.

They rise steeply from Myanmar's central plain and stretch for hundreds of kilometres eastwards into Thailand's northwest.

At 1,000 metres (3,300 ft) above sea level and about one and a half hour drive from Mandalay, it was one of the retreats for colonial officials escaping the heat of the Burmese summer.

Pyin Oo Lwin is still known for its botanical gardens and, like all British hill stations, has samples of colonial architecture.

[18] On 24 March 2011, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck in Tarlay, Tachileik Township, in the Daen Lao range area on the eastern part of the hill system.